Project Intentional Closet
You change your clothes everyday...and sometimes we have to change our minds about our clothes.
About 6 years ago I began my journey towards a more ethical closet. I had been learning the years leading up to this about the evils of sweat shops, human trafficking, overproduction of clothing by fast fashion brands, and how all of this affects everyone.
I don’t remember what exactly pushed me over the edge so to speak. But I do remember going into my closet and just feeling- Annoyed. Uninspired. Overwhelmed. Dissatisfied. Not only did I feel those things towards my clothes, but also towards myself.
It felt like I had a lot of clothes but nothing went together. I hated feeling like I always wanted more and more clothes to solve my problem. And the biggest thing: I felt annoyed with myself that I was part of the problem. I’m buying up “good deals” but at what cost? Where did this garment even come from? Why doesn’t it last very long or why do I feel “meh” about it so quickly? And how in the world do people who made my $10 tee actually make money? The math doesn’t math.
So I decided I needed a reset. I had just finished reading The Cozy Minimalist Home and I decided to apply some of her home decorating principles to my closet. (If you’ve never read the book, I won’t tell you her advice her, only mine…but I do encourage you to read it!)
I took a shopping break. It lasted 2 months…almost 3. During my break I unsubscribed from email lists like: Old Navy, Gap, Evereve, Target, TJ Maxx, and more. I quieted the shopping noise. I even unfollowed all the fast fashion brands I had been following on social media.
I replaced my “shopping time” with research. I read articles. I listened to a couple audio books. I watched documentaries. (Many resources I saved on this Pinterest board.)
During my shopping break I was intentional with “shopping” my closet. I did a closet clean out. I wore what I owned and edited out pieces that no longer served me. I paid attention to what I was wearing and what I was not.
During my time of shopping my closet I asked myself questions like: why do I like to wear this? Why don’t I like to wear this? What about this outfit works? What would make this better? What would make me want to wear this? If I saw this in the store today, would I buy it?
As I wore what I owned, researched, and asked myself questions, I found I was getting to know myself better style wise and no longer desiring to purchase clothing simply on impulse. I saw what my years of “boundaryless” shopping had accomplished…and it resulted in a disjointed, low-quality, uninspired closet that didn’t reflect my personal style. It reflected moments of impulsivity. Greed. Love of fashion. Trends. And a desire to have something, anything, new.
If you would like more insight on a closet clean out process, you can watch my reel here!
So if you are having some of the same feels I did, here’s my advice:
Assess
Set Goals
Maintain
The Assessing step includes the shopping break: at least 14-90 days to give yourself time & space to assess your shopping habits, style, and what you currently own by NOT shopping.
It also includes research. You can start with my Pinterest board to read some articles. Here are a few more sources I suggest looking into:
The True Cost (documentary)
Slowing Down Fast Fashion with Alex James (documentary)
Conscious Closet by Elizabeth Cline (book)
Dress with Sense by Redress (book)
The next step, set goals, will be easier to achieve after you’ve created some space (in your heart, head, AND closet). Your goals will be specific you, your style, budget, space, season of life, and more.
Here’s some examples of my goals:
🔹no impulse shopping (sometimes hard to maintain!)
🔹if I’m out of hangers in my closet it’s time to edit my clothes
🔹stick to a monthly clothing budget
🔹practice shopping breaks regularly
🔹shop my closet
🔹don’t add something to my closet if it doesn’t go with AT LEAST 3 other pieces I already own
🔹stay true to my personal style, not “trends”.
And there’s more but those are the most important ones :)
In another post we will dig deeper into personal style, what that means, and how to discover it!
The last step is maintain. Keep up with your intentional mindset. Keep learning about ethical fashion and telling others about what fast fashion is doing to us as a society.
Frequently revisit your goals and assess how you are doing. Keep looking for style inspiration and learning from others.
I’ll close with this thought: I know many people online will say capsule wardrobes and minimalist closets are the way to go and the best way to wear what you own and decrease your impulsive shopping habits. Some of those things might be true…but I don’t think that’s a “one size fits all” diagnosis, so to speak.
Here’s what I know, I love clothes. Always have, always will even if I’ve tried in the past to squash my love of fashion because I thought it trite. I consider clothing, style, fashion, and putting together outfits a passion and hobby of mine. Just like my husband enjoys building things & tasting bourbons. Just like my mom loves to make cards and paper crafts. Just like so many hobbies there are tools, gear, and items needed to hone your craft and enjoy what you love. I will never have a minimalist closet. I enjoy trying new styles, outfits, and combinations. I like to experiment and help others find enjoyment from their closets. My closet is my canvas, the garments my tools.
While I will never encourage overconsumption, I will never say things like “you should have x amount of jeans or x amount of dresses.” Be intentional with what you buy, own what you want, and wear what you own. That’s what having an intentional closet is all about whether you own 2 pairs of jeans or 20.
Cheers to being intentional 🥂
