A fun fact that you may not know about me is that I majored in Textile and Apparel Management in college. I had an interest in sewing and clothing at a young age and when I was seven years old my grandmother taught me to sew on a sewing machine.
I still remember making a nightgown with her and was blown away that you could create something out of a simple piece of fabric. My love of fashion only grew as I got older.
While I don’t sew much anymore or have the opportunity to wear as many fun outfits (one negative to working from home) I LOVE clothes and fashion.
BUYING JUST TO BUY
When I left my full-time corporate position at Target over a year ago I found myself shopping less and less. And, then with quarantine, I pretty much stopped shopping completely. I realized that I was just buying things to buy things and to keep up with all the trends. I was spending a lot of money and filling my closet with items I would only wear once or twice or maybe never.
Then, when we sold our home this summer and I packed up my closet and sorted through boxes of clothing in our attic I could not believe how many things I had accumulated over the years.
WARDROBE NATIONAL LAUNCH
I was excited when Wardrobe reached out to see if I wanted to help spread the word about their national launch. They started in New York but have now launched nationwide.
Adarsh Alphons the founder of Wardrobe was interviewed by Fast Company and shared some shocking statistics about fashion and its environmental impact. You can find the article here.
SOME CRAZY STATS + WHY WARDROBE IS UNIQUE
- There are roughly twice as many clothes being produced now as there were just 15 years ago.
- Every single item produced has its own environmental impact. For example, one pair of jeans has a carbon footprint similar to driving 80 miles.
- Every single year people throw away clothing worth around $400 billion.
- The average woman has 57 items hanging in her closet that she does not even wear once a year.
What makes Wardrobe so unique is it allows women to rent their unworn clothing directly out of their closet. It’s similar to Rent the Runway but the company does not own inventory. Anyone who owns high-end clothing and accessories can rent their items, do something good for the environment, and make money at the same time. So you can either rent items yourself, allow others to borrow items or both!
FASHION SUPPORTING THE ENVIRONMENT
- Wardrobe does not contribute to the manufacturing of any new clothes like similar fashion rental platforms as they are completely based on the reuse of existing clothing in women’s closets.
- Since they are a rental platform their focus is getting the max usage out of clothing.
- All of their shipping materials are sourced from recycled materials and after use, they recycle 100% of all items.
- Wardrobe is carbon neutral!
MY FIRST RENTAL
Now that you know more about Wardrobe I’m excited to share what I rented and my overall experience.
One of my favorite handbags that I own personally is a vintage Chanel bag that is currently in storage. Before it was put into storage it had not seen the light of day since my J’s Christmas work party last December. I love vintage Chanel bags, I mean who doesn’t so when I saw a few available on Wardrobe I got a bit giddy.
I selected this beautiful vintage Chanel binocular bag. I had every intention of taking this beauty somewhere special. A family dinner at our favorite restaurant was on the calendar but J had an extremely crazy work week so it barely made it out of the house.
Nothing feels better these days than getting out of the house, enjoying a meal at your favorite restaurant, and getting a bit dressed up.
OWNING THE OCCASION
While my original plans did not happen I did take this beautiful bag out for a Whole Foods run in my usual casual wardrobe.
Pretty bags are meant to be used regardless of whether you are dressed up or not. “Owning the occasion” for me means wearing whatever makes you happy regardless of where you are going. I also feel like a beautiful bag pulls an outfit together regardless of whether that outfit is workout clothes or a midi dress and heels. Wardrobe helped me to have a little fun this week!
MY FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT WARDROBE AND WHY I WILL RENT AGAIN IN THE FUTURE
- Wardrobe’s website is simple and organized making it easy to search for available items.
- Rentals are super affordable! Like CRAZY affordable!
- Because items are being rented from many different women’s wardrobes the selection is super unique and there are so many amazing vintage pieces.
- The rental process could not be easier. Just select your item and rental period. The item arrives in beautiful packaging with not only a return label but packaging tape as well! They also use dry cleaners as pick-up and drop-off hubs. Depending on your location there may be one available in your area. I dropped my rental off at USPS because currently there is not a hub near me. It was super easy!
I will definitely use Wardrobe in the future. I think they are an incredible company with an important sustainability mission.
Head to the wearwardrobe.co to check it out!
WARDROBE is offering all of you $25 OFF of your FIRST RENTAL with the PROMO CODE: H9JE
Happy renting!
In Love, Health + Gratitude,
Katie