ISSUE NO. 26 / FETEPRESS.COM.AU 55
CAPSULE WARDROBE
Building a capsule wardrobe will lead to greater productivity, better clothes and moretime and money. Since most people only wear twenty percent of their wardrobes,it seems we have more to gain than lose. It’s not about abstinence or deprivation either,in fact, a minimalistic wardrobe can save us money to spend on the more luxurious items
we really want and time to spend doing more of what matters. Here's a guide to cullingand simplifying your wardrobe right away, to avoid future buying mistakes.Workers in Myanmar, Thailand, work
sewing garments for $3.40 an hour.
According to recent reports, their efforts
are not valued as the majority of these
textiles end up in landfill – eighty-five
percent of clothing in Australia or one
garbage truck’s worth, is burned every
second around the world. Fast fashion is
the second biggest polluter on earth, but
it’s not all doom and gloom. As Amit Kalra
says in his TED talk, ‘Three Creative Ways
to Fix Fashion’s Waste Problem', “Fashion’s
aptitude for change is the exact thing that
should make it the patient zero for
sustainable business practices”. To add to
this positive outlook, green fabrics made
from orange peel and ocean plastics are
making it easier for brands to choose
earth-friendly fabrics and many of them do.
While science is working hard to unearth
new solutions, it’s important we make a
positive impact at an individual level too.
According to sustainability consultant,
Jane Millburn, global consumption of
textiles has doubled from seven to thirteen
kilograms per person in the last twenty
years. That number has tripled in Australia,
at twenty-seven kilograms per person per
year. Additionally, synthetic fabrics like
polyester, shed micro plastic particles into
the water stream and enter the food chain
with every wash. So what can we do to
reverse it?
A capsule wardrobe is one solution – a
small-sized but comprehensive collection
of carefully chosen clothing that makes
dressing easier. It’s a way of personally
reducing unconscious consumption,
particularly when buying ethical pieces.
There’s endless benefits to simplifying your
wardrobe and “being fashionable is easy
when all your clothes are your favourite
clothes”, as Joshua Fields Milburn and Ryan
Nicodemus say on their popular blog, The
Minimalists.
After taking part in Project 333 by Courtney
Carver – a closet challenge inviting people
to dress with thirty-three or fewer items
for three months – participants have
reported being the least stressed, best
dressed folks in the room. On her blog,
Carver states multiple truths like, “a
colourful wardrobe does not result in a
colourful life”. Quite the opposite...
hoarding thousands of dollars-worth of
clothes, only to be thrown out to make
room for a new season make us willing
victims of fashion. We end up busy
spending time and money shopping for
clothing, that could instead be used for
travel, hobbies, or time with loved ones.
Carver admits that her wardrobe has
become more monochrome, but she’s now
“become more engaged in work, travel and
doing things I love with people I love”.
Aside from saving time and money to
spend on what’s more important, a capsule
wardrobe has hidden knock-on effects. It
can open up a void where you’re no longer
shopping for distraction or to feel a certain
way. In Carvers words, “You’ll never find
something to wear that makes you feel
beautiful, smart, or loved, if you don’t
already think that you are”. In other words,
nothing in the external world can
substitute a good relationship with
ourselves and with life. That relationship
can only develop from knowing ourselves
and building a lifestyle that suits our
deepest values.
So how do we build the kind of capsule
wardrobe that will make life easier and
more joyful? This simple three step process
will ensure you throw away the wrong
things, keep the right things, reduce
buying mistakes and swap shopping
for living better.wardrobe / WELL-BEINGSTORY / ELLA LIASCOS
STYLING / JANE CAMERONTOP TIPS
CAROLINE RECTOR
UNFANCY.COMWHAT IS A CAPSULE?
IN SHORT? IT’S A PRACTICE
OF EDITING YOUR WARDROBE
DOWN TO YOUR FAVOURITE
CLOTHES (CLOTHES THAT FIT
YOUR LIFESTYLE AND BODY
RIGHT NOW), REMIXING THEM
REGULARLY AND SHOPPING
LESS OFTEN AND MORE
INTENTIONALLY.
THE THREE GENERAL
GUIDELINES
01 / FREE YOURSELF OF CLOTHES
THAT AREN’T SERVING YOU
LET GO OF CLOTHES THAT NO
LONGER FIT, CLOTHES THAT
NO LONGER WORK FOR YOUR
LIFESTYLE AND ITEMS WITH
OTHER SHORTCOMINGS. EITHER
PASS THEM ON TO SOMEONE
WHO CAN USE THEM OR,
IF THEY’RE NOSTALGIC OR
SEASONAL, STORE THEM.
02 / RESERVE YOUR CLOSET SPACE
FOR YOUR FAVOURITE CLOTHES
MAKE SURE THEY FIT YOUR
LIFESTYLE, BODY AND THE
CURRENT WEATHER/SEASON.
WHEN A NEW SEASON ROLLS
IN AND THE WEATHER CHANGES,
REASSESS YOUR WARDROBE,
PULLING A FEW PIECES INTO
AND OUT OF STORAGE.
03 / SHOP LESS OFTEN + MORE
INTENTIONALLY
WHEN YOU DO SHOP, LOOK FOR
WELL-MADE, LONG-LASTING
PIECES THAT BRING YOU JOY.