5 Unexpected Ways You Will Benefit from Owning a Minimalist Wardrobe

My first true concern for my wardrobe surfaced in high school. 

Not long after stepping foot into the long, brick building nestled among Iowa cornfields, I picked up on an unspoken rule: don’t wear the same thing twice.

Or, at least, see how long you can go without duplicating an outfit. 

Alright, I can play this game, I thought.

My competitive nature and desire to fit in led to my monthly documentation of every outfit combination I created. 

Yep, I would note everything from my Doc Martin shoes to my silver hoop earrings to my bling Gadzooks’ belt. 

Every detail counted as I mixed and matched each calculated outfit. Only once a new month began would I consider replicating them.

If my high school self could see me now.

Living a minimalist lifestyle, my current wardrobe still involves mixing and matching, but with a fraction of the articles that once hung in my closet.

Last month, I easily fit clothes for myself, two daughters and son all in one suitcase before heading on a three-week road trip to Texas. How many outfits did I bring for myself? Four. You can be sure I’m over wearing the same thing twice. 

Going from an overflowing wardrobe to a simple, intentional one, for me, has been a process. And not a black and white one.

For many of us, clothing is an extension of ourselves—a mode of self-expression and fitting in (cue my high school self). Shopping serves as a bandaid for many, placating hard feelings with just one more purchase. 

We end up with closets filled to the brim, even though, on average, Americans only wear 20 percent of their wardrobe.

Could minimizing our closets and owning just that 20 percent be worth pursuing?

Absolutely. 

As it turns out, owning fewer clothes brings more benefits than you may think.

Here are 5 unexpected ways you will benefit from minimizing your wardrobe:

1. Emotional benefits

Ever considered your closet as a trigger for difficult emotions? I hadn’t—until I read Courtney Carver’s book Project 333: The Minimalist Fashion Challenge That Proves Less Really is So Much More. Guilt, frustration, and sadness are found packed away in many of our closets, Carver writes.

You feel guilt when you no longer fit into clothes that used to fit you. On days when nothing looks or fits right (and piles of clothes end up thrown on the floor), you feel frustration. Sadness can be triggered by seeing an outfit you wore to an event that made you sad. Or from seeing clothing items of a loved one who has passed away.

Until you are clued into how clothes can trigger these emotions, you can feel worse after getting dressed and not know why, Carver writes. You can continue to carry the weight of these emotions throughout the day without realizing it.

You let go of these negative feelings when you let go of the clothing items that trigger them. By choosing to own only the items you love, you’re inviting positivity into your life each time you open your closet.

2. Ecological benefits

Carver’s book, which presents the challenge of wearing the same 33 clothing items for 3 months (hence the name Project 333), also opened my eyes to the ecological benefits of dressing with less. Consider the following statistics from Shannon Lohr of Factory45:

• The amount of water used in apparel production each year is enough to fill 32 million Olympic sized swimming pools. (Meanwhile 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water.)
• By extending the life of your clothing by an additional 9 months, you can reduce your carbon, waste and water footprints by 20-30% each.
• Clothing made from conventional polyester can take 200 years to decompose in a landfill.
• Making a pair of jeans uses the same amount of water as flushing your toilet for 3 years. 

Our choices regarding clothing consumption clearly affect more than just ourselves. By reducing the number of clothes in your closet, you significantly reduce your ecological footprint. 

To learn more about the ecological toll of fast-fashion, watch the documentary The True Cost. If you’re looking to introduce sustainable and ethical fashion into your wardrobe, Lohr’s Market45 is a good place to start.

3. Freedom to live in the present

Our closets are often filled with clothes we used to fit into, clothes we’ve never fit into but still hope to wear some day, and clothes that we actually wear. If we are dressing for the person we used to be or for some future “fantasy self,” then we’re missing out on who we really are today. 

Curating a closet that contains only items that you currently wear and love helps you live in the present. It frees you from wishing you were different and helps you embrace your authentic self. Carver writes, “Dress for the life you have right now and you will move through it with ease and grace.”

By dressing for who you are today, you’re able to enter more fully into your life. Instead of being stuck in I’ll-be-happier-when thought patterns, you are freed to live contently as who you are today.

4. Mental benefits

You save mental energy each morning when deciding what to wear is a simple process. Studies show that our daily decision-making reserve is finite. This means the more decisions we make throughout the day, the more difficult our next decision becomes.

Decision fatigue is real, but it can be reduced. When your closet contains limited outfit options that are all your favorites, choosing what to wear in the morning requires minimal mental energy. This means you can use your decision-making power for more important things, like work-related decisions or problem solving throughout the day.

5. Inspiration to simplify other areas of your life

Owning fewer clothes opens your eyes to the power of less. When your wardrobe is minimal, you suddenly spend less time doing laundry, scrolling through online clothing sales, and deciding what to wear. That means you have more time for what matters most to you. Maybe that’s going on more walks, spending quality time with your kids, actually pursuing that hobby you love, or resting more. 

“All the lessons I learned from dressing with less encouraged me to live with less,” Carver writes. “They applied not only to my closet, but my kitchen, living room, garage and beyond. From not only surviving but thriving with 33 items or less, I had the confidence to let go in every other area of my home and life.” 

When you begin to feel the benefits of minimalism from simplifying your closet, you’ll feel inspired to minimize other areas of your life, gaining more time and energy to focus on what matters most.

Author Cheryl Richardson said, “If you want to improve your life immediately, clean out your closet. Often it’s what we hold onto that holds us back.”

This new year, let’s accept the challenge to clear the clutter in our closets and experience the benefits of living with less.

For more guidance and motivation to minimize your closet and create a capsule wardrobe, I highly recommend checking out Carver’s book Project 333. 

As Carver says, dressing with less provides the “space, time, confidence, and clarity to create a life that is full of what matters most to you.”

Why not start today?

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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia practices what she preaches in her Kansas City apartment home with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, and 6-month-old son. You can also find her on Instagram.

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I want to help you design a simple, intentional life! I’ve created a 30-day course that will guide and inspire you to declutter your life and live focused on what matters. Learn more HERE.