Signs You’re in a Healthy Relationship With Your Clothes

The connection between us and our clothes is way more emotional that we often care to admit. Psychologists have long observed that our clothing forms part of our extended identity. Our clothes don’t just sit on our bodies, they carry memory, meaning and self-expression. You can read more about this in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

Your favourite jumper isn’t just fabric, it’s the trip you wore it on. It’s the version of you that grew inside it, and the feeling it gave you when you needed it the most.

And yet the culture around clothing today is so incredibly fast and disposable, so temporary.

Globally, an estimated 92 million tonnes of textile waste are generated each year, and less than 1% of clothing is recycled back into new garments. That isn’t just an issue with production, it’s an issue with our relationship. Somewhere along the way we stopped seeing our clothes as our long-term companions and started seeing them as short-term entertainment.

And when something feels disposable, we treat it that way.

So consider this your wardrobe relationship audit.

Are you committed? Or are you swiping right on every trend that pops up?

Because just like any relationship, a healthy one doesn’t happen by accident. It takes intention, care, and effort. It takes repairing things when they go wrong, and honesty when something isn’t working anymore.

Here at Reskinned, we work really hard at that relationship. We believe that keeping great pieces in circulation, repairing where possible, and giving garments second (and third) lives is an active commitment. And we all know that good relationships don’t maintain themselves.

It’s all about noticing what’s healthy, where things could improve, and how to build a wardrobe relationship that feels nourishing, grounded and good, because as we all know, being in the wrong relationship really sucks.

So without further ado, here are the signs that you’re in a healthy relationship with your clothes (and how to fix it if you’re not).

1. You Know Your Type

You understand what actually works for you, not just what TikTok told you this week, not what looked good on that person in the coffee shop, and not what was 70% off in the sale.

It’s so easy to get swept up in trends. The algorithm moves fast, sales feel urgent and newness shouts the loudest. But if you want a healthy, long-term relationship with your wardrobe, you have got to get to know your type.

There are a few things worth getting clear on from the beginning:

• Your go-to silhouettes. The shapes that feel flattering. The cuts that make you stand taller. The pieces you can wear to multiple different occasions and still feel like yourself. When you know your silhouettes, you stop forcing chemistry that isn’t there.
• Your colour palette. It’s powerful to know what shades make you glow, inside and out. Pay attention to what you instinctively reach for, and how you feel in different shades. When your wardrobe sits within a considered palette, everything works harder together, and you feel better in what you wear.
• The fabrics you enjoy wearing. If wool makes you itch, it’s time to stop pretending it doesn’t. If you feel better in soft, breathable natural fibres, honour that. Comfort is compatibility, and ignoring it is like dating someone who looks great on paper but irritates you daily. It’s not worth it.
• The brands that hold up over time. Some pieces last. Some don’t. Notice what keeps its shape, what washes well, what still feels good a year later. When you find brands that consistently deliver longevity, it feels good to commit.
• Your real lifestyle. Not your fantasy self, or your once-a-year event version. Your actual Tuesday self. Your commute self. Your coffee-run self. If something doesn’t fit your real life, it won’t last in your wardrobe.

When you know your type, you buy better, wasting less money on pieces you only half-love. You stop going on bad first dates with clothes you already suspect won’t work long-term. You start investing in staples that show up for you again and again.

It’s about having high standards, and choosing that one incredible piece you’ll love and love and love, instead of ten washout flings you were never fully convinced by.

2. You Don’t Ghost Them

We’ve all been there: swept up in the excitement of something new, convinced we’ve found the one, only to wake up the next morning and realise… maybe not.

The same thing happens with clothes.

A dress that looks incredible on the hanger. A jacket that feels like love at first sight. And then you try it on and something just feels off. It’s uncomfortable. It doesn’t quite sit right. You know, deep down, you’re probably not going to reach for it again.

A helpful guide here is the 30 Wears Rule, the idea that before buying something, you ask yourself whether you’ll realistically wear it at least 30 times. If the answer is no, it’s probably not long-term material.

Before you buy something ask yourself:

Will we see each other often?
Does this work with what I already love?
Can this grow with me through seasons, moods and plans?

Choose pieces you’ll reach for again and again. And when you do welcome something new into your wardrobe, make sure you’re ready to show up for it properly, giving it the full, long life it deserves.

And when you do make a mistake, don’t worry, but just don’t ghost it.

If something isn’t quite right, send it to us through one of our takeback programmes. We’ll make sure it finds a new home and a second chapter, because we’d much rather it be out there being worn and loved than gathering dust at the back of your wardrobe, waiting for a call that’s never coming.

3. You Treat Them With Respect

When you finally find the one, you don’t treat them carelessly and expect them to stick around.

