Spring is traditionally the season for a good clean – and maybe a clear out. Taking stock and having a bit of a declutter can freshen things up domestically.

Prof Deirdre Shaw and Dr Katherine Duffy notice a contemporary approach gaining traction involves focusing on your wardrobe by creating digital catalogues of your clothes, then monitoring their usage. You meticulously log details such as price, brand, and category, followed by tracking how frequently each item is worn.

The concept suggests that possessing such information can ultimately result in improved decisions down the line, be it in terms of financial savings or adopting a more environmentally conscious stance towards fashion.

Such improved decisions are imperative. The clothing industry in Europe ranks fourth in terms of its negative environmental footprint, following housing, transport, and food.

Clothing is heavily underused, with the number of times a garment gets worn reportedly decreasing by 36% globally between 2000 and 2015. In the UK it has been estimated that 65% of women and 44% of men have clothing in their wardrobe which they are yet to wear, while one survey found that many women consider garments worn once or twice to be “old”.

As brands work with online platforms to inundate consumers with ever-expanding clothing options, and amidst the popularity of tools for selling unwanted clothes, we pondered whether digital tracking could enhance the sustainability of your wardrobe.

For their research, both Prof Deirdre Shaw and Dr Katherine Duffy worked with Save Your Wardrobe, an app designed to help people organise and categorise their clothes. We interviewed users to find out if digitising their wardrobes led to any noticeable changes.

From the start, they found consumers feeling anxious and dissatisfied with their clothing behaviours and wardrobe management. There was an aspiration to better understand what was in their wardrobes and how they used their garments.

One woman told them: “Personally I would feel happier if I felt like I was making really thoughtful decisions [about what clothes I buy] and they weren’t coming from a place of anxiety, or a place of feeling constantly like there is some new gap in my wardrobe that I have to fill.”

Another said: “I think a lot about reducing the eco footprint of my lifestyle. And I think clothing is one area where I get frustrated because I don’t feel like my values line up with my behaviour.”

She added: “I feel like we should just consume less, but then I can get anxious and stressed out and feel like I need something, and those two things are incompatible.”

For numerous individuals, the initial task of organising and uploading photos of their garments to the app served as a moment for introspection and a chance to reconsider and modify their current behavioural patterns. This endeavour also fostered a newfound appreciation for the clothing already in their possession.

An important aspect of this was the ability to quantify what was in the wardrobe – and many of the people they spoke to were surprised (or even shocked) by the amount of clothing they possessed.

One said: “I realised that 50% of my wardrobe is from Primark. It’s ridiculous and I was like, ‘Oh my god!’”

She continued: “I knew that when I go to Primark I go crazy but I didn’t have a full overview of all the things I have.”

Another commented: “I definitely felt more organised. Revisiting old clothes made me see what I have in my closet. That was good, because I [had been] wanting to buy something new, but realised I don’t need to.”

This kind of reaction was common, as users of the app came to understand – and seek to change – their patterns of behaviour around clothing. Items were rediscovered and brought back into use in a way that made owners feel they were “shopping from their own wardrobes”.

As they realised how much money they had spent on clothes, some pieces were put aside for repair so they could be worn again, while others were given away.

Overall, their findings indicate that clothing consumption is contributing to consumer anxiety, but utilising an app can empower individuals to regain control over their wardrobes. Tracking behavioural data provided a sense of agency and illuminated areas where adjustments could be made.

The opportunity to quantify and gain insights in this manner was likened to other digital solutions, such as wearable fitness trackers, which record data and offer motivational support.

Increased awareness of their existing wardrobe had a tangible impact on individuals' inclination to acquire more. Thus, in the midst of a climate crisis and economic challenges, perhaps it's time to eschew shopping apps and invest time in reconnecting with the clothes already owned.

This blog was orginally published on The Conversation.

First published: 8 March 2024

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