THECAPSULECLOSETPHENOMENON– A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF LIVED EXPERIENCES WITH

CAPSULECLOSETS

Thesis-id:2016.15.05

Date:3.June2016

Thesis for Master, 30 ECTS

Textile Management

Giuliana Heger

Title:Thecapsuleclosetphenomenon–AphenomenologicalstudyoflivedexperienceswithcapsuleclosetsPublicationyear:2016Author:GiulianaHegerSupervisor:JonasLarsson

AbstractThe ideaforthispaperresultedoutofacuriosity forminimalist lifestyleconcepts,namelycapsuleclosetsandthemissingresearchaboutthistopicaswellasthe importanceofthisconceptforthesociety,theenvironmentandthefutureofthefashionandtextileindustry.The study describes a phenomenological study in which the researcher exploredparticipants’ lived experiences with capsule closets in order to provide a betterunderstanding of the capsule closet experience. Fixed-interval diaries and semi-structuredin-depth interviewswithfivewomenwereconducted.Usingdescriptivephenomenologicalanalysis,theresearcheridentifiedsevenessentialthemesrepresentingthelivedexperiencesfound inparticipants’ experiencewith capsule closets: 1) Feelingexcited, enthusiastic anddetermined; 2) Feeling relived and satisfied; 3) Experiencing struggles and challenges; 4)Feelings of guilt and regret; 5) Feeling limited, bored and less creative; 6) Feelings ofaccomplishment and proudness; 7) Learning experience. These findings both support andcontributetoexistingliteraturerelatedtothistopicandprovidenewinsightsandaddnewaspectstotheknowledgeofthecapsuleclosetexperience.Keywords: capsule closets, minimalism, minimalist lifestyle concepts, mass consumption,phenomenology,livedexperiences

AcknowledgementThis master thesis was written on behalf of the Master in Fashion Management at theSwedish School of Textiles in Borås, Sweden. The last two years have been a greatexperience and this thesis is the final step in the journey to receive themaster’s degree.Whilewritingthisthesis,manypeoplehavesupportedmeandhavecontributedindifferentways. Therefore, I would like to express a sincere gratitude to my university supervisor,JonasLarsson,whoguidedmethrough thischallengingbut rewardingexperience. Iwouldliketothankhimforallocatingsomeofhisprecioustimeandformakingtheefforttoreadandgivecomments. Iwouldalso liketosaythankmysisterandmyfriends, fortakingthetimeandaffordtoproofreadandcheckthisthesis.

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Tableofcontents

1. INTRODUCTION 2

1.1. BACKGROUND 21.2. THECAPSULECLOSETCONCEPT 31.3. STATEOFTHEART 41.4. RESEARCHPROBLEMANDGAP 51.5. RESEARCHPURPOSE 61.6. RESEARCHQUESTION 61.7. DELIMITATIONS 71.8. THESISOUTLINE 7

2. THEORETICALFRAMEWORK 8

2.1. MASSCONSUMPTIONINCONSUMERSOCIETIES 82.2. THEEMERGENCEOFFASTFASHION 92.3. MATERIALPOSSESSIONSANDTHEPURSUITOFHAPPINESS 102.4. THEPARADOXOFCHOICE 112.5. DECISIONFATIGUE 112.6. MINIMALISTLIFESTYLE 12

3. METHODOLOGICALFRAMEWORK 14

3.1. RESEARCHPHILOSOPHY 143.2. RESEARCHAPPROACH 153.3. SAMPLINGTECHNIQUE 163.4. DATACOLLECTIONMETHODS 163.5. DATAANALYSIS 193.6. VALIDITYANDRELIABILITY 213.7. ETHICALCONSIDERATION 22

4. FINDINGS 23

4.1. PARTICIPANTDESCRIPTIONS 244.2. ESSENTIALTHEMES 244.2.1. FEELINGEXCITED,ENTHUSIASTICANDDETERMINED 254.2.2. FEELINGRELIEVEDANDSATISFIED 264.2.3. EXPERIENCINGSTRUGGLESANDCHALLENGES 284.2.4. FEELINGSOFGUILTANDREGRET 314.2.5. FEELINGLIMITED,BOREDANDLESSCREATIVE 324.2.6. FEELINGSOFACCOMPLISHMENTANDPROUDNESS 344.2.7. LEARNINGEXPERIENCE 354.3. KEYFINDINGS 37

5. ANALYSIS 38

5.1. ESSENTIALTHEMES 385.2. ANSWERTOTHERESEARCHQUESTION 42

6. DISCUSSION 44

6.1. RESEARCHCONTRIBUTIONS 446.2. RESEARCHLIMITATIONS 44

7. CONCLUSION 46

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7.1. FUTURERESEARCH 46

8. REFERENCES 48

9. APPENDICES 54

ListoffiguresFIGURE1:CAPSULECLOSETRULESBYUNFANCY.COM(RECTOR,2014)…………………………………………………………….3FIGURE2:MATILDAKAHLINHERWORKUNIFORM(KAHL,2015)……………………………………………………………………..4FIGURE3:COURTNEYCARVER'SOUTFITPOSTS(CARVER,2011)……………………………………………………………………… 5FIGURE4:CAROLINERECTOROUTFITPOSTS(RECTOR,2014)………………………………………………………………………….. 5FIGURE5:KARLLAGERFELD,MARKZUCKERBERGANDSTEVEJOBSINTHEIRWORKUNIFORMS(HOEN,N.D.)..12FIGURE6:SEVENESSENTIALTHEMES……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..23

ListoftablesTABLE1:OVERVIEWOFDATACOLLECTIONMETHODS........................................................................................17TABLE2:PARTICIPANTDESCRIPTIONS..................................................................................................................24TABLE3:ESSENTIALTHEMESANDPARTICIPANTINPUT.......................................................................................24TABLE4:KEYFINDINGS.........................................................................................................................................37

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1. Introduction Thischapter introducesthereadertothecapsuleclosetconcept. Itprovidesan insight intothe research and problem area, the purpose of this study and the research question thatguidedthisresearch.Researchdelimitationsprovidethebordersandgapsofthisstudy.

