Having more things doesn’t make you happier, it just means you have a lot of stuff. In fact, owning fewer clothes can open your eyes – and mind – to the power of less. Decluttering can even have a positive impact on your mental health, creating a sense of confidence, releasing stress and anxiety, and making you feel energized.
Here are 5 steps to simplify your wardrobe and your life.
1. Categorize
Getting rid of clothing can be hard, which is why separating the clothes into categories will help get the process of simplifying your wardrobe started off on a positive note. Skirts, pants, shirts, shoes, etc.; this will give you an idea of the amount of clothes you truly have and which you have the most – or too much – of.
2. Keep What Makes You Feel Good
When sifting through each category, ask yourself: “When was the last time I’ve worn this?” If the answer can’t come fast enough, it goes in the “give away” pile. Try on everything you want to keep and be honest with yourself about how it makes you look and feel. Most importantly, get rid of anything that doesn’t make you smile. For the clothes that you want repaired or altered, set a deadline to get these done. If you don’t meet the deadline, they must go.
3. Donate and Rotate
Now that you’ve decided what to keep and what to get rid of, what should you do with your preloved clothes? Keep their life cycle going by selling, donating, or giving them away to a family member or friend! The longer the path, the richer the story! For the pieces you decided to keep, only place the appropriate seasonal clothes back in the closet. Remember, when you simplify your wardrobe, you are creating more room, not only in your closet, but also in your mind to focus on things with a clearer head space. Free your closet and the rest will follow…
4. Tidy Up
This is your step to organize your space in a meaningful and healthy way. Use this process to break away from the sentimentality of your disposed clothes and appreciate the clothes you kept. Fold them nicely and place them into neat piles. You should notice the cleanliness of your wardrobe, how the clothes are less wrinkled and the increased sense of relief and accomplishment from decluttering.
5. Do More With Fewer Things
You may notice that you have some holes in your wardrobe and that’s OK! Just because there is a void, it doesn’t have to be filled up immediately. That’s how we ended up here in the first place! If your closet does have space, fill it incrementally with “closet-worthy” clothes. Meaning don’t just buy things because they’re on sale. Shop quality over quantity, durable over fast fashion, versatile over trendy, and even preloved over new. Buy fewer things and do more to optimize their product path.
Parmi Lifewear aims to simplify your wardrobe with a selection of multi-use, multi-style, eco-conscious and high-quality garments that can be passed on from one generation of outdoor enthusiasts to the next.
