Over the lockdowns here in the UK, many people turned to their wardrobes, deciding that now was the perfect time to have a clearout and donate all their old things to Charity Shops. Whilst donating items is a great way to support your local charities, with around 67 million* items of unwanted clothing making their way to them, it might be time to look at how we consume and, in time, discard clothing. The place to start with this is in your wardrobe. It’s so easy for stuff to accumulate that this can feel utterly overwhelming when it comes to sorting through it all, but the team at Bandi are here to help.

Everyone has different ways that work for them, and it’s all about finding what works for you. Before we start ripping clothes off the hangers, a good place to start, no matter your organising style, is creating four separate piles to sort your clothes into.

Keep

The goal here is to love every item that you keep. You want to look at your wardrobe and have every piece be worn and loved. Ask yourself: What does this go with? How many times have I worn it in the past year? Do I genuinely love it? If you can answer all these questions, you will know which items belong in your “Keep” pile, ready to head back into your collection and which it may be time to send on their way. Once you have a wardrobe full of items you love, it will be much easier to decide if you really need that new t-shirt.

We know that some items may be sentimental, even if you no longer wear them. So instead of having them take up room in your wardrobe, fold them up and place them in a box that you can tuck away.

Swap

This is for all those pieces that are still in great condition, and you just know that someone else would love them. It’s okay if you have fallen out of love with them, and they just aren’t quite your style anymore; upload them to Bandi to find pieces to replace them! There will be someone who will love your old pieces, and it’s the perfect place to find something new for you.

Fix

Is that blouse missing a button? Are those trousers just a little too long? Into the fixing pile! In most cases, they aren’t a lost cause. Sometimes the items you love just need a little TLC. Grab a needle and thread, check out some youtube tutorials if you need a guide and get to bring them back to life! If it’s a more advanced fix, then taking your piece to a local tailor will have it looking as good as new.

Recycle

Sadly, some clothes will have reached the end of their life, and there is no amount of fixing them that will bring them back from the brink. Once you have organised all your clothes, take your recycling pile to your local textile recycling point to be used again to create something new. This way, you avoid sending them to landfill.

Now we have our designated piles; it’s time to open your wardrobe and get sorting.

Categories

A common suggestion is to completely empty your wardrobe onto a bed and then go from there, but we are trying to not get overwhelmed. Staring at a giant mound of all your clothes isn’t exactly calming! To avoid doing this, try removing items in categories, one group at a time. You might want to start with all your dresses or trousers; pick whatever feels like a comfortable place to start. From there, you can work on one section at a time, sorting each piece into its designated pile.

Try-On

If you have the time, a speedy and easy way to see what you think of an item is to simply try it on. Your body may have changed with your style, and something that was once your favourite top now just doesn’t suit you anymore. Working on the premise of “If it isn’t a hell yes, it’s a no” might seem brutal, but it works. If you aren’t quite ready to be totally cutthroat, then that’s okay. You can hang onto a couple of “maybe” pieces and use the following method to see if you actually end up wearing them!

Hanger Switch

Now you have nicely organised everything, it’s time to put everything you want to keep back in your wardrobe. But before you just hang everything in there without a care in the world. Here’s a trick that will make your life easier for the next time you need another clear-out. As you are placing everything on hangers, make sure that they all face the same way in your wardrobe. Then when you come to wear a piece and hang it back up, flip the hanger around. This way, you will know which items you are actually wearing and which ones it might be time to finally say goodbye to.