Understanding the KonMari method can be difficult at first, but once you put it into practice, it makes a lot of sense. Marie explains that the best way to declutter/tidy up is to do it by category instead of room or space. There are four different categories in each person’s home, but for this particular post, I’ll be focusing on clothing.
Taking everything out at once (within each category of items) can lead to overwhelm; I remember experiencing that feeling when I first went through my own closet. A lot of what I had was bright, colorful and trendy as I was experimenting with different styles in clothing, and for a while, I did hang onto some of that because I wanted to keep wearing it and have fun with color. However, what minimalism and capsule dressing has taught me is that versatility, function and comfort is more important than passing trends or trying to keep up all the time.
Now I will say that when it comes to folding clothes, I use Marie's folding system on only my sweaters. For my t-shirts, I prefer to roll them after folding it into thirds from the back. I've tried a couple other systems for my jeans and pants (which includes a filing system similar to what Marie talks about), but what I've found is easiest is to just fold it into fourths, and then stack them up inside the drawer. So no matter how you fold your clothes, I'd say just do what works for you.
So while creating a capsule wardrobe may not be for everyone, I do believe that those who do follow and implement that system can be an example for how we care for our clothes as well just being more aware of our spending habits. If you’re someone who enjoys fashion and has a large collection of clothes, shoes or accessories, I would suggest that you examine the amount of stuff you have in this one category seasonally. This is probably common sense to some people already because as the seasons change, we have this urge to discard what no longer sparks joy or what doesn’t fit, but here are a couple more questions to consider:
1. Does this reflect my current lifestyle?
2. Can I find more than one outfit within this one piece of clothing?
3. Do I feel comfortable in this?
Now as much as I enjoy style over fashion, I do feel like it’s easy to get stuck in this consumerist or materialist-driven mindset where we think our clothes should be a statement of who we are as a person in society. And while I myself do like the more expressive and artistic perspective of fashion as well, one has to remember that our lives mean so much more than material possessions. There’s a difference between personal style and high street fashion, and the same can be said for trends and comfortable, everyday clothes we wear. The thing with the fashion industry is that while it is a very creative-driven process (and I do respect that greatly), it’s also a very polluting industry. Retailers and companies that sell high quality clothes will last longer as opposed to more common retail chains like Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe. But even with that in mind, there is a responsibility on us (the public) as well when it comes to how we care for our clothes as well as our spending habits in general.
So overall, I think that the KonMari method works for someone who just needs help in getting started with the decluttering process, and I do think there is an overlap with minimalism to some degree. I personally drift into the more minimalist mindset as opposed to what Marie Kondo suggests, but I wouldn't say there’s anything wrong with that.
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