Whilst the right fitted wardrobe solution is ideal if you want to expand your wardrobe, it is also perfect if you want to declutter and focus on the clothes that really matter to you.
By using our bespoke wardrobe designer to focus on your exacting needs, you can have a clear idea of how you want to use your bedroom storage, with shelving, racks and drawers that work for your fashion sensibilities, your work needs and any additional storage you need.
For some people, this is the perfect opportunity to ensure that clothes that typically end up in storage boxes, overspills or dreaded “floordrobes” find a proper place in your bedroom, but in other cases, it can be a great reason to take stock, explore what you have and streamline your wardrobe.
It does not necessarily have to be for KonMari Method reasons either; getting a new wardrobe is the best excuse to clear out the old one in order to either bin or donate your unused items to a good home.
According to a study by non-governmental organisation WRAP in 2022, the average wardrobe consists of 118 items of clothing per person. In other countries, the figure varies from 80 to as high as 429.
Whilst this includes everything, including underwear, socks, stockings and other hosiery, the study also notes that over a quarter of them have not been worn over the last year.
This is for a wide variety of different reasons, but the fact remains that many people have 30 or 40 pieces of clothing they do not need that are simply taking up space in their wardrobes. Other studies are even more damning, claiming as much as half of a wardrobe goes unused.
This means that they are often shoved in the back of the wardrobe, gather dust, potentially get holes eaten out of them by moths and face a rather sad fate that the right wardrobe and a comprehensive cleanout can fix.
The average number is, according to a study published in Vogue Magazine, nearly three times the number seen in an average wardrobe in France in the 1960s, so given how so much of our wardrobes go unused, it makes sense that we often have more clothes than we should.
However, how many clothes should we actually have in our wardrobes? Whilst the number will absolutely vary depending on your work, social life and interests, there are a couple of answers to this question according to the same Vogue study.
According to these researchers, if you have a set of summer clothes and a set of winter clothes, a wardrobe considered “sufficient” will consist of 74 items of clothing, although this does not seem to include socks, underwear and so on.
In a four-season climate with distinct spring, summer, autumn and winter collections, this number goes up to 85, both of which equate to around 20 outfits in total that can be mixed and matched to your liking.
They provide an example of six work outfits, three outfits to wear at home, three athleisure or sports outfits, two outfits for festive occasions, as well as four sets of clothing to wear outdoors, such as jackets, coats, trousers and long skirts.
Obviously, if you have 86 pieces of clothing, this does not necessarily mean that you have to downsize your wardrobe. If you wear a lot of clothes regularly, hold on to clothes, repair and buy second-hand, or practice slow fashion, having a big wardrobe is not a big deal.
Usually, you will notice a problem with your wardrobe when it is time to organise it, which can happen when you install a new wardrobe and have to take your clothes out. Here are some of the warning signs that you might need to downsize:
