A True Closet Detective

This week I’m handing the newsletter over to my gal Laura Novich (my podcast co-host and generally great human who makes me laugh a lot). She did a super nerdy, amazing deep dive on her closet and I am in awe! Enjoy!

Laura’s Closet Deep Dive

In April 2024, we had the pleasure of hosting Anna Wickes from Dr. Martens on an Untangling Circularity podcast episode where we explored the topic of branded resale. During our conversation, Anna shared a personal story about conducting an audit of her own closet, meticulously documenting each item, where it came from, and how long she’s owned it. Before she even finished telling us about her audit, I had already planned out exactly how I would conduct my own. How had I not thought of this already?! 

Anna mentioned how a lot of her clothes were old (and used) and that she hasn’t purchased much in recent years, which is amazing. But before I even opened my closet to set out on this fun excursion, I realized that a lot has happened to me in 10 years, physically, and my clothing reflects the vast changes my body has gone through. I knew for a fact before even conducting this audit that, no, most of my clothes were not that old, because I cannot (nor will I ever again) fit into clothes I wore 10+ years ago. I also do not keep things around that I don’t wear regularly. My closet is so small and if I don’t keep it absurdly organized by routinely trimming the fat, I’d suffocate.

So on that note, let’s take a deep dive into my small, severely organized, NYC closet.

OVERVIEW 

I surveyed my entire wardrobe, including clothing, shoes, and personal accessories (handbags, backpacks, etc.). I chose to exclude intimate garments (underwear, socks, pajamas, and bathing suits) [because those are items that 

1. go through wear-and-tear at a much higher rate
2. are often replaced many times over the years
3. used options are less readily available, if at all
4. and because of those reasons, adding this to the data would absolutely skew the numbers.]

In total, I have 170 items in my closet (clothing, shoes, and personal accessories).

61% of my entire closet (clothing, shoes, and personal accessories) is used, while 39% is new. Breaking that down a bit more:

• 66% of my clothing is used
• 40% of my personal accessories are used
• 29% of my shoes are used 

SOURCE

Where did everything come from you ask?

58% was purchased from a thrift store (more specifically, 43% from ThredUP – ay yo!)

26% was purchased directly from a brand or a retail store 

6% was purchased from Amazon (sorry, it happens, I’m not perfect)

4% was purchased at a department store (RIP Lord & Taylor on 5th Ave.)

4% were received as a gift (what up, Buy Nothing Group!)

2% was purchased from Etsy (sometimes you just need that screen printed shirt)

To go in a bit more detail here, 84% was purchased online and 16% was purchased in-person. 

TIMEFRAME

I classified all of my purchases into three chronological categories based on my major life events – the birth of my two children:

• Pre-2016 (before my first kid)
• 2016 – 2021 (between my first and second kid)
• Post-2021 (after my second kid)

(For reference, my first kid was born November 2016 and my second kid was born January 2021 – and fun fact, neither kid was technically born under Trump 😅) 

73% of my current closet was purchased post-2021, 14% was purchased between 2016 – 2021, and 13% was purchased pre-2016. 

Let’s break this down a bit more. We saw a huge boom in online resale during and after Covid, and my purchases definitely reflect that. Between brands offering their own resale programs, the ease of using ThredUP and similar sites, brick-and-mortar thrift shops pivoting to online sales, and my body finally stabilizing, there was so much expanded opportunity.

CONTENTS

Now let’s shift to what kind of clothing I actually own. First, it’s important to note that 47% of my closet is black (including clothing, shoes, and personal accessories). Looking at just clothing, 41% is black. I live in NYC and am introverted. My favorite color as a kid was always black because it’s both everything and nothing (you can ask my mom!). But don’t worry, 18% of my closet is blue (with 20% of clothing), so there’s a little bit of color (read: denim). 

Let’s break down my closet by type (this part is VERY humbling, seeing exactly what you own and how much):

I apparently really like t-shirts and tank tops, but interestingly, I have the same amount of cardigans as I do athletic pants. 

Now shoes are interesting. I have several (maybe 5 or so) pairs stored at the top of my closet because they still fit and are classic styles, but I never wear them. They’re good quality so I’m hesitant to give them away, but the reality is that I don’t need them. Like I mentioned on our Repair Across Industries episode about shoe repair, I only wear one pair in the colder months and one pair in the warmer months. But every time I go to take these unused pairs out and free up the space, I hesitate and think, “well, maybe I’d wear them with this outfit.” But I know I won’t. So it’s a never ending cycle that I need to break. 

And for my personal accessories? I’m clearly not a big lover of bags. I invested in a few good quality purses when I finally had the funds and am really happy with those choices years later. Because 50% of my purse purchases were pre-2016. But if we were to look at total usage of personal accessories, I’m a backpack person. 

COSTS

So what did I spend on all of this? My entire closet totals $5,377. The average price I paid is $33.19. 

• Min price: $5.00
• Max price: $150.00
• Median price: $23.50

Considering I purchased over 70% of my closet post-2021, do I like that I’ve spent roughly $4,000 in less than four years? No. Not particularly. But the reality is that I’m embracing this mom-bod and it does need to be clothed. 

It’s also important to note that this is just the cost of what is currently in my closet. What I’ve gifted/donated/sold/recycled is not included in this (though I’d both love and hate to know that answer). 

9.1% of my closet has had major repairs (not including sewing minor buttons, etc.). The reason this is so low (low to me, maybe not low to others) is most likely due to the fact that I’ve owned 70% of my clothing for less than four years. And while naturally some items get worn a lot more than others, nothing has really had the chance yet to see wear-and-tear. However, big shout out to Old Flame Mending for fixing my two favorite pairs of jeans that definitely did see a lot of wear-and-tear.  

CONCLUSIONS

So in conclusion, I like t-shirts, buying used, shopping online (ThredUP), the color black, and not spending a lot of money. If you know me, none of that probably seems surprising. But in all seriousness, fashion waste is a sobering issue and it starts in all of our homes, even those of us that work every day to understand and end it. We live in a society where we can’t quite escape the reality of trends, aesthetics, how we’re perceived and viewed by others, and the enjoyment of shopping, but we can take a bit more accountability and be honest with ourselves on how we’re contributing to this problem, since none of us are immune. But we also can’t beat ourselves up since this is the system we exist in. Do I wish that 100% of my closet was used? Sure. Do I wish that the new clothing I bought was only from brands that prioritize sustainability? Absolutely. But I don’t think we’re at that point of access yet. Maybe we can use my closet as a temperature reading. I work exclusively in the reuse/repair space and only 61% of my closet is used. So there’s more work to be done and we can and will do it. But I encourage everyone to take an honest look at their closets and purchasing habits; it’s enlightening. 

-Laura Novich

Hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. Maybe one day I'll do this with my closet... probably not though. I don't have the patience!

Cynthia