Photo by Fernando Lavin on Unsplash
Look, we’ve all been there: Standing in front of a closet bulging with too many clothes, bemoaning to whomever will listen, “I have nothing to wear!” In our disposable consumer culture, fashion trends come and go with the blink of an eye, and more often than not, we blindly follow. Susceptible humans are easily lured by cheap prices and celebrity endorsements, but all this fast fashion is ruining our planet, with millions of items of clothing ending up in landfills each year. Given that most people only wear 20% of their wardrobe 80% of the time, a capsule wardrobe is the perfect way to pare down what you wear and save the planet at the same time.
When building a capsule wardrobe, there are a few questions to keep in mind when you begin to ensure you get started on the right foot. They include:
Have I Worn It In The Last Year?
Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay
To get a handle on what you’re wearing and what you’re not wearing, turn all your hangers backwards. When you wear something, turn that hanger to face forward. After a month, a season or a year, you’ll know exactly what you’ve worn and what you haven’t.
Does It Fit My Lifestyle?
Photo by Kaylee Garrett on Unsplash
Remember those volleyball court shoes you bought three years ago when you were convinced you were going to start playing volleyball, but then you didn’t? These are the items we’re talking about. You don’t use it. Ever. It has to go, and so do other things of that ilk. If you’re not wearing it to most of your daily or weekly outings, you don’t need it.
Does It Go With My Other Clothing?
Photo by Tobias van Schneider on Unsplash
You may love the orange camo pants you bought last year, but when you got them home, you realized you don’t really have a top or shoes (or life!) to match, so they’ve sat there unworn all this time. If you can’t find at least 3 pieces to wear with a particular item of clothing, it shouldn’t be in your capsule wardrobe.
Do I Love It?
Image by Luisella Planeta Leoni from Pixabay
In the Konmari method, organization guru Marie Kondo encourages people to only keep things around them that “spark joy”. Are you holding on to that sweater that you don’t really like just because you already paid for it? Are you keeping those shoes only because they were a gift, even though you never wear them? Do you love those jeans and wear them all the time? Ask yourself if you truly enjoy each piece, and organize accordingly.
These questions are just the beginning of building your eco-friendly capsule wardrobe. Stay tuned, because in next week’s Karunaki Blog, we’ll outline exactly how to build your capsule wardrobe so you don’t have to overthink your clothes ever again.
Till then, talk to us below or hit us up on our social media, and tell us what items of clothes you can’t live without. What unused items are you finally going to get rid of? And most importantly, what will you do with the freedom that a capsule wardrobe provides?
With Love and Compassion,
Team Karunaki