1.1. Background

"Minimalismisnotdefinedbywhatisnottherebutbytherightnessofwhatisandtherichnesswithwhichthisisexperienced."JohnPawson(Into-mind.com,2012)

Research in any field begins with curiosity, in this case, a curiosity for minimalism andcapsule closets. Minimalism can be defined as a lifestyle, style, technique, philosophy, amindsetortoolthatischaracterizedbysparseness,simplicityandalmostalwayssometypeof reduction (Obendorf, 2009). It comes from theFrenchword ‘minimum’andmeans theleast or the smallest amount needed for something (Inan, 2014). While in the past,minimalismwasmainlyassociatedwithart,musicandarchitectureitisnowadaysmoreandmore often connectedwith fashion. In this sense,minimalism became popular as a styleincluding simple forms, clean lines andmonochromatic color palettes adopted by brandssuch as Jil Sander and Calvin Klein. Lately however, minimalism as a lifestyle has gainedincreased attention by not focusing (although it can) on the visually but instead thephysicallyminimalistic.Minimalist lifestyle concepts embrace the concept of ‘the smallestamountneeded’byremovingnon-essentials(Into-mind.com,2012).Amongtheminimalistconcepts,thecapsuleclosetisprobablyoneofthemostpopularandwidespreadphenomena,focusingonsomethingveryclosetopeoples’hearts–theirclosets.Whether it’s called capsule closet, apparel diet, closet detox or lean wardrobe, capsuleclosets minimize the clothes in peoples’ closets and empower people to let go of non-essentials. The result is a clutter free closet, with a strong focus on quality rather thanquantity, including essential, long lasting and versatile pieces that reflect one’s personalstyle(Rector,2014).Byreducingpeoples’consumptionandchanginghowconsumersshopand value clothes,minimalistic concepts such as the capsule closet cannot only positivelyeffectthesocietyandtheenvironmentbutalsotheclothingindustry.Theycanplayavitalpartinthefutureofthefashionandtextileindustrybychangingconsumermindset,demandanddesireawayfrommaximalismtominimalism,fromfastfashiontoslowfashionandfrommaterialismtoidealism;thereby,encouragingcompaniestochangetheirvaluechains(fromdesign,toproduction,logistics,salesandmarketing)toadapttonewconsumerneeds.Benefits of minimalist lifestyle concepts are according to Hill (2011) less environmentalfootprint, more money, more time and more happiness. Leo Babauta frommnmlist.comagreesthatminimalismhasmanybenefitssuchas:lessstress,lessdebt,moretimeforlove,peaceandjoy(Babauta,2016).Thereasonsfortheincreasedinterestinminimalismarenotexactlyknownbutareoftenexplainedbyanactagainstmassconsumption,increasedsocialresponsibilityandinterestinsustainability,theincreasedcomplexitiesinlifeandthetherebyassociatedwishforsimplicity(Obendorf,2009).However,atthispoint,littleisknownaboutminimalist lifestyleconceptssuchas thecapsulecloset,oneof thereasonswhythisstudywasconducted.

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1.2. ThecapsuleclosetconceptInitssimplestform,acapsuleclosetis“acollectionofclothesandaccessoriesthatincludeonly itemsconsideredessential” (Thefreedictionary,2016).CarolineRectorfromtheblogun-fancy.com describes the concept as “a mini wardrobe made up of 37 really versatilepieces that you completely loveto wear“ (Rector, 2014). A more defined and personaldefinition comes from Courtney Carver, author of the blog bemorewithless.com, whodefinesitas“asmallcollectionof33itemsincludingclothing,shoesandaccessoriesbuiltforuse during a 3 month period of time.” (Carver, 2011). The majority of capsule closetfollowers pursue a readymade set of rules like or similar to the one shown in Figure 1.However,dependingonaperson’slifestyle,needsandpreferencescapsuleclosetscanvaryinthetypeandthenumberofclothesincludedaswellasintheirduration.Nonetheless,theuniversalthoughtbehindtheconceptshouldstaythesame:lessismore.Even though the concept is often hyped as a new phenomenon, the history of capsuleclosetsgoesbacktothe1970swhenLondonfashionboutiqueownerSusieFauxfirstcreatedtheterm‘capsulewardrobe’.Accordingtoher,thebasicideabehindthecapsuleclosetwasthat“bybuildingacapsulewardrobeyouwillbuyfewerclothesofahigherqualitythatyouwillwearmoreoften.Youwilllookandfeelconfidentandsuccessfulbecausethequalitywillshowandbecauseyouknowthattheoveralllookworks.“(Dougher,2015)Heridealcapsulecloset consisted of fewer than a dozen items including jackets, skirts, pants, blouses,sweaters,dressesandaccessories.Laterin1985DonnaKarenrevivedcapsuleclosetswhenshe took the concept to the USA and created her first line called ‘Seven Easy Pieces’(Dougher,2015).Thesepieces includedher iconicblackbodysuitandtights,askirt, loosetrousers,atailoredjacket,acashmeresweaterandawhiteshirt,whichcouldallbemixedandmatchedtocreateavarietyofdifferentoutfits.

Nowadays, the capsule closet ismainlyanonlinephenomenonthatis talked about by bloggers andtheir followers in onlinecommunities. The concept ismostlyknown inwestern societiesand is mainly done by women ofalmost any age group. A capsulecloset is usually done for oneseason (Three months) andincludes between 30-40 pieces.After threemonths a new capsulecloset is created including itemsfrom the last capsule closet, olditems that were stored as well asnewclothes.

Figure1:Capsuleclosetrulesbyunfancy.com

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1.3. Stateoftheart The minimalism movement of the past couple of years resulted in the emergence of avariety of minimalistic contributors, entrepreneurs and role models. Among the mostpopularminimalismcontributorsareMarieKondo, thepublisherof the#1Bestsellerbook“TheLife-ChangingMagicofTidyingUp:The JapaneseArtofDeclutteringandOrganizing“(Kondo,2014),GrahamHill,thefounderofLifeEdited.com,awebsitewithtipstodesignlifeinawaythatincludesmoremoney,healthandhappinesswithlessstuff,spaceandenergy(Hill,2016)andMatildaKahl(Figure2),withherinspiringarticleon“WhyIweartheexactsamethingtoworkeveryday”,whichwentviralaroundtheworld(Kahl,2015).When it comes tominimalist concepts, the capsule closet queueswith a variety of otherchallenges such as the ‘100 Thing challenge’, a challenge in which supporters unhookthemselvesfromconsumerismbywinnowingdowntheir life’spossessionsto100things inoneyear(Bruno,2008)orthe‘30-dayMinimalismGame’wheremembersgetridofexcessstuff (including furniture,electronics,decorations, clotheset cetera.)bygetting ridofonethingonthefirstdayofthechallenge,twothingsonthesecondandsoon.(FieldsMillburn&Nicodemus,2015).When it comes to capsule closets where the focus lies entirely on peoples’ clothes, twowomen and their blogs have greatly contributed to the capsule closet phenomenon: un-fancy.combyCarolineRectorandProject333byCourtneyCarver. In2014CarolineRectorlaunched her blog un-fancy.com inwhich she describes her personal experiencewith thecapsuleclosetconcept,whichstartedoutofapersonaldesiretofindherstyleandcurbhershoppinghabit.Orassheput it:“Iwantedachange. Iwantedtostopspendingmoneyonemotional purchases. I wanted to stop buying clothes that were going to end up in thedonation pile after amonth. I wanted to startmakingmore intentional buying choices. Iwanted to start finding my style and confidence.“ (Rector, 2014). Nowadays, her blogmotivatesandinspiresthousandsofwomenworldwideonhowtocreateversatileandgreatlookingoutfitswithalimitednumberofclothesandaccessories.Hercapsuleclosetconsistsof 37 pieces including tops, bottoms, dresses, outerwear, accessories and shoes that arewornforaperiodofthreemonths.Project 333 was launched in 2010when Courtney Carver decided toshare her story and help peoplediscoverthe joyof livingwith less.Onher website bemorewithess.comCourtneymotivates her readers tobepartofachallengecalledProject333-howtoparedownawardrobe to just33 items and live with it for threemonths. According to Courtney, thereis a growingneed for services tohelppeopledecluttertheirlives. Figure2:MatildaKahlinherworkuniform

