Fashion Minimalism- 5 Practical Tips to Declutter Your Closet

Maximalism in fashion is something that has been around for a while. However, the time has come that we give an honest answer to the question “Do we really require so many clothes?” Chances are that, in most cases, you will find a dire need to declutter your closet.

Much has been said about this topic already and yet there is so much more to discuss. Minimalism in fashion is an effective tool to deal with the clutter in our lives. Over the last few decades, we have collectively developed this habit of gathering more stuff. It has come to the point that we see more possessions as equal to more meaning. While, in reality, the truth is you can own fewer things and yet lead a very meaningful life.

Here’s an interesting thought-

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.”

Joshua Becker

Our closet spaces usually gather more than excess stuff. Be it clothes, accessories or shoes- many of us have the tendency to hoard and hold onto things long past their prime. Decluttering the closet is but a practical solution, albeit not an easy one. However, the pros of having a minimalistic wardrobe far outweigh the cons and that can be the spark of motivation that you may need to plunge into action.

Why Have a Limited Closet?

There are many reasons why you may feel enticed to practice fashion minimalism. It could be the simple advantage of wanting to spend less time choosing your outfits or curating a particular style. Or it could be a step towards leading a more sustainable life by culling out fast fashion. 

As you can imagine, having a carefully curated closet can not only benefit you but also the environment at large. When you have only limited pieces in your wardrobe, you tend to go for high-quality and durable items. And only properly-made, classic and non-mass-produced items fit the bill here. This effectively reduces the tendency to lean towards fast fashion, thus greatly lowering the negative impact it has on our environment.

Whether you buy less stuff or thrift your clothes or support sustainable fashion companies, anything that reduces the amount of fast fashion is welcome.

Here is a great article by my friend Jessalynn from Doable Simplicity on Closet Cleanout- 8 Questions To Help.

Lots of Advice Out There

This is by no means a new topic of discussion. However, a lot of the articles out there talk about tackling the decluttering issue all at once. While many people find that helpful, personally I was stressed out when I tried handling all the clothes in a single session.

Therefore, I implemented certain practices that aimed at breaking down the big job into smaller tasks. And that has worked wonderfully for me. 

If you are like me and like to proceed in measured steps, then these tips are for you. Doing things this way will take a little more time and planning, but will make the process stress-free and you can work at a comfortable pace.

So with that out of the way, let’s take a look at 5 tips to declutter your closet and practice fashion minimalism.

1. Find Your Why

The success of most endeavors you undertake depends on the amount of conviction you have in them. Doing anything without a strong reason can result in less than ideal results. The same holds true for decluttering your closet as well.

Before you even start taking out your clothes and dumping them on your bed, figure out why you want to do this. For example, for me, it was mostly about the environmental impact. Even though I rarely discarded my clothes ( I still wear a scarf my mom bought when I was 10), I saw that when I bought fast fashion, I was wasting more than I would have liked to. Instead, I now have very specific items, either bought new or thrifted, that limits my closet. And what is more, I have fewer clothes to fold and organize.

2. Tackle Seasonally

Most articles on decluttering your closet talk about doing the whole thing at one go. While it works for many, I personally found that I felt overwhelmed when I tried emptying my entire wardrobe all at once. 

One effective workaround to this issue is to take a seasonal approach to your mission. Clear out sweaters and coats at the beginning of winter or during fall. Similarly, attack your summer clothes in spring. With this process, you will be paying attention to only a particular type of item, thus making the whole ordeal much more bearable. Moreover, there will be less chances of you feeling demotivated and giving up altogether.

3. Focus On One Area At a Time

In line with the idea of tackling your closet seasonally, another great way to get things done is by focusing on one area at a time. 

When you try to declutter your closet all at once, the entire process can seem daunting and become time-consuming and tiring. However, if you break the entire task into smaller manageable bits by choosing to deal with one type of item at a time, then your task becomes far easier.

Take a couple of days at least to go through each of your clothing, accessories, and shoe collections. Granted, this means the entire process will take more time; but you will not wear yourself out while doing it.

4. Use The Toss, Donate or Keep Method

Whichever way you go about decluttering your clothes, the “toss, donate or keep” method is the most effective one. 

Basically, you separate all your clothes into three piles- keep the ones that you absolutely love and will definitely wear, donate whatever is in good condition but you won’t wear and toss away the clothes that are beyond salvation. You can give your clothes to friends and relatives if that is acceptable or donate them to a local charity. But remember to donate only those clothes that are absolutely wearable.

At the end of the exercise, you will be left with more space in your closet.

5. Stay Mindful Of Your Purchases

Once you free up the shelves in your wardrobe, please do not go and buy more clothes to fill them. Practicing fashion minimalism is an ongoing endeavor and necessitates that you stay mindful of what you buy. 

Every time you are tempted to buy a cute top or another pair of shoes, ask yourself- do you really need them? Learn to discern your wants from your needs and apply that to your clothes purchasing behavior.

This is especially essential to maintain a decluttered closet and to prevent you from having to constantly fight to organize your wardrobe.

The Bottomline

It is never easy to undertake a decluttering mission- especially one targeted at our clothes. There are bound to be some emotional moments with sentimental items of clothing. There will also be points of incredulous joy when you find that thing that your thought was lost forever. Also, at times, you will find yourself holding up a graphic tee with a questionable quote ( or some equally dubious piece of clothing) and asking “What was I thinking?”

In the end, the whole point of decluttering your closet and starting on the journey of fashion minimalism is to live a more fulfilling life. The space that you free up in your physical spaces also reduces your mental clutter. 

There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to fashion minimalism. You do you. But with those little actions that you take, you allow the world to become more sustainable- one step at a time.

Peace.

Do you have any related experience or story to tell? Please share in the comments below. I would love to hear from you.

Related Reads

• Fast fashion quick to cause environmental havoc
• Why Create a Minimalist Wardrobe? 7 Key Benefits of a Capsule Wardrobe