The Practice of Folding Sweaters (Video)

For the most part,  our process with closets and wardrobes encourages hanging over folding to increase visibility. The more you see, the more you wear.  However, there is one type of garment we do fold: sweaters.

In our latest style video, I wanted to give you  the two folding methods we use when we are organizing sweaters on shelves with no more than two to three sweaters per stack. We prefer displaying sweaters on closet shelves rather than in dresser drawers to avoid any “hiding.”

As I was thinking about this post, I really wanted to consider the psychology of folding to give us a new framework for what we often view as a chore. As we all seek to consume with more intention and consciousness, folding can be a way we develop new relationships with our belongings. We touch them and care for them so they will be there for us for years to come. Thinking of the folding as an actual skill to be developed can slow things down for us and help us consider the lasting impact of our personal style and clothing.

“This is something that has always been big in Japan, to turn small everyday tasks into a skill or a small art form,” says Fabio Gygi in an Guardian article. Gygi is a member of the Japan Research Centre at Soas who wrote his PhD on hoarding and decluttering in Japan.

I don’t subscribe to the Marie Kondo t-shirt folder (we hang all tops — even casual tees), but I do think there is something to be said for some of the purpose behind it.

The folding and organizing of clothing can offer us a way to appreciate what we own and even see them as new. As we seek to buy and have less stuff, can folding make it possible to mimic the feel of a shop floor right in your own bedroom? I always say to my clients that we are creating a boutique in your closet, curated for you and your body. Each day should feel like a joy to enter into a space where you have options that fit and feel new. I believe folding and organizing with care is the catalyst for this feeling.