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Bothwomenpost their daily outfit posts on their blogs and thereby show their followershowversatile capsule closets canbe,despite the limitedamountof clothes included in it.Figure3and4showexcerptsofbothwomen’scapsuleclosetoutfits.

Figure3:CourtneyCarver'soutfitposts Figure4:CarolineRectoroutfitposts

1.4. ResearchproblemandgapCapsuleclosetseventhoughtheyarenotnewarean innovativeconcept inthesensethatthey emphasize on the role of the consumer instead of the fashion companies incontributing to a more sustainable world. Whereas nowadays fashion companies updatetheirbusinessmodelsandleverageonresponsibilityandtechnologicalinnovationforamoresustainable production, the role of the consumer and how she or he can add to amoresustainableworld isoften leftout.This is supportedbyEhrenfeld (2013,p.232)whosays,“Consumers are a relatively untapped source of power for change”. According to him,consumers have to start to take personal responsibility for the way that they live andconsume. Research that provides a better understanding about how capsule closets areexperiencedcanprovideabasisforfurtherstudiesthatprovideinsightsonwhatimpactandinfluence these concepts can have on society, environment and the fashion and textileindustry.Considering the positive benefits of minimalist lifestyle concepts on the society and theenvironmentandtheimpactthoseconceptscanhaveonthefashionandtextileindustryonesuspectsavast interestof researchers in theareasofminimalismaswellas relatedareassuchassimplicityandreductionism.Themajorityofresearchinthesefieldshoweverstudiesminimalismas a formof style in areas suchas art, fashionandarchitecture rather thanalifestyle. This explains the lack of research and understanding about minimalist conceptssuchasthecapsulecloset.Existingliteraturefocusesinsteadontheoppositeofminimalism,whichincludesareassuchasmaximalism,massconsumption,materialismandconsumerismand itshistory, emergenceandeffecton society, theeconomyand theenvironment. This

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can be seen by the extensive research that can be found about consumer cultures andconsumption theoriesby forexampleVeblen (1899)andArnould&Thompson (2005)andliteraturesuchasKaufmann’shandbookofresearchonconsumerism(2014).Furthermore,as faras known therehasbeen littlephenomenological researchaddressingconsumers’ lived experiences. Especially when it comes to fashion and clothes, livedexperiencesareanunderdevelopedtopic(Guyetal.,2001).Livedexperienceshavehoweverrespectiveimplicationsinconsumerresearch,whichissupportedbyThompsonetal.(1989,p.133)whostatethatphenomenologyandthestudyofexperiencescan“provideempiricallybasedandmethodologicallyrigorousunderstandingofconsumerphenomena”.The importance of minimalist lifestyle concepts for the future of the society, theenvironmentandthefashionandtextile industry,the lackofresearch inthisareacoupledwith the lack to include lived experiences in consumer research supported the need forphenomenological research that examined the lived experiences of consumers followingminimalistconceptssuchasthecapsulecloset.

1.5. Researchpurpose Outofthejustmentionedproblemsthepurposeofthisresearchemerged.Thepurposeofthis phenomenological studywas to provide a better understanding of the capsule closetexperience by capturing and describing the phenomenon as it was lived by the studyparticipants.Theoutcomeofthisstudyisthereforeadescriptionthatpresentstheessenceofthecapsuleclosetphenomenonbyprovidingthereaderwithanunderstandingofwhatitwas liketohaveexperiencedthecapsulecloset.Furthermore, thisstudyaimedtoprovidethe initial research in the area of capsule closets on which future and more conclusiveresearchcanbebuildupon.

1.6. Researchquestion Inphenomenologicalresearchtheresearchquestionfocusesonwhatitwaslikeforpeopleto have experienced a specific phenomenon (van Manen, 2003). Therefore, the primaryresearchquestionthatguidedthis researchwas,“Whatareparticipants’ livedexperienceswithcapsuleclosets?”Lived experiences can be defined as the “everyday experiences that are real to thoseexperiencing them” (Connell, 2003). In case of this study, theywere the experiences thatwere livedby the studyparticipantswhile theydid the capsule closet. The reason fornotformulatingamoredetailedquestionwastokeepanopenmindabouttheexperiencesthatwere made by the participants, which aligns with the aim of a phenomenological study(Groenewald,2004).

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1.7. Delimitations The researcher limited this research to thedescriptionof lived capsule closet experiencesmadebythestudyparticipantsthemselvesduringthecapsuleclosetexperiment(01.March–31.March.2016).Thisstudyfollowedthedescriptivephenomenologicalphilosophyanddidnot include interpretationscommon for interpretivephenomenological studies.These twotypes of phenomenological research are describes in detail in Chapter 3.1: Researchphilosophy.Thestudysolelyaimedtodescribethelivedexperiencesanddidnotgofurtherbyproviding insights inwhat ledup to theexperience,whatoutcomesandconsequencesthe experience might have had for the individual and what the concomitants and otherfactorsassociatedwiththeexperiencewere.Thisalignswiththeaimofphenomenologicalstudies, which is not to problem-solve, look for cause and effect relationships or providesolutions or recommendations. As Penner and McClement (2008, p.93) note, “aphenomenologicalanalysisdoesnotaimtoexplainordiscovercauses”, it is“toclarify themeaningsofphenomenafromlivedexperiences”.

1.8. Thesisoutline Chapterone,Introduction,introducesthereadertothebackgroundoftheresearchareabyprovidinghim/herwithasolidexplanationofthecapsuleclosetconceptandstateoftheartexamples.Furthermore,thischapterprovidesmotivationsforwhythisstudywasconductedbypresentingtheresearchproblem,purposeandquestionaswellasresearchdelimitations.Chapter two, Theoretical framework, presents relevant theories related to the capsulecloset.Theseprovidethereaderwithabetterunderstandingoftheemergence,movementandtheoriesofthisconcept.Thesetheorieswilllaterhelptoanswertheresearchquestionandbuildcredibilityfortheconclusion.Chapter three,Methodological framework, explainshow the researchwas conductedandwhy,whatmethodswereused to collect thedataandhow thedatawas transferred intoinformation.Chapter four, Findings, presents themain findings of the primary data collected throughinterviewsanddiaries.Attheendofthechapterthekeyfindingsareprovided.Chapter five,Analysis, analyses thekey findingsandputs them in relation to the theoriespresented in chapter two, Theoretical framework. Further, the answer of the researchquestionisprovided.Chaptersix,Discussion,presentsthisstudy’scontributionsaswellaslimitations.Chapter seven,Conclusion,concludes thispaperandstates that thepurposeof this studywasfulfilled.Additionally,furtherresearchdirectionsareprovided.

