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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at MNSU chapter.

Sustainability is something that I’ve been trying to incorporate in my day to day life and it’s something I thoroughly enjoy. 

    One thing that i’ve been trying to get better at more recently is becoming a conscious consumer, especially when it comes to clothes. Although I’ve been getting better at buying more ethically made clothes and trying more sustainable ways of shopping, becoming more conscious of the items I’m taking has been something I could improve on. Therefore, I’ve decided to try a capsule closet for a week. The goal of a capsule closet is to size down your closet to a couple items that are either the most essential or the most influential pieces of your closet or style. Now for those who live in states where there’s drastic changes between the four seasons, seasonal capsule wardrobes are a thing! For my capsule wardrobe, I set aside two pairs of jeans, a pair of comfier pants, two long sleeve shirts, my trusty jean jacket and obviously my winter coat. 

    Monday and Tuesday had to be the easiest days because I started with a clean slate. My fear going into this was that I was going to get bored of the clothes I was wearing so I decided that accessories and jewelry didn’t apply to this capsule wardrobe experience. Wednesday and Thursday were a little harder because I had classes and work. Another fear of mine was the people at work and in my classes would notice I was wearing the same clothes as the days prior, but I managed to move past that by mixing up my accessories, shirt, and pant combo in order to add a different vibe to the outfit. This made it far easier to feel comfortable in the outfit I was wearing. I also tried to keep a mindset throughout the week that I was doing this for me and no one else, so therefore I shouldn’t let others’ opinions bother me. Now looking back at it however I don’t think it was as big of deal as it seemed to be at the time. Friday comes around and of course I had to spill something on my shirt leaving me with one clean shirt and not enough clothes to do a load of laundry. However, I managed through the weekend by living in my comfy pants and the single shirt I had left. 

    My overall thoughts on the capsule wardrobe were for the most part positive. I of course came across some obstacles and flaws in the clothing I had chosen, but I’m sure if this was something I would commit to for longer than a week those flaws could easily be worked out. I’d definitely recommend attempting a capsule wardrobe if you’re into sustainability, minimalism or looking for a new challenge. I also think I gained a new perspective on the amount of clothing I actually need versus the amount of clothing that just sits in my closet and waits to be worn maybe once or twice a month. Overall, what I learned from this challenge is definitely something I plan to keep in mind going forward on my sustainability journey. 

 

Hi! My names Maddy and I'm a junior majoring in communication studies and minoring in gender and women studies as well as art. Feminism and environmentalism are very important to me and some other things I enjoy are coffee, photography, plants and concerts.