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May 24, 2016

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Home » City specials » Hangzhou

Making a clean break from a messy past

MARIE Kondo, the “Japanese queen of clean,” caught the world’s attention in her 2014 book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.”

Some Chinese businesses are trying to replicate that magic by helping clients sort out disorganized, messy households.

How long does it take to organize a wardrobe with 30,000 garments? Bian Dongchun said she and six colleagues spent 21 days on the task. The client’s huge closet ended up as organized as a fashion store.

Six years ago, Bian began work as a wardrobe-organizing consultant.

“Our goal: with one look, a client knows where every piece is,” she explained.

Many people are attracted to the wardrobe organizing business by relatively good salaries and flexible work hours. The average monthly salary is bout 10,000 yuan (US$1,527).

Although the work doesn’t require academic credentials, it isn’t simple, said Xiao Min in Hangzhou, who stepped into the industry two years ago after working as a designer.

Every time when Xiao visits a new client, she takes along her toolbox containing tape measures, hammers and other gear. The first step is to measure a client’s wardrobe — the thickness of partitions, the distance between hinges, the height of each lattice — to assess efficiency of space.

“When people turn to us, they have problems like too many clothes or too little space,” she said.

Wardrobes usually need redesigning. Xiao said there needs to be five areas: one for hanging long pieces, one for short pieces, one for folded clothes, drawers for accessories, and places for pieces laid aside.

The wardrobe space is then reconstructed or, in some cases, expanded.

Arranging and organizing the five “stations” is important in determining whether clothes storage looks messy or not,” said Xiao.

The rooms of a house also need to have a clothes tree for coats at the entry, a place to put clothes taken off before sleeping, a hamper for garments needing laundering, a place for clothes that have been worn but need not immediate laundering, and an area for hanging laundry and doing ironing.

Once the whole layout is determined, a wardrobe consultant can get down to the business of actually sorting through a client’s garments. First, they should all be cleaned. Then they are regrouped according to seasonal use, colors and styles.

“An organized wardrobe makes life easier and makes people feel better,” said Bian.

Her rule of thumb: People troubled by too many clothes should get rid of garments they never wear and really don’t like anymore. Furthermore, when you are done with a piece of clothing, always put it back in its proper place.

“A wardrobe consultant needs to have a basic knowledge of fabrics, styles, fashion brands and interior decorating,” said Xiao. “That usually takes about six months of training and on-the-job experience.”

Average cost to a client is 2,000 yuan per session.

Styling services are a corollary of wardrobe organization.

Yu Xun, who has been worked as a wardrobe advisor for over 10 years, operates the Xun Image Management Studio in Hangzhou. She advises clients on what to wear for specific occasions and also helps clients categorize their clothes.

That means deciding what colors and styles best suit an individual client.

“Some skin tones go well with warm colors,” Yu said, “while others go best with cool colors.”

A wardrobe is spread out on the bed or floor to get a view of all garments.

“That identifies similar clothes quickly, and tells us which are too small or too large and should be discarded,” she said.

It also helps match clothes for stylish pairing. Photos are taken to remind the client which garments go best with which others.

“Our customers are mostly women from 30 to 40 years old, who want to wear different clothes for different occasions,” said Yu.

She cited the example of a client who needs suits for business meetings, dresses for banquets, traditional Chinese garments for classes in Chinese medicine, and sporty attire for leisure.

Yu said her service looks at three facets: colors and styles that best suit a customer, the occasions when different clothes are needed, and what persona a client wants to project.

The studio charges 2,000 yuan for color and style analysis. Organizing a wardrobe or going shopping with a client costs from 500-1,000 yuan per hour.

“A keen sense of fashion and patience are important in dealing with customers,” Yu said.

“Being well-educated often helps, too, with wealthier clients.”




 

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