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2. Theoreticalframework Noresearch inregardstominimalist lifestyleconceptsorcapsuleclosetswerefoundwhichexplains the missing of previous studies as well as academic and scientific literaturespecificallyrelatedtotheseareas.Therefore,thischapterpresentsrelevanttheoriescloselyrelated to the capsule closet concept in order to provide a better understanding of theconcept’s emergence, movement and influence. Due to this study’s consumer focus, thischapterfocusesontheconsumerratherthanthecompanyperspective.

2.1. Massconsumptioninconsumersocieties

Amass consuming society can be defined as “a society, inwhich themajority of familiesenjoythebenefitsofincreasedproductivityandconstantlyexpandtheirrangeofconsumergoods” (Matsuyama,2002).Therefore,mass consumptioncanbe seenasa contributor totherecentcapsuleclosetmovementbyprovidingthefundamentonwhichcapsuleclosetscan unfold;without people’s need to continuously expand their range of clothes, capsuleclosetsmightnotexistinthefirstplace.

Butwhydoconsumerscontinuetoconsumeeventhoughtheyhaveeverythingtheyneed?According toVeblen, “the consumptionof goods serves, in addition to the conventionallyacceptedfunctiontosatisfyneeds,to indicatepeople’spersonal levelofwealthandsocialstatus”(Friese,2000,p.17).Veblencallsthisbehavior ‘conspicuousconsumption’.Atheorythat states that consumersdonotonly consume to fulfillpersonalneedsbutalsoculturalandsocialduetoemulation,prideandenvy(Veblen,1899).Veblenarguesthatlowerclassesadmired the style of upper classes and tried to imitate them in order tomove towards ahigher class. However, in order for upper classes to stay ahead of the masses, theycontinuallyhadtofollowandinventnewfashiontrends(Friese,2000).Veblenherebyshowshoweasily fashion items loose value after being adoptedby lower classes.He also statesthatsocialstandingandknowingwhatistrendingcanbecomeasignofsocialclass.

Simmel’s (1904) trickle-down theory supports Veblen’s (1899) theory that fashion trendsmove down from upper to lower classes. The imitation of upper classes caused rapidlychanging fashion trends, which led to items not being used because they were out offashion;eventhoughtheirutilitywasnotusedup.Thisalsocausedanincreaseinconsumerdemand because of the ongoing pursuit for novelty, which still can be seen nowadays.Nowadays,consumersstillcopythosewhomtheyaspireorwanttoembody(Dittmar,2008).McCracken (1988) agrees that clothes are used to come closer to a desired lifestyle.However,clothing isnot just,accordingtoVeblenandSimmel,used for imitationbutalsodifferentiation.Thisparadoxof imitationanddifferentiationcannowadaysbeseenby theparadox of wanting to fit in and stand out at the same time. This provides the basis foranotherargumentmissedbyVeblenandSimmel.Accordingtothem,comparingoneself’sstyle tosomeoneelse’salmostalways leads toemulationandenvy.However,comparisoncan also lead to satisfactionwithone’s own style. Furthermore, fashionnowadays, ratherthantoshowsocialclass,canalsobeusedtohideit.Today,ithasbecomemucheasierforpeopleoflowerclassestocopyhigherclassesduetofastfashionimitatingluxurybrands.

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Nowadays,theconsumptionoffashionhasbecomeanall-rounderfulfillingpersonal,socialand cultural needs. Consumer goods are vital for the “construction, expression andmaintenance of identity as the subjective self-concept held by a person” (Dittmar, 2008).According to Dittmar, consumers’ motivation to consume is often led by the desire toexpress and/or enhance one’s own identity. Campbell (2004) agrees by saying thatconsumptionisusedtodiscoverone’sidentityandtobesureofone’sexistence.Shoppingisseenasadiversionfromtheroutineoflife,aformofrecreationandfamilyentertainment,awayof learningabout trends, stylingandproduct innovation,a self-gratifyingactivityorareward for longworking hours, ameans of self-enhancement, a physical or psychologicaltherapyorastressbustersimilartoamessageoravacation(Woodruffe-Burtonetal.,2006;Friese, 2000). Concepts such as hedonic shopping, impulsive purchasing, compulsiveconsumption, addictive consumption, compensatory consumption, recreational shoppingand self-gift giving have developed (Woodruffe-Burton et al., 2006). Placing thedevelopment of these concepts in connectionwith the socio-cultural problems that havedevelopedfrommassconsumption,aframeworkoutofwhichcapsuleclosetsemergedcanbedeveloped.Thefactthatconsumergoodshavegonewaybeyondtheirinitialaimtofulfillpersonal needs and are instead often used as communicators and identity creators canexplainconsumer’sdesirestoconsumebeyondnecessity.

2.2. TheemergenceoffastfashionSocio cultural changes (Bhardwaj & Fairhurst, 2010) as well as the above-mentionedprinciple of the desire to buy new clothes to fulfill personal social and cultural needs hasallowed for ‘throwaway’ or fast fashion to emerge. Fast fashion can be defined as“marketingapproachtorespondtothelatesttrendsbyturningtheinventoryatarapidtime(Byun&Sternquist,2008).Itisabusinessmodelwhichcanbecharacterizedby:permanentassortmentrotation,limitedsupply,lowprices,anefficientandagilesupplychainandshortleadtimes(Byun&Sternquist,2008).Fastfashionallowsconsumerstofilltheirclosetsfastbyspendingrelativelylowamountsofmoney. It thereby provides consumers with immediate gratification for their temporaryidentities(Bauman,2005),becauseasBinkley(2008,p.602)says,“theideaofmultipleselvesinevolutioniscentraltotheroleoffastfashionsupporters”.EspeciallyyoungwomenoftheGenerationY frequently consume low-quality, cheapand fashionable clothes (Bhardwaj&Fairhurst,2010).Theseitemsarehoweveroftenonlywornacoupleoftimesbeforetheyaredisposedandreplacedbynewmerchandise.Fastfashion itemsfrombrandssuchasH&M,TopShopandZara,areexpectedtobeusedlessthantentimes(Birtwistle&Moore,2007).This change in consumptionbehaviorhas also causeda change in the relationshippeoplehavewith their clothes. Clothes are worn less frequently and therefore people don’t getattached to clothes as much. However, the increased trend for sustainable fashionproduction has caused young consumers, often conscious of green values, struggle tobalance their continual need for ever-newer fashionwith their presumed commitment toenvironmentalsustainability(Joyetal.,2012).

