What To Prioritize When Cataloging Your Wardrobe
I had just built the very first version of Indyx in August 2021, and I was ecstatic to finally put the app into action by digitizing my own wardrobe. I remember standing in front of my closet, staring into the abyss of blue denim, gray sweaters, and black tights. I was instantly overwhelmed about where to begin.
In my mid-thirties and forever a fashion enthusiast, I had accumulated a sizeable wardrobe that had spilled into multiple closets. If anyone asked me to estimate how many items I have in my wardrobe, I would insist on less than 200 (and my husband would instantly leap at the opportunity to remind me of how “unnecessary” that is). The reality, though, is my wardrobe is probably three times that. I’ve simply lost track of most things because of how little I wear what I already own.
After much contemplation, the first item I cataloged into my digital wardrobe was a fiery Gucci gown that had seeded the idea for Indyx into my head in 2016. I then kept going to catalog all my other favorite things: a vintage Jill Sander cashmere sweater that is beyond soft, a camel Zara blazer that is my go-to for more formal work meetings, and a pair of Stella McCartney platform oxfords that can dress up even the comfiest sweatpants.
By the time I ran out of steam from jotting down too many new ideas to improve the cataloging experience, I had captured 15 items in an hour for my first cataloging session. Not bad! In the following months, my wardrobe was a fertile testing ground for Indyx. And as we grew, I also visited many of our clients’ wardrobes and cataloged over 5,000 items as the first and only professional archivist for Indyx in San Francisco.
By now, I consider myself knowing a thing or two about where to begin when it comes to creating a digital wardrobe.
To start, I believe how you prioritize what to catalog should align with your overall wardrobe goals. We hope you will eventually capture everything in your wardrobe on Indyx, but starting at the right place can ensure you get immediate value out of your digital wardrobe.
We built Indyx to be your one-stop digital wardrobe concierge, and there is a lot we can do for you: we help you create an oh-so-scrollable digital wardrobe, so you have complete visibility to what you already own; we help you with outfit planning and connect you to professional stylists for a fresh perspective; and finally, we help you effortlessly resell your items straight from your digital closet so you can always have a more curated, conscious, and circular wardrobe.
So out of all those seamlessly integrated features, what gets you most excited? If your goal was to better style your wardrobe, particularly for the pieces you haven’t figured out how to best wear, then it makes sense to catalog those pieces first. If your goal was to start reselling immediately from your wardrobe, you presumably already have a list of things you’ve been thinking about selling - starting there might not be a bad idea. And finally, if your goal was to become better organized and see your entire collection at your fingertips, then there is no wrong place to start.
Regardless of your goals, I found it most helpful to think about your wardrobe in four buckets.
#1: Pieces you love and want to style better
We all have fabulous pieces that we love on their own but struggle to bring them together in outfits. This is where Indyx can help. Once those items are cataloged, you can better plan and visualize your outfits much easier using our outfitting canvas. There is nothing like always knowing what to wear because you’ve planned ahead!
If you’ve been thinking about working with a professional stylist and haven’t made the leap of faith, Indyx offers a much more efficient and cost-effective way to find a stylist you love. At Indyx, we believe that styling should be about figuring out how to best wear the pieces we already own, as much as it is about adding new pieces to your wardrobe. Personal stylists working with Indyx are obsessed with creating outfits and showing you how to pair them with items you already have in your closet. Regardless of your fashion game, we could all use a fresh style perspective to jazz things up!
#2: Pieces that define your style
Your digital wardrobe should embody who you are. Items that define your style are likely pieces you wear the most often and those that serve as foundational pieces in your outfits. We are talking about your go-to jackets, your favorite jeans, and the white t-shirt that you have multiple of (though we'll likely only need to catalog one). We want to style fun and special outfits, but we also want to make sure that we capture what's quintessentially you and weave those pieces into your outfits.
#3: Pieces that no longer serve you
Did you know that despite second-hand apparel’s sharp rise in popularity in recent years, only 20% of us are selling from our wardrobes? Resale is essential in making fashion more circular and sustainable, but listing our items for sale hasn’t been easy or made much financial sense. Indyx is changing that.
Your digital wardrobe on Indyx is linked to our Resale Marketplace where you can create listings directly from your digital wardrobe and pay no resale commission on your sales. So gather those items that you’ve been thinking about selling for a while - there is no better place to start! Once they’re cataloged, check out our blog post on how to create a resale listing with a few clicks to make your debut on the Indyx Resale Marketplace.
#4: Your “investment pieces”
Last but certainly not least, let’s catalog your collection’s “crown jewels”! These items tend to be big-ticket purchases we told ourselves that we would “love forever” or “wear all the time”. But maybe they didn’t work out as planned, and that’s ok!
You might not be ready to sell them just yet, but it doesn’t mean you wouldn’t consider selling them if the right offer came along. Opportunistically monetizing and circulating your wardrobe is precisely what Indyx unlocks. Our wardrobe is one of our most significant personal investments, and we should treat it as such. After all, “investment pieces” are only investments if they can be easily and profitably monetized.
Regardless of your goals to digitize your wardrobe, I hope you found this blog post helpful in thinking through how to prioritize what to catalog.
Why We’re Launching Resale In A Crowded Field
If this article piqued your interest in resale, click to read Yidi’s previous piece on resale & Indyx’s ambition to re-wire the industry
