Go through every item in your closet and drawers right now. If you’re like a lot of people, you’ll likely find several items you don’t even remember owning. Guess what? That means you probably have more clothes than you need. So often we end up buying something because it’s on sale or we intend to wear it “one of these days”. Unfortunately, that one day doesn’t happen and in the meantime your closet and dresser are stuffed to the brim. It’s time to minimize your wardrobe and to keep it that way. There are numerous benefits:
All of this leads to your own freedom from the consumer cycle. By keeping a small wardrobe, you’re forced to look over all of your purchases and see whether it makes sense or not. You’ll be reducing your overall environmental footprint since you won’t be buying “fast fashion” pieces and the things you do buy should last you decades. It can be hard to part with all of your clothes, but once you get over the emotional idea that more is better, you can truly start leading a fashionably sustainable lifestyle. If you’re not sure where to start below are a few steps on minimizing your style.
A minimal wardrobe doesn’t mean you can’t try out new clothes every now and again. There are plenty of sustainable ways you can keep your closet small and fashionable.
You and your friends likely have similar tastes in clothes, or maybe not! If you want to try out something new but don’t want to spend the money, why not host a clothing swap? This way you and your friends can try on some other styles without worrying about buying something new. Of course, always try the clothes on before committing to the swap to ensure it fits properly. This is not only a great way to get rid of items you no longer wear, it’s also a lot of fun. If you don’t have any friends with clothes that would fit, there are also apps you can use that host virtual swap parties. Of course this means you’ll need to either pay a shipping and handling fee or meet the person to make the swap.
Companies like Rent the Runway are disrupting the fashion industry by allowing people to “rent” the latest fashion. This means you can still be on trend without cluttering your closet. Of course, there is a fee involved in the rental. There are more companies who are doing something similar and even some local businesses that have incorporated similar ideas. Now you no longer have to keep a tag on the clothes so you can return it the next day.
Learning the basics of sewing can go a long way to helping out your wardrobe. Simple things like fixing a popped seam, adjusting your hemlines, taking in or out seams, sewing buttons back on and so forth can keep your clothes lasting longer. Not only that but you might even be able to repurpose some old styles of clothes into something new with some basic stitch work. A lot of young, eco-conscious people have gone down this route which they have no dubbed refashioning. Basically, it’s taking something old and revitalizing it with a couple tweaks. If you have something in your closet you love but it’s too big or maybe even outdated, it’s possible you can update it if you know how to sew.
Keeping a small closet doesn’t mean you don’t have any options. If anything, it gives you a lot more flexibility to mix and match all of the different articles of clothing you have in new and creative ways. Plus it’s an easy way to reduce your impact on the environment and save precious natural resources.
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