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2.3. MaterialpossessionsandthepursuitofhappinessResearch indicates that it’sawidespreadandcounter-intuitive fact thatpeoplewithmoremoneyandmaterialgoodsarenotmoresatisfiedwiththeirlivesormorephysicallyhealthy(Kasser,2002).Infactresearchsaysthatoncepeopleareabovepovertylevelsofincomeandtheirbasicneedsaresatisfied,gainsinwealthhavelittletonoincrementalpayoffintermsoffhappinessorwellbeing(Kasser,2002).However,Lebergott(2014)arguesthatinwesternsocietiesconsumptionchoicesarestillmadeinthepursuitofhappiness.

Existingresearchshowsthatmaterialisticvaluesandgoalseventhoughoftenassociatedaskeytosuccess,happinessandrewarding interpersonalrelationshipsareactuallyrelatedtodetrimentalaffectsonwell-being,psychologicalhealthandsocialfunctioning(Garðarsdóttir&Dittmar,2012).Bytryingtofulfillpersonalandsocialgoalswithmaterialpurchasespeopleoftenengageinoverspendingaswellascompulsivebuyswhichcanhaveanegativeimpactontheirpsychologicalhealth(Garðarsdóttir&Dittmar,2012).Insteadofcausinghappiness,mass consumption can therefore cause dissatisfaction among consumers. Furthermore,peoplewhovaluematerialgoodsaremorelikelytohavefinancialworriesbecauseofworsemoney-managementskills(Garðarsdóttir&Dittmar,2012,p.471).

Today, there is a good amount of scientific research about the relationship betweenmaterialism and happiness andmoney and health reporting clear and consistent findingsthatpeoplearehappierwithless.HappinessexpertEdDienersaidina2006NewYorkTimesarticle thatmaterialismcan lead tochronic feelingsofdissatisfaction. "Asweamassmoreandmorepossessions,wedon'tgetanyhappier,wesimplyraiseourreferencepoint,"saysJamesRoberts(Gabay,2015,p.251).“Ifwearen'tfulfilled,ratherthanquestionthepremisethat consumerism isn't the ticket to happiness, we assume that we simply don't haveenoughmoneyorpossessionsyettopurchasethatall-importantticket”(Woodruffe-Burtonetal.,2006,p.260).Manyoftheseresearchoutcomesarethereasonfortheincreasedtrendforminimalismandsimplicity.Campbell (2004,p.186)explainsthe lowhappiness levelsbysaying, "The inexhaustibility of wants lies in the inevitable gap between the perfectedpleasuresof thedreamandthe imperfect joysof reality". Inotherwords,duetothegapbetweendreamand reality,wants continue toexist andarehard to satisfy. This suggeststhat,“Consumptiondreamsareexperiencedaspleasurableandthat thegreatestpleasurelies in letting the dream come true” (Friese, 2000, p.23). Consumption goods thereforerepresenttherealityofthefantasy.ThisissupportedbystudiesbyBelketal.(1997)whosaythattheacquisitionofaconsumergoodisconnectedtopositivefeelingsofjoy,excitement,prideandaccomplishment.However,aftertheacquisition,negativefeelingsof frustration,regretanddisinterestchangetheconsumer’sexperience,satisfactionandhappinesslevels.Consumers continuously crave for new possessions, which indicates that the thrill inconsumingliesmoreinthedesireratherthantherealization(Friese,2000).ThisissupportedbyDittmar(2008,p.202)whostates,“Novelproductsprovideonlyamomentaryhigh.”Thismeansthatafteraproductwasacquiredthedesire foranewproduct is inevitable.Thesetheoriesprovidereasoningbehindpeople’sclosetsfilledwithpossessionsthatonlyprovideabriefstateofhappinessandresultindissatisfactionafterwards.Thegapthatliesbetweenthe consumption dream and reality and the ever increasing consumer expectations canexplainwhyconsumersexperiencefeelingsofdissatisfactioneventhoughtheyconvertedalloftheirdreamsintoreality.

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2.4. TheparadoxofchoiceIn western countries the number of choices that people have when it comes to theirshoppingobjectivesisalmostunlimited.Choice,asmanyotherthingsinlifeworksaccordingtotheprinciple,themorethebetter.Becausethemorechoicewehave,thefreerwearetochoose good things and therefore thehappierwewill be (Kinjo& Ebina, 2013). Empiricalresearch indeedsuggests,“peopleaswellasanimalstendtoprefer largeassortmentsandlargevarietyoversmallerones“(Scheibehenne,2008).Havingchoicehascertainlyavarietyofbenefits. Itcanprovide individualswithafeelingofpersonal freedomandautonomyaswell as a chance to differentiate oneself fromothers by choosing differentlywhich alignswithVeblen’s(1899)andSimmel’s(1904)consumptiontheories.Furthermore,anincreasedvarietytochoosefromcansatisfythehumanneedforchangeandnovelty(Scheibehenne,2008). The reason why choice is offered to consumers in the first place though is thefinancialbenefitthatcompaniesexperiencewithit.AstudybyRolls,Rowe,Rolls,Kingston,Megson,&Gunary,1981foundthat“Humansubjectswhoreceivedalargequantityofthreedifferent flavorsofyogurt consumedanaverageof23%moreyogurt compared topeoplewhoreceivedthesamequantityofyogurtofonlyoneflavor(Scheibehenne,2008).However,toomuchchoicecanhavenegativeeffects.Oneofthefirststudiesinthefieldofchoicewas done byMiller (1956)who studied information overload. According toMiller,everychoicecontainsasetofinformationwherebytoomuchchoicecanleadtoinformationoverload. Another famous study by Iyenger and Lepper (2000) focused on choices insupermarkets.Itconcludedthatpeoplewithfewerchoicesarenotonlymorelikelytoselectandpurchaseaproduct,theyarealsomoresatisfiedwiththeirchoicecomparedtopeoplewithmorechoices.ThesestudiessupportapopulartheorybyBarrySchwartz(2004),whichhe calls ‘The Paradox of Choice’. Schwartz agrees that choice is good but that toomuchchoicecancontributetodecreasedsatisfactionandincreaseddepressionrates.Accordingtohim, the level of choice that people have nowadays exceeds the optimum level andtherefore has negative impacts on consumers. Making a choice becomes a mentallychallenging event,which can lead to fatigue syndromes, sleep deprivation, less creativity,poor listeningand so forth (Micket al., 2004). Following these theoriesone can concludethat the increased number of choices that people have available in their closets resultingfrommass consumptionand the continuouspursuit forhappiness canhelp toexplain theincreasedinterestincapsuleclosets,whichhelppeopletodeclutterandlimitchoices.

