Smart and Easy Ways to Organise Your Wardrobe
How to Organise Your Wardrobe, Support the Planet, and Carve Out Your Personal Style
4
The leave pile should include items like old socks and knickers, soiled and distressed garments, and even pieces that are lightly worn and in good condition, but you don't see yourself or any of your friends wearing. From here, you can either choose to recycle, resell, or upcycle your pieces.
1. Textile recycling: Old socks, worn knickers, and distressed clothing can be donated to a textile recycling organisation, like Love Not Landfill, or your council's local textile recycling bank. Your unwearable pieces will be shredded and repurposed to be used in fabric blends, or packing textiles in mattresses and car seats (depending on the grade of fabric).
2. Clothing resale: You can donate your lightly-worn pieces to charity shops, but be careful which one you choose. There are many shops that simply export the clothes to developing nations that lack adequate recycling infrastructure, which only expands the problem of textile waste elsewhere. We recommend shops like TRAID that refreshes and resells your once-loved pieces at one of it's locations. Then, the charity puts the proceeds from sales towards improving working conditions and practices in the textile industry.
3. Garment upcycling: Get creative about what you can remake out of your old clothes. The tie-dye maxi dress I'm wearing is a pretty pattern, but it fits me so terribly. It has this weird, wonky fit that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. I'm thinking, maybe I'll make a cool set of opera gloves and a face mask, or maybe a fun '80s-inspired scrunchie, or even a pillowcase — you've got so many options.