Cut it Out!

80% of our clothes end up in landfill. That about 92 million tonnes thrown away globally each year. You wouldn’t throw 80% of your fridge in the bin so why do it with your clothes?

Not only that but synthetic textiles can take up to 200 years to decompose. In that time the garment could have potentially had 50 different lives and been used again and again. Why kill it after just one?

This post is a system, tried and tested by myself and my boyfriend, on how to clear out your wardrobe and dispose of your discarded treasures in the most effective and sustainable way possible. Help yourself by cutting out the negative clutter and help the planet by giving your clothes a second life!

Rule 1 – BREAK IT UP

1. Go through clothes in stages by a clothing type at a time (e.g. do tops, then jumpers, then dresses etc.)

2. For each clothing type, break your collection up into the following categories:

• Comfy – Stuff you only wear around the house, (pyjamas, joggers, maybe gym wear? etc.)

• Causal – Everyday stuff you’d wear out and about, (e.g. when going into town)

• Smart causal – Stuff you’d wear going out for drinks, parties etc.

• Smart – Formal stuff you’d wear to a job interview, wedding, etc.

Don’t worry about how much is in each section as everyone has different lifestyles, dress codes and demands for their clothes.

Breaking it up like this just makes it less overwhelming, helps you to start organising your wardrobe, and helps you to see what’s absent, e.g. when testing this my boyfriend found he didn’t actually have any black suit trousers. Lastly breaking it up like this reveals what garments you have a surplus of so don’t need to buy anymore of, for example you may not realise just how many clubbing clothes you have tucked away that you forgot about.

Rule 2 – TRY IT ON

Now try on your clothes. Piece by piece if you have to, unless you’re completely sure that you don’t need to check it (for example if it’s something you wear so regularly you already know how it fits and feels etc). Whilst trying them on ask does each garment pass the ‘Four-Fs’ test we spoke about in the last buying post?

• FEEL – Does it feel nice or comfortable? Life’s too short to wear irritating itchy clothes.

• FIT – As I’ve said in a previous post, clothes are factory made but we are not, so check if it is a good fit everywhere. Does it feel comfy on the bust? The bum? The waist? The arms? This is especially important if your body has changed since you last wore the item. You need clothes in your wardrobe that you’re going to wear, and that compliments/makes you comfortable with your current figure. If you don’t like how something fits against your body, cut out the negativity and cut it out of your wardrobe.

• FAUTLY – Does it need repair work? Does it need a tear stitched up or buttons replaced? If you don’t have the tools or skills to fix it, you can always find someone who does. Be it your mum? A friend? Or you can even take it to a tailor for a quote. If you love something, you shouldn’t give up on it the second it breaks. We should treasure and look after our clothes the way we treasure and look after anything else we love. NOTE. If it needs fixing - Don’t put it back in the wardrobe as it may be lost and forgotten, instead put it in a sewing area or a bag, kept in sight.

• FLAWED – Is there something about it that doesn’t sit right on you? Is it cut too low that it shows your bra? Does it gape at the bust? Does it not come up high enough on your waist?

Rule 3 – BE RUTHLESS

This stops the piles of B- and C-grade clothes building up in your wardrobe that technically pass the ‘Four-Fs’ test but that still for some reason don’t make it into your regular rotation of wearing as they are fine but not fierce. Using Marie Kondo’s 'spark joy' approach can help eliminate these items and clear the clutter, ask does the item 'spark joy' for you in some way? This can be hard if you’re not passionate about clothes, so here are some categories that ‘sparking joy’ could fall into:

• Look good, feel good – The spark of joy is how you feel when you are in it. Does it give you more confidence? Do you feel sexy? Elegant? Edgy? Cool? If you don’t, then get rid of it.

• Hygge feel – This is a Danish/Norwegian-coined term for feeling cosy and comfortable. This is for clothes you curl up around the house in. Pyjamas, joggers, and fluffy jumpers for example. Beware though, even though you might only wear these in the house there’s no real point keeping stained, haggard pieces. Even in comfy clothes you want to feel cute and cosy not gross and slobby.

• Special memory – This is for mainly occasion-wear stuff that you rarely wear or wore once but want to keep for sentimental value. For my boyfriend, he kept the best-man’s suit from his sister’s wedding, and his Harry Potter robes even though he doesn’t wear them regularly... Thank god. (NOTE: you can keep these items even if they don’t fit).

Rule 4 – DISPOSING OF THE EVIDENCE CORRECTLY

Selling - If you want to make some money off the clothes you’re now getting rid of, and they’re in good enough condition you can always try selling them to second-hand or vintage shops near you if they suit that style. Alternatively, you can sell it yourself on websites such as Ebay, Depop or Facebook Marketplace.

Donating – You can always give the clothes to charity shops instead so they can be re-sold to fund work to aid and save lives. Not only that but you can also donate to textiles recycling facilities – where they will be given abroad, recycled into rags, or even spun into new garments.

Offering to friends and family - Always ask the people you know if they want to have a look through your clothes before you donate them, you may be surprised at how much people might want to take. My housemates took a third of my items last time I did a clear out, both of them subsequently coming away with a new pair of jeans for free. And if people can’t easily come around to see what you have to offer, then you can always send them pictures over messenger and hold on to any items they want.

Not ready to give them up? – If you’re uncomfortable giving certain garments away as you’re afraid you’ll want to wear them again then do what I do and put it in a bag out of sight either under your bed or in the back of a drawer and don’t get it out again unless you’re planning on wearing it. If you haven’t gone to get it out in a couple of months then you clearly don’t want or need it in your life, better it goes to someone who does.

Your sincerely,

The Thrift Gift. X.