2.5. DecisionfatigueFashion consumption often restricts itself to the visible and worn and the collecting andgathering of clothes and their intendedmeaning. Thereby it overlooks the problems andanxietiesthatrelatetoclothesandclosetsinpeople’severydaylives,especiallyinpeople’shomes. In today’s western societies, mass consumption of fashions and the increasingnumber of choices involved with the accumulation of goods has made the picking of anoutfit“acomplextask,fraughtwithdifficultiesanddiverseoptions”(Guyetal.,2001,p.1).Putting together an outfit involves a considerable amount of information gathering,weightingupofvariousoptionsaswellas theaskingofwholeseriesofquestions. ‘Where

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amIgoingandwhoisgoingtobethere?’‘WhatkindofmoodamIin?’’Doesthistopmatchtheskirt?’andsoon.Making all of these decisions can lead to dissatisfaction and something called decisionfatigue.Justlikeamuscleinthebodywhenusedtooften,alsodecision-makingcangettiredor fatigued.Decision fatigue is closely linked to the ever-increasing availability of choices.Decision fatigue can lead to a reduced ability to make trade-offs, poor decision-making,impairedself-regulation, impulsivebuysaswellastheavoidanceofmakingdecisionsatall(Vohsetal.,2005;Anderson,2003).Whenitcomestooutfits,apoordecisiononanoutfithastheabilitytoaffectthewearer’smood,confidenceandfeelingandcancausedissatisfaction(Guyetal.,2001).Ontheotherhand,socialscientistslikeKaiser,FreemanandChandler(1993)arguethatpeople’sfavoriteoutfithasthecapacitytochangethewaytheyexpressthemselvesandinteractwithothers.Furthermore,abigclosetfilledwithclothescanbeaburdenbecauseonceallofthesegoodsarepossessed theyhave tobemaintained,upgraded, replaced, insuredandconstantlybemanaged (Kasser,2002).Moreover, theoutfit isnot theonlydecisionthatpeoplehavetomakeduringtheday.Thisiswhymanypeopletrytodecreasetheamountofdecisionsthathave tobemadeby applying the capsule closet concept.With the concept, people try tosimplifytheirwardrobesbydecreasingthenumberof itemsinthecloset,whichleadstoadecrease in choices available.With this theory inmind, one can try tomake assumptionsaboutwhymanyfamousandsuccessfulmenareknownforwearingthesameoutfitsoverandoveragain.AsObamaoncesaid:“You’llseeIwearonlygrayorbluesuits,I’mtryingtopare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing.BecauseIhavetoomanyotherdecisionstomake.”(Baer,2015)AndObamaisnottheonlyone that wears the same outfit at almost any day of the year. Other examples are KarlLagerfeld with his traditional suit, Mark Zuckerberg’s grey t-shirt and Steve Jobs’ blackturtleneck.

Figure5:KarlLagerfeld,MarkZuckerbergandSteveJobsintheirworkuniforms

2.6. MinimalistlifestyleTheriseoffastfashionhasalsoledtotheriseofsomethingcalledminimalistlifestyle,simpleliving or anti consumerism. As previouslymentioned, theories aboutminimalists are rare.However, terms such as simple living, anti consumerism as well as consumer resistance,

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rebellion,boycotting, counterculturalmovements,andnon-consumptionareoftenused inthiscontext(Joyetal.,2012).Simplelivingcanbedefinedasavoluntarychoicetosimplifyone’slifestyle.Thisinmanycasesincludesthereductionofpossessionsandmaterialgoodsandcanthereforebereferredtoasminimalism(Pierce,2000).ThislifestyleisnotnewanditsrootscanbefoundinavarietyofreligiousandspiritualtraditionsofBuddhistMonkswhowereonlyallowedtoowneightpossessions,JohntheBaptistorJesuswhotoldpeoplethatlifedoesnotconsist inanabundanceofpossessions (Echlin,2006).Nowadays, consumersaremoreawarethaneveraboutthenegativeconsequencesofmassconsumptionandfastfashion, which can explain the increased trend for concepts that support minimalistlifestyles.Eventhoughit’snotproven,supportersofminimalismoftenclaimthatitnotonlyhasenvironmentalandfinancialbutalsopsychological,physicalandsocialbenefits(Becker,2015). By spending lessmoney onmaterial goods, the time spent to earnmoney can bereducedwhichcanleadtomorefreetimeusedtoimprovequalityoflife.Therefore,peoplechoosetoownlessformanyreasonssuchaslessstress,betterhealth,morefreedom,timeandmoney, less pressure,moreopportunities tobe creative and resourceful,more joyfulandagreenerplanet(Jay,2016).

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3. MethodologicalFramework The purpose of this chapter is to present how this study was designed and conducted. Itprovides a description of the steps that were taken to address the research problem andprovides reasoning for methodological decisions made. This chapter starts with anintroductiontophenomenology,aresearchphilosophyusedtostudyhumanexperiences.

3.1. Researchphilosophy “Fromthestandpointofthenaturalattitude,aminuteoftimeissimplyaminuteoftime-regardless of how and where we spend it. However, from the point of view of thephenomenological standpoint, aminute of time depends upon howwe experience it. Forinstance,aminuteof timemightpassquickly ifweareexcitedorslowly ifwearebored.”(HusserlandtheAdventureofPhenomenology,2015)Phenomenology is the research of lived experiences (van Manen, 2003). It’s aboutunderstandingsocialphenomenaandhowthesewereexperiencedbytheindividual(Kvale,2009).Thephilosophyofphenomenologyisawidespreadconcept,whichemergedthroughthe protest of the positivist paradigm during the 19th century (Reiners, 2012). The wordphenomenologycomesfromtheGreekword‘phenomenon’,whichmeans“tomanifest”or“tobringtolight”(Giorgi,1999,p.68).Nowadays,phenomenologyisaqualitativeresearchphilosophyoftenusedinhealthcare,particularlynursingresearch.Itisbasedonthewritingsof Edmund Husserl (descriptive) and Martin Heidegger (interpretive) (Reiners, 2012).Phenomenologycanbedescriptiveorinterpretive.Bothtypesofphenomenologicalresearchare still practiced today. Husserl the founder of descriptive phenomenology believed thateveryday conscious experiences could be analyzed and described. Heidegger, Husserl’sstudentandthefounderofinterpretivephenomenology,developedHusserl’stheoryfurtherandmovedbeyondthedescriptionofhumanexperiencesbyinterpretingit(Dahlbergetal.,2008).ThisstudyfollowedthedescriptivephenomenologicalresearchphilosophyofHusserlbecause the researcher was more interested in participants’ descriptions of the capsuleclosetexperienceandless intohowthesecouldbe interpreted.Theaimofthedescriptivephenomenologicaldesignwas“todescribethemeaningforseveralindividualsoftheirlivedexperiencesofaconceptorphenomenon” (Creswell,2007,p.57).Thisaimalignswith thepurpose of this study,whichwas to provide a better understanding of the capsule closetexperiencebycapturinganddescribingthephenomenonasitislivedbytheparticipants.Phenomenology is a philosophywithout presupposition,whichmeans that the researcherdoesnotmakeany judgmentsabout the realityof aphenomenonuntil it is supportedbydatafromthestudyparticipant(Creswell,2007).Therefore,itisbasedonthebeliefthatthetruthandtherealityaboutaphenomenonaregroundedineverydayhumanexperiences.Itis a way of thinking that describes (or interprets) people’s experiences of life events.Phenomenologythereforedoesnotseehumanexperienceasanunreliablesourceofdatabut as a cornerstone of knowledge in describing human phenomena (vanManen, 2003).Another important characteristic of phenomenology is that compared to other researchapproaches, phenomenology does not problem solve. Thismeans that phenomenologicalquestionsareusuallymeaningquestionsthatcanbebetterormoredeeplyunderstoodbutwhicharenotsupposedtobesolved.

