A wardrobe cleanse, done sustainably.
Whether it's the new year or a new season, giving your closet a fresh start is always a good idea. By weeding out pieces you don’t love, rarely wear, or no longer fit, you’ll make room for clothes that reflect how you live today. Bonus: research shows having an organized space provides a calming effect and makes you feel happier.
MAKE A PLAN
Start by committing to a day or weekend to tackle the project. Consider your groupings. We suggest keep, clean or alter, resale, donate, and repurpose. Next, look at your space to determine what organizers you’ll need and get them.
EDIT DOWN
We agree with a renowned Japanese tidying expert that your keep pile begins with items that spark joy. Add to that things you wear frequently and seasonal items you turn to year after year, such as a little black cocktail dress, your favorite ski outfit, etc. Also include sentimental items you intend to hand down to future generations, like Grandad’s beloved cardigan or your wedding dress.
Inspect and try on every item as you go. Anything with a stain or tear goes into your clean or alter pile. Anything that doesn’t fit or no longer works for your life should be added to the resale, donate, or repurpose piles.
Finally, you’ll want to take stock of your keep pile. If, for example, you love your classic white shirts and wear them often, great. But if you have 15 of them, use this opportunity to edit down. Ten shirts will give you a solid rotation of options; meanwhile, someone else will use the donated or resold ones in their next life.
CREATE ORDER
Now that your wardrobe is edited, it’s time to tackle your closet. Start with the hanging section and group items by type, such as tops, blazers, dresses, skirts, and pants. Hang each group according to sleeve or pant length and put colors together. This practice creates order, is visually appealing, and makes choosing outfits easy.
In your closet’s shelf and drawer sections, fold or roll everything and place them into their designated area, bin, or drawer. Put out-of-season or special occasion pieces into their respective storage bags and store them.
RESELLING MADE EASY
Buying and wearing secondhand clothing reduces carbon emissions by an average of 25%.* That’s why Amour Vert created ReAmour, the resale marketplace where you can buy and sell pre-loved AV styles at amazing prices. Take the opportunity to keep our timeless, high-quality clothing in circulation and out of the landfill. For your other non-AV pieces, try local consignment and resale stores or explore the many online outlets.
RECYCLING FOR A SECOND LIFE
Donate your gently worn clothing and accessories to your local nonprofit organizations. This practice keeps items out of landfills and allows people in your community to buy quality styles at affordable prices.
REDUCE & REUSE
When your clothes are too damaged to be donated, there are options. Consider what else the items could be— a pair of jeans with a ripped knee could become classic cut-offs. Fabric dye and patches can work wonders, while T-shirts and sweatshirts make excellent cleaning rags.
Alternatively, search “textile recycling centers” near you. These facilities will process clothing to become other products, such as household insulation, and send working zippers and buttons to be used again. With the U.S. generating an estimated 25 billion pounds of clothing waste annually, 85% of which end up in landfills*, social responsibility is more important than ever.
FILL IN THE GAPS
Once you’ve successfully cleaned out your closet, you’ll inevitably find you’re missing a few things. Our Bestsellers Shop features customer-reviewed finds you’ll enjoy for years.
*Green Story Inc. (2022). Life Cycle Assessment.
Photos courtesy of Annie Spratt, Sarah Brown, and Frank Van Hulst.