Clothing You Don't Need This Season

In keeping with the "Less Stuff. Higher Value" theme, let's focus on your wardrobe and the clothing you don't need. Yes, we're going to discuss environmental impact, but we'll also explore how it relates to organizing and how good it feels to free yourself from fast fashion.

Nostalgic Capsule Wardrobe

Before the industrial revolution, it was common for a person to own three outfits: One for Sundays and two to rotate and wash for daily wear. That simple row of farmhouse hooks held your entire wardrobe. Clothing was stitched by hand, regularly mended, cleaned by hand, and dried in the sun or in front of the fire. Each item was of high value due to the labor scarcity and was worn until it was no longer useful. Fabric was reused and recycled for as long as possible.

Old Fashioned to Fast Fashion

Fast-fashion-forward (a-hem) ahead to today, and Americans buy about 53 new items of clothing per year, a 400% increase from twenty years ago. We each generate about 82 lbs. of clothing waste per year. Many of the garments we buy are only worn 7-10 times before being discarded. They are often made cheaply using poor labor practices and wasteful, even harmful processes.

Clothing You Don't Need

You probably wear about 20% of the clothing you own 80% of the time. The other 80% of your clothing falls into one of these categories:

• special occasion, formal wear, specific use (cocktail dress, suit)

• seasonal (sweaters in summer, swimsuits in winter)

• uncomfortable or it doesn't fit (itchy, too small, wrong tailoring)

• not my favorite or I don't like it (duplicates or similar to other things you pull first)

• I had no idea I owned it (:-o)

Don't believe me? Test it. Put a piece of paper in your drawer behind or under what you put away freshly laundered. How often does a piece from behind/under the paper get pulled to the front? Tie a piece of ribbon on your hanging rod in the closet. If it gets worn, it hangs in front. See what stays behind and for how long. What would it feel like to manage only the regularly used pieces of clothing? What would that do for your closet? How much time would you save doing laundry? How might it change your buying habits?

Pare Down Now Without Guilt

Now use the observations about what you regularly wear, and what you don't, to help you pare down. This may seem counterintuitive, but the short-term impact of the waste you create now can have a significant positive effect on your long-term carbon footprint. By understanding how you got here and adjusting your buying habits (see this blog post), you will reduce the amount you discard regularly over the long run.

Discard or Donate?

Quality matters when donating. Donate items that are clean and in decent shape. The higher the quality of your donated items, the higher the return they can bring to the service you're supporting. It's nice to know that our local Goodwill recycles textiles that are no longer wearable, and your local donation center might do the same. However, reduce their burden of labor by finding a fabric recycling source, such as Retold or Trashie.

The Life-Changing Habit of Not Buying More

I dare you to try to reduce your wardrobe by 50%. I promise it feels incredible.

You know precisely what you have. Choosing an outfit is way easier. Laundry is so much more manageable. Everything has enough space to be neatly put away. Your clothes look better because they are stored in a way that prevents wrinkles and compression. Putting clothes away takes way less time and effort. You get a clearer idea of your personal style, likes, and dislikes.

Chain Reaction

This rightsizing has a ripple effect.

Your shopping habits improve because you don't overbuy. You save money. You buy nicer things that last longer. You enjoy getting dressed in clothes you love every day. The items you donate are of higher quality, which helps your local non-profits generate more mission-focused income.

You single-handedly reduce the skyrocketing carbon footprint of the worldwide garment industry.

Okay, maybe that's a stretch on the last claim, but if you do this thing and then your family catches on and starts sharing this knowledge. You look at other items in your home and start to wonder, "What if I pared down in other areas?" Then, perhaps, if we all get on board, we can make a lasting positive change.