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3.2. Researchapproach Aspreviouslymentioned, researchand literature regarding capsule closet experiences arelimited with little to no knowledge and insights available. As such, a qualitative researchmethodwas chosen to gain detailed information about capsule closet experiences and toidentifyessentialthemesthatdescribetheseexperiences.ThisissupportedbyCaelli(2001)who states that when seeking to understand human behavior and thoughts, qualitativeresearch can be in some ways superior to quantitative research. A phenomenologicalapproach was selected because it provides rich and in-depth descriptive (or interpretive)insights to better understand the capsule closet phenomenon as it was lived andexperienced from the perspective of the study participants. An exploratory researchapproachwasusedbecausetheaimofthestudywasnottoprovideafinalanswertotheresearchquestionbuttodeeplyexploretheresearchtopic(Patton,2002).Thisalignedwiththepurposeofthisresearch,whichwastoprovideabetterunderstandingtothistopicareauponwhich the basis for further andmore conclusive research can follow. This researchfollowedan inductiveapproachbecausethisstudyaimedtogetabetterunderstandingofhow capsules closets were experienced and to then develop theories from it. Therefore,theories and concepts arose from the data collected in this study,whichmade this studyratherdata-driventhantheory-driven.CrowtherandLancaster(2008)supportthisbystatingthataphenomenologicalphilosophyisoftenassociatedwithaninductiveapproach.Inordertoobtainthenecessarydatatoanswertheresearchquestion,theresearcheraskedvolunteerstoparticipate inacapsuleclosetexperiment. InthemonthofMarch2016, fiveparticipants changed their closets into capsule closets and lived with them for the timeperiodofonemonth.Toincludeanexperimentinthisphenomenologicalresearchresultedfirstandforemostoutofthewishtointerviewfirst-timecapsuleclosetusersandthelackoffindingthese.Firsttimecapsuleclosetusersexperiencethecapsuleclosetforthefirsttime,whichresultsinnewexperiencesthatparticipantshavenotbeenfacedwithbefore.Itwasthoughtthatnewexperiencesprovidemoreinterestinginsightsandamorerealreflectionofthecapsuleclosetexperiencethanexperiencesfrompeoplewhoaredoingorhavedoneacapsuleclosetalready.Furthermore,duetothevariouswaysthatthecapsuleclosetconceptcan be interpreted, implemented and executed, the experiment allowed for a morecontrolledenvironmentbydeterminingpracticecodessuchas:thedurationofthecapsulecloset,which steps to follow todesign thecapsule closetand rules suchas ‘no shopping’.Thesewerethesameforallparticipants.Further,theexperimentpermittedtheresearchertomonitorparticipants’experiencesmoreclosely.Thismeansthatthecapsuleclosetexperiencewasexperimentallyinvestigatedonthebasisof the participants’ verbal andwritten responses thatwere produced by the experiment.Therefore,theexperimentwasaphysicalmanipulationthatallowedtheanalysisofeverydaycapsuleclosetexperiencesinamorecontrolledenvironment.Beforethestartofthestudy,allparticipantsreceivedacapsuleclosethandbook,whichwasdesignedspecificallyforthisstudy.Thehandbookincludedgeneralinformationaboutthestudyaswellascapsuleclosetsandsomerulesaswellasguidelinesonhowtocreateacapsulecloset.Thisway,participantsknewwhattoexpectandtodo.PleaserefertoAppendixI:Capsuleclosethandbooktoseethebooklet.

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3.3. Samplingtechnique Tofindsuitablestudyparticipants,snowballsamplingwasused.Inphenomenologyitismostimportant to find study participants that have experienced the phenomenon (Moustakas,1994),whichwasachievedby the inclusionofanexperiment.Once twoparticipantswerefound thathavenotdonea capsule closetbefore, theywere recruited toassist in findingstudy volunteers in their social environment (Babbie, 2013). Snowball samplingwas usedbecause itwas believed that peoplewhowant to participate in the experiment and do acapsuleclosetforonemonthareaminorityandhardtoidentify.Snowballsamplingcanhelpto find these minorities, which in the end turned out to be in the researcher’s closerenvironment. This had the advantage that it increased confidence in the relationshipbetween researcher and volunteer which can be a good indicator for sincerity and canincrease research validity (Faugier& Sargeant, 1997). Itwas considered, that this type ofsamplingmethod includessamplebiasbecause theparticipantswere interrelated throughtheir social network (Burns & Grove, 1997). Furthermore, it was known that snowballsampling isa typeofnon-probabilitysampling,which ledtostudyoutcomesthatarenon-generalizable and not representative for a population. However, due to the small samplesize inphenomenological studies,demographicssuchasgender,age,andnationalitywerenotconsideredandwerenotthoughttohaveanimpactonthisstudy’soutcome.Intheend,sixwomenwerefoundwithoneparticipantdroppingoutofthestudyhalfwaythrough the capsule closet month, which resulted in a study with five participants. Forparticipant demographics see Chapter 4.1: Participant descriptions. Boyd (2001) says thattwo to ten research participants are sufficient to reach saturation,which is supported byCreswell(2007,p.65)whorecommendsuptotenparticipantsforaphenomenologicalstudy.Each participant was asked to sign a consent form upon participation. The consent formprovidedinformationaboutthestudypurpose,procedure,commitmentsandconfidentiality(seeAppendixII:Consentform).

