Benefits and Disadvantages of a Capsule Wardrobe — Sustainably-Yours
Have you heard of a capsule wardrobe? It’s something that’s become very popular in recent years. What started as a statement decades ago has now become a lifestyle for so many people around the world.
A capsule wardrobe can be lifechanging. But before you jump into this lifestyle, you should know the benefits and disadvantages that come with it.
Keep reading to learn about what it is, why you should do it and if it’s right for you.
What is a Capsule Wardrobe
A capsule wardrobe is a a mini wardrobe made up of timeless pieces that you can mix and match to make many outfits.
The term started in 1970s when Susie Faux was tired of having so many poorly made clothes. It wasn’t until Donna Karan launched a line of interchangeable workwear in 1980s that the capsule wardrobe took off.
The goal of this wardrobe is to have a few pieces of clothing that you love and that are of good quality. This way, you don’t deal with the frustrations that come with fast fashion.
With old clothes, give them away to friends or donate them. But if you don’t plan to wear it again, don’t keep it. That defeats the purpose of a capsule wardrobe!
Keep reading to see all the benefits of this life changing lifestyle.
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Why is Shopping Bad For The Planet
Before I tell you about the benefits and disadvantages of capsule wardrobes, I have to talk about why you should even think about creating one.
Fast fashion is killing our planet.
Our constant desire for brand new, cheaply made clothing is harming our planet and our people too. Garment works get paid pennies and work long hours to create out clothes
The fashion industry is the second-biggest consumer of water and is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions. That’s more than all international flights and maritime shipping combined.
Not to mention that fast fashion makes up 35% of microplastic that flows into the ocean.
But they aren’t the only ones to blame. Consumers buy this fast fashion and throw it out within a few months. In fact, 3 out of 5 garments made in 2018 ended up landfill within a year.
That’s why it’s important for us to be more mindful and to shop with cost per wear in mind.
Sorry for bringing math in to this but trust me, you’ll be happy with this math.
Cost per wear (CPW) is about how often you wear an article of clothing. Say you buy a shirt for $25 and you only wear it once. Then the cost per wear is $25. But say you wear that same shirt 25 times. Now the cost per wear is $1.
Think about a fancy dress you bought for an event that was expensive. Say $300. You only wear that dress once so it’s CPW is $300.
Say instead you find ways to mix and match that dress for other events 3 times. Now you reduced its CPW to $100.
Using this mentality, expensive clothes can become ‘cheap’ since you get plenty of value from the outfits.
The only way that CPW works is if you have clothes that you love and are willing to keep for a long time.
Benefits of Capsule Wardrobes
You ready to find out all the amazing benefits of capsule wardrobes? Check out 10 great reasons why you should definitely create one of your own.
1. Save money
If you were to calculate how much money you spent on each item in your closet, how much would it be? $1,000? $2,000? $5,000? More?
That’s only that’s in your closet right now. It doesn’t even count how much you spent on clothes you’ve given away or thrown out over the years.
Now think of how often you wear all the clothes in your closet. I’m betting you have all sorts of articles of clothing that you’ve rarely worn. Maybe even a few that you never wore.
When you have a capsule wardrobe, you only buy a handful of items and you’re set for the year or season. You don’t need to spend money every few weeks on the latest fashion trend or on clothes you never wear.
2. Get quality over quantity
With all the money you saved, you can invest it into good quality clothing. Instead of buying cheap t-shirts that will rip within a few wears, you can buy one that’ll last years.
You want these clothes to last since you’ll be wearing them a lot so the quality of it is very important.
3. You can support good companies
When you buy quality clothing, you are most often supporting ethical companies. These companies generally use sustainable materials and always pay ethical wages.
In this case, you are helping not only yourself but the environment too.
4. Less stress on what to wear
Since you have fewer clothes and outfits, you aren’t worried about to wear. You know exactly what outfits you can create with the clothes in your closet.
You also don’t have to worry about clothes not fitting you or looking bad on you. Everything in your closet is something that looks amazing on you so you will always wear amazing outfits.
5. More time
Now that you aren’t stressing over what to wear, you’ll save plenty of time in the morning deciding an outfit. You’ll also save time when getting dressed for events or when trying on clothes in a dressing room.
Did you know that the average women spends almost a year of her life deciding what to wear?
Instead of wasting that time, a capsule wardrobe will give you time to focus on the more important things in your life. Things like your relationships, your career or your peace of mind.
6. You’re always in style
A capsule wardrobe means purchasing articles of clothing that will match well with other pieces. This often means getting great basics.
Something like a white t-shirt and a black blazer are timeless pieces that mix and match perfectly with other pieces. These simple outfits are always in style. You never have to worry about clothing that isn’t in fashion anymore.
7. You feel more confident
Since you have fewer clothes that you can buy, you make sure you’ll buy pieces that you love. Having a closet full of items that you absolutely love makes you more grateful for the things you have.
Also, you no longer will get upset when an old pair of pants don’t fit you. In fact, you won’t have any clothes that don’t fit you. Having fewer clothes that fit perfectly will make you way happier than having dozens of clothes that don’t fit at all.
8. It’s better for the environment
A capsule wardrobe means that you are buying fewer clothes. Since making clothes takes a lot of resources, you are reducing your burden on the planet.
You also aren’t spending your money on fast fashion. This means you aren’t contributing to microplastics in the ocean or unethical wages.
Plus, fewer clothes means smaller laundry loads so you’re saving water too.
9. You know what you look best in
You only own clothes that you love so you’ll quickly learn what clothes looks best on you. You’ll know what colours compliment your skin tone. You’ll know what styles of clothes fit you perfectly. This will make shopping so much easier in the future.
10. You have a signature style
Since you know what you look best in, you can invest in those clothes to create a signature style. It’s much easier to get dressed with a signature style. Plus, you’ll get plenty of compliments with it.
Disadvantages of Capsule Wardrobes
Of course capsule wardrobes have major benefits but they aren’t for everyone. Here are a few disadvantages that you should be aware of before you commit to this lifestyle.
1. It can get boring. You’re basically repeating clothes and outfits. If you are someone that loves having a huge variety of styles, this won’t be right for you. But if you are someone that wants a signature look, you’ll thrive with a capsule wardrobe.
2. You can’t follow trends. Let’s face it, some trends are super cute. But with a capsule wardrobe, you won’t be able to participate in them. But the beauty of timeless pieces is that they’ll never go out of style.
3. You have to do laundry more often. Fewer clothes means that when they get dirty, you have to clean them right away. Otherwise you’ll run out of clothes to wear. But on the plus side, your laundry load will be smaller and it will take less time to fold and put away.
4. It takes time to perfect it. At first you might not know how to style many outfits with only a few pieces of clothing. And you might realize later on that you needed a piece that you didn’t realize before. But over time, you will grow accustomed to it and it’ll save you so much stress.
Is A Capsule Wardrobe Right For You?
Although the capsule wardrobe has a lot of benefits, it’s not for everyone. If you love wearing different styles, a capsule wardrobe would be too limiting for you.
The capsule wardrobe is perfect for you if you:
So let me know in the comments below. Do you have a capsule wardrobe? Or are you going to create one?
Originally published at https://sustainably-yours.com on January 25, 2021.
