Too Much and Not Enough: Why Do We Have So Much Stuff? • Wardrobe Audit Week 1
By Team Whering published 09/03/2025
It's week one of our wardrobe audit course. Let’s start with the basics. How did we end up with so much stuff?
It’s a big question, with a lot of answers.
I’m not going to delve into the history of capitalism, but I will share an interesting theory I recently came across.
How it started vs how it's going
If you don’t feel like watching the video, I’ll summarise it. As a collective, the Global North are consuming more than we ever have. Could this be a response to the sudden change in our relationship with tangible media content? I remember when I was a child and people would buy actual DVDs and videos, they were yours to play whenever you wanted to watch something. Now, we all use streaming services, run by organisations who can pick and choose what we’re able to watch whenever they want. They can remove films or TV shows from their services without warning. Even though we pay to use them, we don’t own any of the content.
Taylor Swift removed her music from Spotify in 2014 and EA shut down servers for older games, so even if you had a physical copy of an old FIFA game, you still couldn’t play it. This is just some of the proof that our reliance on streaming services has detached us from ownership as we’ve come to understand it.
Not only that, but everything we do can be done on our phones. Shopping, banking, socialising, reading, making outfits– there is a digital solution for everything. It’s no wonder we’re keen to ‘touch some grass’ as they say.
Even how we engage with art has changed. You used to have to go to a gallery or an exhibition to see artists' work, now it’s only a Google search or an Instagram scroll away. Magazines and newspapers were how people got informed, and they’ve now gone digital too. As well as that, Gen Z are much less likely to own a home, with most of us paying rent. We don’t actually “own” very much in comparison to generations before us. Spending £5 on a coffee is the only thing we can afford to trick ourselves into thinking we’re adulting.
Where are we now?
Gen Z has had a confusing relationship with consumerism. We’ve experienced the boom of fast fashion shortly followed by learning the consequences of buying clothes we don’t need. It’s been a whirlwind, but if you’re reading this we can assume you’re aware on some level that shopping too much isn’t the best thing we can do for the planet.
So surely streaming platforms and digital content are great, right? We get to enjoy things without “buying” them. Kind of.
Netflix, Amazon Prime, Spotify, etc, have also given us unlimited choice on demand. We’re used to being able to watch films or TV shows, listen to music or play a game whenever we want. There are so many options out there and we have access to all of them on our phones, laptops, TVs and for some people, even their watches.
This access to endless content, coupled with the gap in actually “having” a tangible object (something most of us probably didn’t realise was missing), may have led us to subconsciously fill the void with clothes– which also happen to be accessible on our phones.
There is a lot to think about, but our forte is fashion. So, in light of that, I’m keen to reconnect with the outside world and review everything in my wardrobe to figure out what is actually bringing me value, and what might have been a dud purchase I didn’t need to make.
Audit your wardrobe with me
This isn't just a simple a guide of how to go through all your items and think about what you should keep and what you should get rid of. That's just the start! We'll cover what to do with a refined version of your wardrobe, how to analyse your styling habits and go forward, how to style a refined wardrobe, how to experiment with style with fewer items, and how to embrace the journey of your ever evolving personal style.
The first step? Uploading your items to Whering. You might as well digitise your wardrobe if you’re going to go through everything anyway.
Taking a picture of everything and filling in some information about it is actually a great way to remind yourself what you own. It also creates a digital inventory which makes going through your wardrobe super easy.
As you're taking photos of items, think about whether they are bringing value to your life. Are you getting a good amount of wear out of them? Do you feel good when you wear it? Are you excited to wear this piece? To take a leaf out of Marie Kondo's book– clothes that don't bring you joy require a bit of evaluation. Is it a practical item, like gym leggings, or is it just collecting dust?
Sort everything into piles: "keep", "sell/donate", and "maybe". Digitise everything if you can, but focus on the keep and maybe piles if you're pushed for time. Once items are digitised, you can edit item status to "sell", "donate", and "swap".
Take the maybe pile and put it to one side in your wardrobe. Archive the items in the "maybe" pile on Whering, and try styling outfits for a week or two without these pieces. See which ones you miss, and which you don't. That will help you decide on what to keep and what to get rid of.
In next week's article, we'll delve into reflection and refinement, helping you figure out what you really enjoy wearing.
If you enjoyed this article and you’re excited to join me in a journey of auditing your wardrobe, stay tuned for the next instalment of our FREE 6-week auditing course, posted every Sunday.
Wardrobe Auditing Course Structure
Week 1 - How did we get here?
Analysing why feel like we own too much but also not enough– and where that places us today.
Week 2 - A look back through 2025
We’ll revisit what we’ve been wearing this year, how it’s made us feel, and everything in between.
Week 3 - Refining your wardrobe
Not a boring wardrobe clear out, but an introspective journey into what makes you, you.
Week 4 - Curate your wardrobe community
Shape a community of wardrobes to pick and choose from to expand your current wardrobe without buying new.
Week 5 - Styling your refined closet
We’ll share how to get more from your new and improved wardrobe, with expert advice on how to put outfits together.
Week 6 - The journey isn’t over
Ride the wave of your ever-changing wardrobe, and learn how Whering can support all the different versions of you.
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