4 Australian slow fashion influencers share how they organise their wardrobes
IMAGE VIA @alex.van.os/INSTAGRAM
WORDS BY JACKIE ZHOU
“I approach my wardrobe like an art collector that collects rare and valuable pieces.”
I can’t be the only one who opens their wardrobe to get dressed and finds it completely and utterly overwhelming. “What are you guys wearing?” is a staple text in my group chats with my friends, despite having a jam-packed wardrobe.
Organising your wardrobe in a way that’s functional is a lot of work, and I haven’t been the most efficient at keeping my wardrobe space tidy (inheriting my mum’s hoarding traits never helped either).
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That’s why I decided to ask four Australian slow fashion influencers, advocates and stylists how they organise their wardrobes and how their sustainable values have helped them consciously build their wardrobes.
Catherine Jia, slow fashion influencer
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Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Catherine, I’m the content creator behind Project Catherine which is a slow fashion Instagram page.
How do you organise your wardrobe? Has it ever been ‘too full’?
I organise my wardrobe by the type of piece, so I have a section for jeans, singlets and jackets, and whatever can be folded up… I put them into my drawers. But for everyday wear, I tend to hang them up so I can see them. I moved into an apartment from my family home so I literally have a metre of wardrobe space currently. I try and buy trans-seasonal pieces – so I don’t have a summer and winter collection, I just have a wardrobe I can wear throughout the year which really helps with the quantity of pieces.
How do you clean out your wardrobe?
I think a good way of cleansing [your wardrobe] out is to pull everything out and then categorise them into things you want to keep, things you don’t want to keep, and your pile of maybes, and then what you can do with those is hide them somewhere so if you’re looking for a certain piece in your maybes [later on], you can move it into your keep pile.
Whatever pieces I didn’t want to wear I would give them to my friends or my mum. My mum always takes my clothes, and then the other items I donate them or store them somewhere else until I figure out what to do with them because I don’t want them to end up in landfill.
Nina Gbor, sustainable fashion educator and founder of Eco Styles
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Who are you and what do you do?
[I’m a] sustainable fashion educator, speaker, eco stylist and writer. About 99 per cent of my wardrobe is secondhand. I teach people how to curate a circular and sustainable wardrobe like me – acquire, use, (re)style, care for and dispose of sustainably to keep them out of landfill for as long as possible.
How do you organise your wardrobe?
I organise by colours if it’s in the closet or on a clothes rack… Some clothes on the rack are clothes that I enjoy looking at because the colours are beautiful to see on a daily basis. They give me joy when I see them, and the colours uplift my room and make my room look vibrant.
Because I work in the sustainable fashion space where I teach as well as wear the stuff, I approach my wardrobe like an art collector that collects rare and valuable pieces. Most things I acquire, I do with the intention of keeping them for life.
How do you know it’s time to clean out your wardrobe?
I go through my wardrobe and clear [it] when I’m hosting a clothes swap… or when I’m moving house. I clear it by taking out the pieces that are not so rare and unique. The pieces that I don’t wear often or at all.
Also when my style evolves a little, [I’ll clear my wardrobe]. We all grow and evolve as humans and experience life changes… At these times, I know it’s time to shed some items in my wardrobe that are no longer ‘me’ or express who I’ve become.
Maggie Zhou, Fashion Journal’s Branded Content and Features Editor and slow fashion creator
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Who are you and what do you do?
I’m a writer, editor and the Branded Content and Features Editor here at Fashion Journal. In my personal stuff, I am a slow fashion creator… and I co-host a podcast called Culture Club.
How do you organise your wardrobe?
I am a girlie with minimal wardrobe space, so I think I organise through function first and foremost. In my drawers, I roll my T-shirts and my pants to conserve space. In my drawer are my basic tops, and I have a drawer for my fun tops. In my limited hanging space, I hang up my collared shirts and pants. My clothes are so spread out everywhere… I have a hallway wardrobe with my knitwear, and then downstairs I hang up my jackets in that wardrobe because there is not enough space.
How do you know when to clean out your wardrobe?
Specifically, in lockdown, I would go through everything I own and throw them on my bed, sort through them – and I’d do this quite regularly because I enjoy the process. But through that I got to get rid of anything I don’t like, I don’t wear, things that don’t fit and I’d always feel so much better putting [everything back] knowing that I have consciously decided to keep everything.
Alex Van Os, sustainable fashion stylist
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Who are you and what do you do?
[I’m a] stylist specialising in sustainable fashion. My focus is styling outfits using vintage, secondhand and/or from sustainable and ethical brands.
How do you organise your wardrobe?
I’m very fortunate to have my own wardrobe room! I love to have all my clothing and accessories open and easily accessible. I organise my clothes first by style and their length e.g. sleeve length/length of garment from singlets into T-shirts, short sleeve shirts to long sleeve shirts etc. Within that, I arrange by colour. Most of my clothes are hung (except my knits) as this allows me to see everything. I don’t like hiding clothing or accessories as I’ll forget about them and then they never get worn!
When do you know it’s time to clean out your wardrobe?
When it’s time to go through my wardrobe and reassess what’s there, I like to ask myself ‘If I saw this item in a shop now, would I buy it again?’. If yes then [I’ll] keep it, if I’m unsure or it’s a no, then [I’ll] ask myself why. If I haven’t worn it or don’t know how to wear it I need to make at least three different outfits with that one item. If I can’t then it’s time to donate or sell it. The only way to truly benefit from cleaning out your wardrobe is to be truthful to yourself. To me, my wardrobe has to be stylish, comfortable and capable of mixing and matching!
For more advice on organising and decluttering your wardrobe, head here.
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