Clothes are no different. If you want them to hold their shape, colour and confidence, they need care in return. A healthy wardrobe relationship isn’t just about what you buy, it’s also about how you maintain it.

Read the Care Label (Yes, Really)

Respect starts with the label inside the garment. If it says hand wash, it isn’t being overly sensitive. If it says 30°C, it’s because higher temperatures can weaken fibres, fade dyes and cause shrinkage over time.

Washing at 30°C instead of 40°C is significantly gentler on fabrics and helps preserve elasticity, colour depth and overall structure. Heat accelerates wear. Lower temperatures slow it down. It’s one of the simplest ways to extend the life of your clothes without changing much else about your routine.

Wash Less, Wear More

Not everything needs to be washed after a single wear. In fact, over-washing is one of the fastest ways to age clothing prematurely. Frequent agitation, heat and detergent all put stress on fibres, causing them to thin and lose integrity.

If a piece isn’t stained and doesn’t smell, try airing it out instead of throwing it in the machine.

Choose Air Drying When You Can

We hear you, the tumble dryer is convenient. But repeated exposure to high heat breaks down fibres, damages elasticity and can cause permanent shrinkage. Stretch fabrics, knitwear and denim are particularly vulnerable to heat damage.

Air drying, whenever possible, helps maintain shape and strength. It reduces stress on seams, prevents unnecessary shrinkage and keeps fibres intact for longer.

Store Knitwear Properly

It might feel tidy to hang everything in your wardrobe, but heavier knitwear doesn’t belong on hangers. Gravity pulls at the fibres over time, stretching the shoulders and distorting the neckline. Once those fibres lose their shape, it can be impossible to reverse.

Fold knitwear and store it flat, letting the fibres rest in their natural position.

Tackle Stains Early

It’s tempting to hide a stained piece at the bottom of the laundry basket and promise you’ll deal with it later. But the longer a stain sits, the more it bonds with the fibres. Acting quickly with the correct treatment dramatically increases your chances of saving the garment. No avoidance in this relationship.

It’s easy to say you love your clothes. It’s another thing entirely to look after them so they last. Research from WRAP found that extending the life of clothing by just nine months can reduce its carbon, water and waste footprint by around 20–30%. That’s a big impact you can have just by implementing better washing, better drying, better storage and quicker stain care.

4. You Show True Commitment

A good relationship doesn’t happen by magic, it takes work.

You’re never going to build something lasting with your wardrobe if you walk away at the first sign of trouble. A loose button, a dropped hem, a small tear at the seam. These things can feel like the end, like something has run its course, but they don’t need to mean the end of the relationship. They’re just a moment asking for attention.

Fixing something small almost always beats replacing it entirely: It saves money, saves resources, and it keeps good design in circulation for longer.

A five-minute stitch or a simple alteration can add years to a garment’s life. And in many cases, a repaired piece is actually stronger than it was before, with reinforced seams, secured buttons, patched areas that hold even better than the original construction.

Taking the care to repair your clothes shows that you value what you own enough to maintain it, rather than discard it the moment it becomes imperfect. Nothing long-term is going to stay pristine forever. The pieces you truly love will age with you, and sometimes they’ll need a little support along the way, just like we all do.

Here at Reskinned, we see this in action every day. When something comes through our takeback programme and needs a bit of repair work before it can re-enter the world, our team of skilled repairers carefully restore it so it’s ready for the next chapter. It’s not always the easiest task. Repair takes time, skill and patience, but that’s the point.

Long-term commitment isn’t always convenient.

And the best relationships, whether with people or with clothes, are built by choosing to fix what’s fixable, rather than starting over every time something needs care.

5. You Plan a Future Together

We’re not looking for “not sure about my dating goals” energy when it comes to our wardrobes. We want pieces that are in it for the long term, and we want to show up that way too.

Planning a future with your clothes requires a little honesty with yourself, particularly if you’re someone who loves to hop on a trend. We’re not judging you, trends are exciting by design. They’re supposed to feel fresh and irresistible. But reacting to every microtrend is a bit like falling hard for someone you know you’ll be over in a week. It’s intense, dramatic, and then suddenly… it’s gone. The pieces that only work while they’re trending rarely survive beyond that moment. Once the cultural spotlight moves on, so do we.

Choosing clothes with longevity in mind means stepping back and asking whether you can genuinely see them in your future. Will you still want to wear this when it’s no longer all over your instagram feed? Does it fit into your real life, not just your aspirational one? Does it work with what you already own, or does it require a whole new wardrobe ecosystem to support it?

Pieces that last tend to be the ones that integrate seamlessly with what you’ve got already. They transition across seasons, layer well, adapt to different moods and occasions. They don’t demand attention for one fleeting moment, they earn their place over time.

Cost-Per-Wear (aka. how many dates will you go on?)

