Decluttering large quantities of clothes only to make room for a new wardrobe each season: I think we can all agree this is a trend best left in the 2010s. The many problems with the fast fashion industry, ranging from environmental to human rights issues, have become more and more apparent and publicly known over the past couple of years. This sparked a trend of moving away from quantity and towards quality, away from always having the newest, flashiest thing, and back towards having reliable items made from good materials that last many years.
The most sustainable way to deal with any item in your home is always to simply use it as long as it serves its purpose. However, an overwhelming wardrobe full of clothes that no longer fit one’s body or one’s taste is an unnecessary burden and stressor- a little declutter now and then is necessary to keep a tidy home and, by effect, a tidy mind. So how can you go about decluttering your wardrobe sustainably?
Does It Really Need To Go?
We talked about how using items until they fall apart is the most sustainable thing to do. Ideally, from an environmental point of view, you’d only replace an item once it completely falls apart. There are many reasons why this might not be an option, but before you decide to declutter an item, ask yourself if that really is the best thing to do with it.
If the item of clothing in question is one you’ve fallen out of love with, is there any way you could like it again? Try styling it in a completely different way, combining it with other items or accessories that you’ve never paired it with before. I like to sometimes challenge myself to style only outfits using items I rarely wear, every day for a week. It helps me discover new ways to wear clothes I deemed unwearable before, and quite often this prompts me to keep them and wear them after all.
If the item you’re considering decluttering is broken or no longer fits, could you mend or alter it to make it wearable again? There are tons of examples online of “visible mending”, where holes in clothes are mended by patching them up with flower embroidery, for example. If the clothing is too big, making it smaller is often fairly easy to do. And even making clothing that’s too small a little bigger is possible by adding inserts or letting out seam allowances. If you’re not confident enough in your own sewing skills, you could always take the item to a seamstress to see what they can do.
Give It Away
Once you’ve determined you really don’t want an item of clothing in your wardrobe any more, giving it away to a friend or family member is always a great option. Do make sure the recipient really likes the item and will actually wear it though, to avoid it being tossed after all.
A wonderful way to share clothes among friends and family is to hold a clothing swap. Pick a date and let everyone bring the clothing they no longer want. You can set up a little shop with clothing racks, display the items on a bed/sofa, hold a little fashion show, or “sell” the items to each other by giving an over-the-top sales pitch about the items you brought. This is such a fun way to trade clothes and give them all a second (or third, fourth…) life!
This can also be done with accessories of course, such as handbags, shoes and jewelry. I recently decluttered a lot of the costume jewelry I collected in my teens and early 20s. The costume jewelry has been collecting dust since I pretty much only wear sustainable jewelry from Ana Luisa now, so I’ll see if any of the young women in my life are interested in some of it.
Ana Luisa uses recycled gold to make their jewelry, they are climate neutral certified, and they ensure all employees in their factories and offices work in a fair and safe work environment. I’ve been wearing their jewelry for years now and it’s fantastic quality, so I know it’ll last me for years to come. The pieces are beautiful, dainty and timeless, and they have something for every style.
As Mother’s Day is coming up quick, they’re currently running a sale of buy one, get one 40% off. I highly recommend taking a look at their website to find a gift for your mom, mother figure, or other important woman in your life. They have some letter necklaces and bracelets that would be perfect as a gift: how about all the children’s initials on a set of necklaces?
This section is kindly sponsored by Ana Luisa.
Sell It
Another way to make sure your clothing item will go to someone who really likes it, is to sell it online. There are lots of websites available nowadays that allow you to sell your secondhand clothing safely and easily, depending on your location. Listing an item only takes a couple of minutes and you’ll even make a bit of pocket money from it.
If you’re reluctant to sell online, you could take your clothes to a secondhand shop that will sell it for you. Some secondhand clothing shops will give a percentage of the selling price to whoever donated the item.
Repurpose The Material
If clothing is no longer wearable, consider re-purposing the fabric. Little scraps of fabric can be used to make scrunchies, children’s toys, or even just cleaning cloths. I made a video a while back that features a bunch of easy DIY’s that re-use fabric scraps:
If the fabric cannot be reused in this way, try finding out if recycling is an option. Some countries have textile recycling programs that use old fabric to make insulation or moving blankets, for example.
Donate Locally
If donating seems the best option, make sure to donate locally. Large charity organizations often receive an excess of donations, which leads to waste and clothes being disposed of in less than ideal ways. Keeping it small and local increases the chances of your items actually ending up in someone else’s wardrobe, although the only way to guarantee that is to actually put your item in their hands by selling or gifting it. However, shelters, clothing banks and refugee organizations are often happy to receive clothing that is in good condition.
It all boils down to the old familiar phrase: reduce, reuse, repurpose, recycle. Good luck and happy decluttering!
What a great article Lucy ! I’m sharing it to my mom and my sister ! It’s very true that to some people, it seems like doing a decluttering is just a way to make more space for new clothes and again be submerge by things you don’t wear 😔😔