Fast fashion is terrible for the planet. Can wardrobe cataloging apps help?
The influencers have started to promise me that they know how to get me to stop shopping: I just have to enter every garment of clothing I own into an app, one by one. “I digitally cataloged my ENTIRE wardrobe,” they swear on videos, routinely pulling in hundreds of thousands of views. The selling point […]
Wardrobe cataloging apps claim to help users reduce their fashion consumption by identifying what garments they already own. These apps, including Indyx, Whering, ACloset, and OpenWardrobe, aim to curb over-shopping and minimize the environmental impact of the fashion industry, which accounts for 2 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. However, the initial setup for these apps is labor-intensive, requiring users to photograph each piece of clothing and maintain the catalog over time.
Some users find wardrobe cataloging apps useful for redirecting their shopping impulses and gaining clarity about their existing wardrobe, especially those who frequently browse clothes in their spare time. Yet, these apps may not be suitable for individuals who dread the task of photographing all their belongings. As for their effectiveness, wardrobe cataloging apps may be worth the effort if they successfully encourage users to buy less, as highlighted by experts like Katia Dayan Vladimirova, who believes that buying less is the key solution to the environmental issues stemming from the fashion industry.
Written by urgent.news from Vox's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.