Sometimes investing slightly more upfront results in something you reach for consistently. When a garment is worn again and again, the value compounds. Compare that to something cheaper that you only wear once or twice before losing interest, suddenly it wasn’t such a bargain.

Planning a future together is about choosing with intention. It’s about valuing versatility, compatibility and endurance over short-term excitement, because at the end of the day, we’re not building a one-night-stand wardrobe, we’re building a long-term partnership that’s there for us when we need it.

6. You Work on Your Relationship

It’s very easy to stand in front of your wardrobe and decide there’s nothing there for you. We’ve all had that dramatic moment where everything suddenly feels wrong, outdated, uninspiring, and the quickest solution seems to be browsing for something new to fill the void.

But before you swipe your card, it’s worth asking a gentler question: do you already have what you’re looking for at home?

Much more often than we think, the answer is yes.

You could absolutely go to that event in one of the dresses sitting quietly at the back of your wardrobe. That slightly too-baggy suit might just need a bit of tailoring to become your favourite work outfit. That “boring” top might transform entirely when paired with the trousers you bought three years ago and forgot about, plus a statement necklace you haven’t worn in months.

Sometimes it isn’t that the relationship is over. It’s that it’s been neglected.

Instead of deciding it’s all done with what you already own, spend some time together. Try things on when you’re not in a rush. Experiment with combinations you’ve never considered.

If you’re struggling to see the potential, getting an outside eye can help. Platforms like Indyx connect you with stylists who can create new (and totally inspired) outfit combinations from the clothes you already own. Sometimes it only takes one creative re-style to remind you why you loved something in the first place.

When you give your wardrobe a little bit of time and attention, you’ll most likely end up rediscovering so many pieces that still feel special. So clear away the dust, both literal and metaphorical, and you might just realise that what you thought was missing was actually just overlooked.

7. You Know When It’s Time to Let Go (The Healthy Way)

Even healthy relationships evolve, and sometimes the most respectful thing you can do is say goodbye. Our bodies change, our styles shift and our lifestyles move on. A piece that once felt perfect might not fit who you are anymore, and that’s okay.

What matters is how you end things.

If something no longer fits your body, your style or your life, the answer isn’t to throw it away. Throwing something in the bin cuts off its potential entirely. When you pass it on, you let it go with kindness, and give it another chapter.

It allows someone else to love it, wear it and build their own memories inside it.

In the UK alone, WRAP estimates that around 300,000 tonnes of clothing end up in landfill or incineration every year. That’s hundreds of thousands of tonnes of perfectly wearable garments leaving circulation, very rarely because they’re beyond saving, mostly because we’ve seen throwing them away as the easiest option.

To have a truly healthy relationship with our clothes, we need to do things differently.

Reselling, trading in or using takeback programmes keeps great pieces in motion. It reduces waste, preserves the value already embedded in the garment, and extends its active life. Circularity doesn’t have to be complicated, it just means making sure clothes stay in use for as long as possible before they ever become “waste.”

When you start treating your clothes right all the way to the end, you start to feel better. Any guilt or avoidance is replaced with intention. You’re consciously moving something on, knowing it will be worn again. You’re leaving it as healthy as it can be, repaired where needed, and ready to fall in love with someone new.

And it means you give yourself space to find “the one” - that piece that will be a much better fit. You can evolve, welcome new pieces in with thought and intention, and know that the ones that leave aren’t forgotten, they’re just starting a new chapter.

The Real Green Flags

Now that you know what a healthy relationship with your clothes actually looks like, the next step is keeping yourself in the green.

Healthy relationships don’t sustain themselves, they’re built through small, consistent actions over time. Keep these green flags active in your wardrobe, keep showing up with intention and care, and you’ll create something that lasts.

Here are our wardrobe green flags:

• Wearing what you own.
• Fixing instead of replacing.
• Caring instead of consuming.
• Passing on instead of throwing away.
• Choosing quality over quantity.
• Buying with intention instead of impulse.
  Knowing your type and sticking to your standards.
• Planning for longevity.

A healthy wardrobe doesn’t require you to buy more. It doesn’t require a dramatic overhaul or a whole new identity. It just asks you to show up for what you’ve already got. To value it, maintain it, and love it for as long as you can, and then when you no longer can, find someone else who might.

The most sustainable wardrobe isn’t the one you feel guilty about or avoid opening. It’s the one you love deeply, wear often, and treat with care. The one that feels lived in, valued and fully part of your life.

Are you ready to build a healthier relationship with yours?

Explore our latest drop of expertly revived second-hand pieces, all ozone cleansed, refreshed and ready for their next date, and possibly the love of their life.

And for the dusty situationships you’re ready to move on from, the ones you’re not quite sure what you were thinking with in the first place, send them to us through our takeback programme. We’ll help them find someone new, and you’ll get a little something towards the next piece you’re ready to commit to.