- Get organised- if you can’t see all the clothes you own, you don’t know what you are working with. Have a sort through and organise each item into different categories (e.g. summer clothes, winter jumpers, clothes that no longer fit, clothes no longer your style) You never know, you may find some forgotten gems in there! Don’t get rid of anything yet, this will come at a later point.
- Play dress up - once you have organised your clothes, try on your clothes and try different outfit combinations to see what works (and what doesn’t). Take a photograph of the outfits you like for future reference. You may fall back into love with a piece that is no longer your style- so be sure to try on these too to see if they work well with your other clothes.
- Styling is key- if you are struggling with styling a particular item, search for some inspiration on the internet. Check out social media and websites like Pinterest to see how other people style similar items, see what colours work well with it and what kind of accessories can be paired with it. If you know where you bought it from, you can do this by looking on the store’s website and how they have styled it in their images.
- Declutter – once you have done these steps, make sure you remove any clothes that don’t fit or you don’t want anymore. Don’t throw these away though- give them a second life by giving them to friends and family, selling them online (websites like Facebook Marketplace, Depop and eBay are a great place to start) or donating them to a local charity shop.
- Don’t buy what you don’t need- following these tips is a great place to start, but it is important to keep buying new clothes to a minimum (otherwise your wardrobe could become cluttered again!) If you do need new clothes, try buying second hand or swapping with friends and family as this is a lot kinder to our planet.
If you are swapping online, try groups on Facebook such as the Great British Clothes swap or services like the Big Sister Swap.
If you want to find our more about reducing clothes waste, read our Love Your Clothes page here or search #LoveYourClothes on our social media.