Is it time to take on a Fast Fashion fast for Spring Clearing Week 2020?

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After the success of our very first “Spring Clearing Week” in 2018, the two years since its launch have raced by!

We’re aiming for a little closet clarity with our Spring Clearing Week theme for 2020 in support of sustainable fashion and the efforts we can each adopt to:

- maximise valuable space at home by decluttering unworn clothing

- reduce fabric waste by donating unloved garments and purchasing preloved items

- consider the whole cost of a garment, not just its tag price

- promote environmentally friendly practices within the clothing industry

- reclaim time spent on retail ‘therapy’

Whether or not you find yourself quarantined at home in the next few weeks, springtime is the perfect opportunity to maximise the lengthening days and embark on a wardrobe detox.

What to do?

Take inspiration from two Professional Organisers and APDO members, Mel Carruthers (More Organised) and Rosie Barron (The Tidy Coo), who share their experience of Labour Behind the Label’s Six Items Challenge on the APDO blog.

If that feels a little daunting, you might like Courtney Carver’s guided approach to wearing 33 items each season in Project 3:33. She attributes her improved health, in part, to a smaller capsule wardrobe, contributing to reduced decision fatigue, promoting a less stressful and calmer daily routine – what’s not to like?!

But why?

If you’re struggling to think about why having fewer items in your wardrobe might be a good thing, check out these shocking stats collated by the Word Economic Forum to help you break your fast fashion habit.

You’ll also find some inspirational advice in this blog post from minimalist Krista Thompson on how to move towards curating a smaller wardrobe.

Need a little help?

Whilst a closet clear-out may seem a relatively straightforward task, there are often surprising challenges hidden in the depths of polka-dots, paisley and pewter boots. We often (unknowingly) use clothes to signal our identity to the outside world: business-person, athlete, student, artist etc. But our roles in life are not fixed and when faced with clothing from ‘a previous life’ it can be difficult to think about letting go and moving on. As a result, decision-freeze sets in and you might find that an impartial, compassionate, helping hand is needed. APDO has nearly 400 members across the UK and beyond who can provide exactly this support, use our Find an Organiser search for an organiser near you.

What next?

Once you’ve accumulated a small (or large!) pile of clothing to part with, consider how you can responsibly pass this on to avoid your clothing becoming part of these statistics.

Your options will include:

- donating to a charity shop (remember that many charity shops will also recycle fabrics unsuitable for resale)
- selling good quality items yourself
- sending high quality items to Re-fashion to help smaller charities raise funds
- swapping them at a local swish event…

Search online to see if an APDO member is holding a swish near you this week. Or take inspiration and organise your own! Following these handy tips to help you get swishing. and swap your pre-loved clothes with other attendees and enjoy wearing a new and beautiful item that would have ended up as just another waste statistic.

“For a number of reasons I very rarely buy new clothes – as my mortified teens would testify! I am fully aware though, that this message may not resonate well with those who love to buy new clothes. This is where “knowledge is power” and education comes into the conversation. Can we do more to convince shopaholics that there are other ways to release endorphins; that trying on outfits and deciding what we look good in can be done in a manner which is sympathetic to our environmental challenges, that helps to get the message across that we should carefully consider every single purchase we make; do we really need the item we are buying and if so, how long will it last us, how has it been made and what are the conditions of those who have contributed to its manufacture.”

Jules Anderson

Professional Organiser, Sorting Out Space SOS

Get involved in the conversation with your questions and tips:

#MyClosetClearingChallenge #SpringClearingWeek #SpringClearingSwish