How to declutter your wardrobe

Why you need to cull

We all know a cluttered wardrobe can create an element of unwanted stress in our lives. How you start your morning often defines the course of your day so naturally, a messy wardrobe is going to lead to a messy mind.

It's time we fixed that.

The more items you have in front of you, the longer it takes to make decisions in the morning, so we break down a few easy tips you can use to reduce wardrobe clutter, keeping only the items you really need and giving what you don't need, to those who do. Mid-season is a great time to sort out your wardrobe, and while it might seem like a big undertaking, the more consistently you do it, the easier it becomes, making getting ready in the morning all the more straightforward.

When it comes to knowing what to cull, the reality is that we often rotate a lot of the same garments over a certain period based on the weather, meaning there is a whole heap of stuff taking up much-needed space.

By splitting your wardrobe into three parts you can easily filter out what you don’t need, and donate or store away the rest.

The three piles

We recommend making three piles like the image above.

1. Wear regularly
2. Store/Decide later (Put away for appropriate season)
3. Donate or discard (never wear)

Start by pulling aside all of your daily go-tos that you know you'll use over the next three months. Think seasonally, and remember that your capsule wardrobe will change with the seasons. It’s unlikely you are going to be wearing much linen in the next quarter, so put that into the store pile to pack away for a later date. 

If you're unsure what you should have in your capsule wardrobe, head here.

Be ruthless

If you have multiple pairs of blue jeans, be real with yourself as to what you are going to wear over the next 3-4 months. As we head into winter, it's unlikely you'll need more than three pairs of shorts to get you through, so box up ones for the future, donate the ones you never wear and keep out your best.

Same goes for summer, you’re not going to need all your coats or jackets, so pack em’ up.

Pro Tip: we'd recommend using a vacuum bag for storing apparel long-term. You can get these here.

Donate

When it comes to knowing what to donate, if you haven't worn an item in over 6 months, it's probably time to let go and give it to someone who could use it more. We work with two great charities through our Give to Get initiative who are always in need of quality clothing:

- Koha Apparel, who repurpose quality clothing to those in need through a dignified shopping experience.

- Fix Up Look Sharp, who enable men a fresh perspective through fresh clothes, improving their attitude and confidence towards the probability of getting a job.

We encourage our Members to donate excess clothing to our Give to Get initiative which we then pass on to our charity partners. To learn how this works, head here.

Wardrobe missing anything?

It could be one of these...