A wardrobe clean-out can leave you feeling refreshed and renewed.
Many of us will then drive around for months with bags of clothes in the boot until we remember to drop them off at the local op shop.
While they can be a great place to take second-hand items — and will often benefit people in need — op shops sometimes get overwhelmed by donations and clothing can end up in landfill.
But don't worry if your op shop is full up or closed. There are other options for your clothes.
Not-for-profit organisations and charities are stepping into the space, specialising in providing specific clothing needs for their clients — from corporate outfits to baby clothes.
So, by curating your donations, you can make sure you're reaching the people who need it most.
Closing the loop
A recent report by the Australian Fashion Council found that about 227,000 tonnes of discarded clothing are sent to landfill in Australia each year.
That's... a lot.
Australian Fashion Council's Danielle Kent says our relationship with clothing needs to be examined.
"Australians are big consumers, and we have a complicated relationship with fast fashion," she says.
Ms Kent adds that we need to work towards "closing the loop" — meaning Australians need simple and accessible ways to recycle unwanted clothes to reduce those grim landfill statistics.
But what does that look like? And how can we donate clothing in thoughtful ways?
A transformation for disadvantaged women
Amanda French is on a mission to get people to reconsider what and how they donate.
Ms French is the CEO of Dress for Success Hobart, a not-for-profit organisation that operates across Australia and globally, aiming to support women in tough economic situations by providing clothing options and styling.
The organisation provides women with clothing they can wear to job interviews and workplaces.
The clothing is selected from organised donation drives, to avoid being inundated.
Mr French says the impact on women who walk through their doors is obvious.
"It's really transformational for our clients … we often see them come out of the change rooms with an outfit on and their eyes have lit up.
"We see this impact when women go on to get jobs and stay in work. Economic circumstances improve for them and then they thrive within their community."
Initiatives like Dress for Success lead the way for what Amanda calls "meaningful donations".
"It’s about being considerate with your donations … people need to be thinking about the best way to donate their clothes in a way that’s going to be meaningful for those who receive it."
Getting fancy
Do you have bridesmaid's dresses or suits that no longer fit, which you've convinced yourself you will wear again at some point? (Spoiler — you won't).
For many, the milestone of attending a school formal is a big part of growing up, but not everyone can afford it.
When 17-year-old Myra Wadley-Faull heard that a family friend was taking a step back from a small enterprise they were running — which provided free formal outfits to young students unable to afford them — she jumped at the opportunity to keep it going.
"I'm from an area where I know a lot of people that would benefit from this type of service ... so I really wanted to be able to help."
Myra now runs Fairy Godmother Formal Wear in Hobart, an initiative that accepts and collects donations of formal clothing and accessories.
It's become somewhat of a family business. Myra's father Paul offers up his garage as storage space for the service and will often drive around Hobart picking up donations.
Students will get referred to the service via school social workers or teachers. Myra says the service provides more than just a nice outfit.
"I know of a girl — it was her first time wearing a formal dress, and we let her keep it because it meant so much to her to experience that milestone ... she was over the moon."
"We really want people to know that we are a service open to anyone who may need it."
Similar enterprises that provide formal outfits free of charge for those who need them have popped up in other regional areas, including parts of Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria.
Baby on board
They may be small and adorable, but baby clothes still take up a lot of space — especially when your kids are growing quickly.
If you don't have family or friends who might like your hand-me-downs, an organisation specialising in providing children's clothing to struggling families is another avenue.
Tassie Mums, a not-for-profit volunteer-based group in Tasmania, collects donations of new and pre-loved baby and children's clothing.
They have a range of bins located across the state to make it accessible for people to donate to their service.
They carefully group items together for babies and children and work with more than 70 social service organisations so the items can go to those who need them the most within the local community.
There are other charities that operate in different states, just jump online and search for your local baby clothes donation service.
Ms Kent says all these kinds of initiatives reflect circular models that ease our clothing's impact on the environment.
She hopes more like them will continue to pop-up in people's local communities.
"There are so many fantastic initiatives out there like clothing hire services, consignment stores, swap events and so on … but we need to normalise those initiatives."
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