Save you wardrobe

A Guide to Self-Care Through Clothes

WORDS BY CLOTILDE MOULLEC
20 May 2021
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Self-care is a word that has been used a lot in the past years. But what exactly is it? According to Oxford dictionaries, “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s well-being and happiness in particular in periods of stress”. This means taking care of your mental, emotional and physical health.

Now, how is this linked to clothes exactly? Well, your wardrobe and your clothes have an effect on your mental and emotional health, either making you feel confident or overwhelmed. Think about a time when you had a cluttered wardrobe. Did you also feel overwhelmed and unhappy with your clothes?

In order to practice self-care through clothes, we have put together a few top tips that you can use. Read on to make looking into your wardrobe and using your clothes a fun and relaxing experience. 

BEING ABLE TO SEE EVERYTHING

Having a cluttered wardrobe can have adverse effects on mental health and will also lead to you not wanting to dig into your wardrobe because of the humongous mess you know you are going to make, which will inevitably lead to a long cleaning session.

So let’s make everything visible! This can start by having your clothes visible on your phone. Take the time to upload all of your items to Save Your Wardrobe in order to see all the beautiful pieces you have. This will make getting dressed much simpler. Need a white top? Use our color filter to find all the ones that you have.

This can then be followed by a wardrobe cleanout, in order to make both your digital wardrobe and physical wardrobe a clear space, which will help you feel more relaxed and enjoy your clothing.

TRY YOUR CLOTHES ON

A little self-appreciation never hurts anybody, and trying on your clothes can help you feel more confident in what you are wearing and find inspiration. If you haven’t worn your flowery blouse in about a year, try it on and you might even fall right back in love with it, enabling you to create positive emotions with your wardrobe. 

This is also a way for you to jumpstart your imagination and creativity. If you don’t exactly know what your clothes look like on you anymore, how can you know if the outfit you’ve created is going to look or not? Try on your clothing with a couple different options to find the one you feel the best in.

PLAN YOUR OUTFITS 

Now that you know which items go with what, let’s put all of your outfits in your app. On Save Your Wardrobe, you can create your outfits with the items in your digital wardrobe. If you have a specific date in mind for the outfit, you can even add the day you would like to wear it. 

This will enable you to have your clothes ready the night before, which will save you the stress of finding an outfit, but also the time-consuming cleaning process when having to find something quickly and throwing all your clothes on the floor. Getting dressed calmly, check!

FIND SUSTAINABLE OPTIONS

Now let’s talk about your physical health. Your clothes can also affect your body, with harmful chemicals having been linked to adverse health effects. The most common dyes used in textile manufacturing, called AZO dyes, have been linked to skin allergies or dermatitis. Some have even been found to contain mercury, which can damage your skin and organs.

So if you need clothes, take care of your body by choosing clothes that don’t have any harmful chemicals. How? Choose natural materials and natural dyes where you can. Check clothing that has been certified with labels such as Standard 100 by OKEO-TEX.

To feel good about your wardrobe, you can also choose brands that are both sustainable and ethical. With Save Your Wardrobe, if you put the brand of your item in our app, you will automatically get a Good on You score, which will tell you if the brands you are buying are doing enough for the planet and people. 

DONATE RESPONSIBLY 

After having followed these steps, you might have some clothes that you don’t want to have in your wardrobe anymore and that can lead to negative emotions. In that case, it might be time to part ways with the items. 

However, let’s make sure you are donating responsibly. Most of the clothes we donate are not resold in thrift stores but sent abroad, where it can create piles of waste in landfills. One way to do this is using Thrift+ straight through Save Your Wardrobe. Click on the services tab, donations and Thrift+ to have a bag sent to your home and donate easily.

So, tell us, are you feeling better after having done these steps? We hope this helps you have a lasting feel good effect. If you are anxious about climate change and the impact you are having, read our last blog to learn how to avoid climate anxiety.