Want A More Sustainable Closet? A Capsule Wardrobe Is The Answer.
Conscious-living and sustainability have been the hottest trending topics in the fashion industry for the last decade, but especially now we are living in a post-lockdown-mid-global-pandemic-world. Our time self-isolating, mostly Netflix watching slash documentary binging led to many people wanting to lead a more economically-friendly lifestyle. Consumers have been given a lot of information about how rapidly fashion is affecting the environment on a global scale which has led to a shift in what consumers now want from their clothing. Social platforms and accounts like Diet Prada, with their meme-like call outs when designers and brands do something wrong and at times illegal, are raising awareness and educating us all online so we can make better judgements before buying into the fashion brands we think we know and love. Big retailers, designers and independent brands are following suit, and now it’s a rarity to go onto a clothing website and not find a ‘Responsibility’ section that mentions all of the steps they are taking to improve their ecological footprint amongst other issues.
Gone are the days where we want to stuff our wardrobes with endless amounts of clothes, wear it once and never look at it again. We want pieces with durability, versatility, and season-less style to wear all year round. The obvious and most repetitive things we are told to be more sustainable is to research and become more aware about what our favourite brands are doing. ‘Who makes the clothes?’, ‘How much are workers getting paid?’, ‘What are the factory conditions like?’, ‘What sorts of chemicals are being used to wash and dye them?’. These are all very important factors don’t get me wrong, but these are not the only things we could thinking about in order to be sustainable with our fashion. Often, it’s the most obvious of things that can help you on your journey to having a sustainable closet... and one of our suggestions is building a capsule wardrobe.
What exactly is a capsule wardrobe, I hear you ask? Well, firstly it’s the solution if you no longer want your morning routine consisting of sitting at the edge of your bed, staring into the abyss that is your wardrobe and moaning that you have nothing to wear. Secondly (and mainly) it’s a limited collection of clothes that have the versatility to be worn in a number of ways to work for any and all occasions that life throws at you. 2020 has been the year of complications, so why not take away one less complication and invest in easy-to-style, adaptable clothing so getting ready will take less time but still give you the same stylish end result.
A capsule wardrobe doesn’t even have to be as fancy as it sounds. The recommended number of capsule pieces is a personal choice, dependent on what you do for work, what your everyday lifestyle is like, and how many clothes you already have that fit into the typical capsule category. The main thing is to make sure you have all the basics covered with well-made items that suit your style and work well with your body. Yes, we all love the idea of doing a mass shopping haul at the beginning of every new season and think that because you’ve bought so many varieties of outfits, you will be sorted for a long time, but often when you buy clothes at a lower price point, the longevity of wear won’t be as much as if you invest in luxury fashion (not to mention how excessive and unnecessary it is). Investing in quality items and luxe fabrics have a better guarantee to last you for more than one season. It will seem like you’re spending a lot for clothes at the time, but because you will be buying for quality not quantity, the money spent will be worth it.
The items should be made up of separates and include a handful of seasonal pieces you can change dependent on the weather (we all know how unpredictable it can be in Britain). The first steps to take when creating your sustainable closet is similar to the guide we created in the How To Spring Clean Your Wardrobe In Isolation blog post. Inspired by the wonderful Marie Kondo, clear out all of the clothes currently hanging on your rails and think about the last time you wore each item. If you haven’t even looked at it in the past six months and you know you won’t wear it again, it's time to say goodbye and either take it to your local charity shop or sell online to go towards funding your new wardrobe. Next step is to think about the clothes that will transcend trends... your new staple items for all year round. These usually consist of a good pair of jeans to dress up and down with flats or heels; a neutral shirt and blouse; basic tee’s for layering; a tailored suit jacket and trousers for a professional setting; the classic little black dress; a light coat; a pair of sturdy but stylish boots; and a patterned piece of any item that you want to make a statement in. Once you have these, throughout time you can introduce new pieces with the key rule being that they need to work with what you’ve already got and can be worn in a variety of ways. Our unique collections currently online can help you create the capsule wardrobe of your dreams, but before you delve onto our site, take a look at these recommendations from all of our favourite, most loved brands.
Isabel Marant Etoile - £190.00
If you liked this post, why not read this one: 5 sustainable brands you should know about that we stock.
The fashion world is being led by a new generation of people who want to consume products with a higher consciousness. Mindless consumption is finally going out of style. Here are the top five brands we stock at Bernard who are paving the way towards a more sustainable fashion industry. Read more.
