Free Download: How to Build a Sustainable Capsule Wardrobe for Kids

We’ve all skimmed blogs and perused Pinterest for inspiration on creating the perfect capsule wardrobe for ourselves, but what about when it comes to our littles? As parents, shopping sustainably for our kids while maintaining a “fewer but better” mindset can be easier said than done. Kids outgrow their clothes quickly, wear holes in them after a few trips and skirmishes, and honestly, the temptation to buy cheaply made alternatives for them in an effort to keep up is real.

But at Jackalo, we’re big believers in buying fewer-but-better-made pieces for your kids that will last them through several growth spurts, keep up with their rambunctious play without tearing, and won’t hurt the planet on top of it all. In fact, that just about sums up our mission as a company.

We believe it’s possible for parents to “curate” their kids’ wardrobes in a practical and sustainable way that has less to do with fashion and more to do with practicality. With this mindset, ultimately you’ll spend less on your kids’ clothes and ensure they’re getting the most wear out of what they have. A streamlined wardrobe will allow your child to take control of choosing their own outfits (while you relax knowing that everything more or less “flows” together). It teaches them the value of minimizing and keeps your shopping trips much more mission focused.  

A quick note on colors: you may find it helpful to shop within a few color families so that when your kids pick out their own outfits, you don’t have to worry too much about things clashing. This also allows you to plan ahead and buy a size up so that your kids can grow into things and you can still be sure that they’ll work within their wardrobe. You don’t have to stick to only neutrals, or avoid bright and fun colors, but we suggest sticking to 5 or fewer colors. We love this post from Anuschka Rees about choosing a color palette for an adult wardrobe and think the same concepts can be used as inspiration for building one for a child.

Our sustainable capsule wardrobe download will give you the outline of a well-crafted, simplified wardrobe for your kids. From here, you can buy the essentials and then step back and let them be kids (in clothes that are up for the job). You may have to do a bit of shopping around to find the right brands and sizes to fill each “section”, but once you do, your kiddo will have a cohesive, easy wardrobe that will work for everything from school days, mud puddle jumping, and dinner with the grandparents.  

Depending on where you live, you may need a “warm season” capsule and a “cold season” capsule and can make tweaks as needed for things like dresses, skirts, and other pieces your kiddo may love, but with this checklist  and info as a guide, we hope the process will be much more simplified!

These are the basics of any wardrobe, regardless of age. This download will allow you to shop for pieces that fit your child’s personality and style, AND your budget and ethics much more easily.

Have you ever created a capsule wardrobe for your kids? Tell us how it went!