Clearing out your wardrobe might take a couple of hours, but you will feel so much better afterwards! So, if you’ve been considering clearing out your wardrobe, now is the perfect time to do it, whether you just want a clean slate or you’re moving into an apartment. You will be able to find everything so much easier, saving you valuable time everyday. Then, this also gives you a chance to make your wardrobe more sustainable!
Often discussions around sustainable wardrobes consist of pretty expensive suggestions, whether it’s investing in premium quality fabrics or buying only from sustainable shops with increased costs, which for many people, isn’t within their budget. That’s why this article is more centred around things you can do to make your wardrobe more sustainable, without needing to spend a fortune. From getting classics like little black dresses to renting for certain occasions, some of these things will even save you money, which is even better!
How To Clear Out Your Wardrobe
Take Everything Out
The best place to start when it comes to clearing out your wardrobe is to take everything out and put it onto your bed or the floor. It is almost impossible to organise your wardrobe properly when everything is still in it, so quickly take everything out and it will make the entire process so much quicker and easier! This includes everything from your wardrobe and drawers, as when everything is out, you might find better ways to store different things in different places. You might even find things you’ve forgotten about like London souvenirs or thoughtful gifts from friends! Plus, this is actually quite therapeutic, as you can give your wardrobe a good wipe down afterwards so everything is neat and clean before you start putting anything back in.
Create Keep and Donate Piles
Once everything has been taken out, you need to create keep and donate piles for all of your clothes. Anything that fits you well, you wear often and gives you confidence should be in the keep pile, and anything else could be donated, with the exception of pieces you don’t wear very often but know you will wear again, like going out dresses. Donating clothes is so fantastic, as it will help people in need and it won’t make a difference to you if you don’t wear them very often. Another option is to sell some of the pieces, to help you buy more sustainable clothing in the future, or to support charity shops that will again be helping someone.
Sort Into Sections
Now you have a pile of pieces you’ll be keeping, it’s time to sort it into sections. Some people like to sort it into occasions, so having all your workwear together, casual wear, dressy clothes etc. together, however we’re big believers that if you buy the right pieces, you can wear them for so many different occasions. So, we prefer to sort by category of clothing, like having all of your bodycon dresses together, your jeans together, your trousers together, your long sleeve tops together, your skirts together and so on. You’d be surprised at how clothing can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion, so get creative and try out some different combinations to see how you can transform the pieces you already have!
This is also a great time to make sure everything is hung on the right hangers, as it will make things easy to see and it will also ensure that you are looking after your clothing properly. So, make sure you have the right hangers for everything and it will make a big difference to how your wardrobe looks and how long your clothes last! Now it’s time to look at the changes you can make now you’ve had a good clear out!
Simple, Affordable and Sustainable Wardrobe Changes
Rent For Special Occasions
We are big believers in buying for a staple wardrobe, so purchasing pieces that won’t go out of style and can be worn season after season. However, there are some pieces of clothing that you won’t wear all the time, and for special occasions, you might not just want one dress or suit that you keep rewearing.
So, renting your clothing for special occasions is a great choice to help you move towards zero waste fashion! Ideally you would utilise local rental companies to avoid the carbon produced through shipping. However, having a dress shipped to you that you wear and then send back for so many more people to enjoy is much more eco-friendly than buying brand new and wearing once. Not to mention, renting is a whole lot cheaper than choosing something completely new! Plus, trying lots of different types of clothes through renting is a great way to find your personal style.
Choose Brands You Will Wear and Love
One of the best things you can do to make your wardrobe more sustainable is to choose pieces of clothing you’ll wear and love year after year. For many people, they don’t want to break the bank. Luckily, brands are evolving with more of a focus on their sustainability, and buying a dress from a slightly less sustainable brand and wearing it 30 times is better than buying a more sustainable dress and wearing it once or twice.
So many brands that previously were known to be quite damaging in terms of their environmental impact are making clear steps to reduce their footprint, so it’s always worth continuing your research as your favourite brands that you know you will wear and love year after year may have turned a corner.
For example, Oh Polly who are famous for their going out dresses, have admitted they are constantly working to improve their sustainability focus, from low impact deliveries to using vegan materials and implementing solar panels on site. They have also introduced a “Donate For A Discount” initiative with their online clothing bank, so this is a great step in the right direction to build a wardrobe that you’re going to keep for years, as well as enjoying better quality clothing in the process too!
You could lend your favourite dresses to your friends and family for different occasions. They could do the same for you, then within a friendship group of 4 or 5, you could have a range of beautiful dresses to choose from and enjoy! Having a sustainable wardrobe is about more than just buying from sustainable brands sometimes, as it’s not always possible for some people, but making sure you wear and love the clothes you do buy for years is really important.