An Open Letter to Creatives: Why a Digital Wardrobe IS For You, Too!
When I talk to folks about the idea of a digital wardrobe, I’ll almost always get one of two responses.
The first type of person immediately gets it and is EXCITED. They are more of an analytical, left-brain thinker by nature and they see right away how a digital wardrobe would scratch their insatiable itch for organization and unlock a treasure trove of personalized data to help optimize their closet. They’re in.
The second comes from someone who typically considers themselves more of a creative. They’re curious…but that emotion lies underneath a thin layer of distaste. Let’s call it an ick.
Being so innately creative, they almost always already have a love for fashion. An emotional love for fashion as a creative outlet. They love the potential of how clothes can make them FEEL. And, I think that initial “ick” reaction to the idea of a digital wardrobe comes from a place of worry that digitizing their creativity will somehow…sterilize it.
The idea of ever “optimizing” their wardrobe is anathema. They don’t buy things because they’ve evaluated them as a “smart investment”. Instead, they’re driven to curate a closet of things that make them feel something, cost-per-wear be damned. And if feeling happens in the real world, why would they need a digital wardrobe?
Or, so they think.
But at the same time…I also hear this person complain (as we all do!) about a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear. That they often get stuck in outfit ruts. That they haven’t *really* nailed their personal style. And, that they definitely have wardrobe regrets that never quite delivered the feeling they were hoping for.
Sound familiar? First, let me say: I SEE YOU! And, I love you. I truly do. I think that each “type” of person has so much to learn from the other.
But based on how I’ve seen many thousands of people of all persuasions use and *love* Indyx, let me shed a little light on how a digital wardrobe IS an incredible tool for those who approach their closet through a primarily creative lens.
A digital wardrobe isn’t a replacement for your creativity. It’s a tool that supports your creativity.
Think about it this way: what writer doesn’t have a notebook? What interior designer works without a moodboard? Creatives of all types use different tools to capture their ideas and bring structure to chaos. Doing that doesn’t suck out all the creativity. It channels it!
Even in the fashion space, you probably already use some other kind of creative tool. You might have a Pinterest board. You might keep outfit selfies on your camera roll. You might keep style-related thoughts in your Notes App. A digital wardrobe gives you another powerful lens through which you can reflect on your style.
We hear it over and over again: “I never would have thought to pair these things together if I was just reaching in my physical closet”. There is something about the easy-to-acesss, flexible digital format that fundamentally boosts your ability to brainstorm new ideas and visualize different pairings.
Hear me out…what if we kept the flipbook IN the computer!? Does that make it less creative?
Will styling outfit boards on Indyx ever fully replace actually trying the outfit on your body? No. But it doesn’t need to. You may still “filter out” some of the outfits you come up with on Indyx but don’t end up working in real life. But consider that without Indyx, you might not have come up with any of those new combinations in the first place. Or, that they might have popped into your head on the subway and popped right out before you were ever able to try it on at home.
And, this may be obvious, but I’ll say it anyways: there isn’t only one way to use Indyx! Take what serves you and leave the rest. If you couldn’t care less about your wardrobe analytics, then you don’t have to ever look at them! I promise it won’t hurt my feelings. You don’t need to make maximum use of every feature that Indyx offers for it to still be 110% worthwhile in other ways.
But…as creatively-driven analytics girlie myself, I can’t help but (quickly!) pitch you the case. Analytics are information. You are still always in control of what you decide to DO with that information.
For example, simply knowing that you’ve worn 50% of your closet in the last year doesn’t automatically mean that you should become a uber-closet-optimizer who won’t rest until you reach 100%. If you feel happy with your closet and how much your pieces are coming into rotation, then maybe 50% is actually the right number for YOU! Now you have that information and are empowered to use it to course correct towards what makes you happiest.
But if that just pushed you back into “ick” mode, then please forget the last two paragraphs entirely. That was silly of me. Let’s open up the app and start saving those juicy new creative outfits, shall we?
Creatives, have I won you over? Download the Indyx app for free on iOS or Android to get started.
Devon is a co-founder of Indyx and currently leads Growth for the company from San Francisco. She enjoys admiring other people’s gardens and sleeping in with her French Bulldog, Reggie.