3.4. Datacollectionmethods Since it is impossible toco-experiencean individual’sperspectiveof livedexperiences, thebest and only record of the experience exists within the individual’s memory (Broomé,2011).Therefore,interviewsandwrittendiariesweregathered.Multipledatagenerationinthisstudyledtoamorecompleteandholisticpictureofthecapsuleclosetexperiencethaneitherofthesetwomethodsalonecouldhaveprovided.Furthermore,combininginterviewsanddiariesledtoahigherdegreeofaccuracyandcompletenessofthestudyfindings.PleaserefertoTable1foranoverviewofthedatacollectionmethods.

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Table1:Overviewofdatacollectionmethods

InterviewsTheresearcherconductedfivesemi-structuredin-depthinterviews.Participantswereawareoftheinterviewpurposeandgavewrittenconsenttotheaudiorecordingoftheinterview.Theinterviewslastedbetween30to45minutes.Semi-structuredin-depthinterviewswerechosenbecauseasPatton(2002,p.104)says,“howtheyperceiveaphenomenon,describeit, feel about it, judge it, remember it,make senseof it, and talkabout itwithothers. Togather such data, onemust undertake in-depth interview with people who have directlyexperiencedthephenomenonofinterest;thatis,theyhave‘livedexperience’.”Thegoalofthe phenomenological interviews was to obtain a as complete as possible first-persondescriptionoftheexperiencethattheparticipanthaslivedthrough.Duringtheinterviewthefocus lay onwhatwas going onwithin the participantswhile they did the capsule closet.Therefore,eachinterviewstartedwiththefollowingquestion:“Inasmuchdetailaspossible,whatwasitlikeforyoutodoacapsulecloset?”Thisopen-endedquestiongaveparticipantsawiderangetodescribetheirexperiencewithoutrestrainingthemorleadingthemtowardsa direction. Follow-up questionswere based on the participants’ responses and aimed toencouragetheparticipantstoclarifyandelicitfurtherontheirexperiences.‘Whyquestions’wereavoidedbecausetheyoftengeneratefeelingsofprejudgmentandshiftthefocusawayfromthedescriptionofanexperiencetoamoredistantandabstractdiscussion(Thompsonetal.,1989).Furthermore the interviewswereusedtoclarifydiarycontentorexpandthecontentcollectedfromdiariesbyfillingindetailsthatwereomittedinordertoincreasethebreadthanddepthofinformation.The interviews were rather informal because as Bailey (1996, p.72) says, “informalinterviewsareaconsciousattemptbytheresearchertofindoutmoreinformationaboutthesetting of the person.” Due to the participants’ geographical dispersion, video interviewsthrough Skype were conducted a week after the capsule closet month finished (04.04-10.04.2016)todecreaserecallerror.Skypeinterviewsallowforahigherdegreeofflexibilityandcomfortdue to the interviewees’ familiarenvironment.Furthermore,access toverbaland nonverbal cues in Skype are comparable with those of face-to-face interviews(Janghorbanetal.,2014);thesewerehowevernotinthefocusoftheinterviewbecausetheydidnotaddtotheparticipants’descriptionoftheexperience.However,interviewsviaSkypefaceahigherchanceforerrorduetoconnectionproblems.The interviews also had limitations. Due to the fact that interviewswere conducted onlyonce at the end of the study, a higher recall errormight have affected the data because

Method

Interview

Diary

Type

Semi-structuredin-depth

Fixed-intervalw/open-endedquesvons

Goal

Vocaldatacollecvon

Wriwendatacollecvon

Frequency

Onceattheendofthestudy

Weekly

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participantsmight not have remembered all the details of their experience. Furthermore,interviewsaremorepronetosocialconsiderations(Kvale,2009)thanotherdatacollectionmethods because the interviewee might feel uncomfortable to speak honestly aboutpersonal experiences in front of the interviewer. The nature of the semi-structuredinterviews led to different questions being asked to different participants, which led todifferentinformationbeingcollected.However,standardizedquestionscouldhavereducedthe flexibility of the researcher, which may have impeded getting to the core of thephenomenon (Patton, 2002, p.349). Formore informationon the typeof questions askedduringtheinterviewseeAppendixIII:Interviewguide.DiariesInadditiontothefive interviewsthatwereconducted,participantswroteadiary inwhichthey recalled and reflected weekly on their experiences. In order to examine livedexperiences,oneof themoststraightforwardmethods inphenomenological research is toask the individuals to write their experiences down (van Manen, 2003). This way,participants were able to express and describe their experiences on their own terms.Furthermore,diarieshaveoftenbeenemployedtoprovideinsightintopersonalphenomenathataredifficulttoaccessthroughothermethods(Woll,2014).Diariescontributedgreatlyto this studybecause they counterbalanced someof the interview limitations.Oneof themain reasonswhydiarieswereadded to this studywas that they reduced theamountoftimethatpassedbetweentheexperienceandtheaccountofthisexperience.Duetothefactthatdiariesrelyonshort-termmemorytheyhaveasmallerrecallerrorthaninterviewshave.Diaryresearchisalsosubjecttowhatresearchersrefertoasthe‘firstday’seffect’.Thistermdescribesthetendencyformostrelevantinformationtobeproducedduringtheearlyperiodofthediarywritingprocess(Woll,2014),whichisinformationthatcouldnotbegraspedbytheinterviews.Moreover,diariesprovidedafundamentalbenefittothisstudybecausetheyallowedfortheexaminationofexperiencesintheirnaturalandspontaneouscontext(Bolgeret al., 2002). Furthermore, diaries are less subject to social considerations compared tointerviews inwhich theparticipantmightwant toproduceamore interestingnarrative.Apossiblereasonforthisrelatestooneofthemajorstrengthsofthediary,whichisthatitisoftenmucheasiertowriteaboutcertainthingsthanitistospeakaboutthem(Woll,2014).Additionally, the diary entries had the ability to study how the experience might havechanged over the time period of onemonth. According to Giorgi (1997), when collectingdiarydescriptionsandinterviews,thediarydescriptionusuallycomesfirstandisusedasabasisforfurtherelaborationduringtheinterview,whichwasthecaseinthisstudy.

Indesigningthetypeofdiaryitwasimportanttoconsider:

• Acceptableparticipantburden• Acceptabletimelagbetweenexperienceandthedescriptionofit• Acceptabletimelagtoreflectonexperience• Acceptabletimelagtorevealenoughexperienceofinterest

Forthisstudyafixedintervalschedulewaschoseninwhichtheparticipantsprovideddiaryentriesonceaweekfortheperiodoffourweeks.Bolger(2002,p.589)supportsthisdecisionbysaying,“phenomenasuchasongoingexperiencesarebestaddressedwithafixedintervalschedule”. Further, it was chosen because it provides enough time for experiences to

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emergeandreflectedonbuthadthelimitationthatthechanceforrecallerrorwasslightlyincreased. The goal was to reach a sufficient quality and quantity of diary entries, whichwouldleadtoasuitableamountofinsightswhileatthesametime,notincreaseparticipantburden. As Bolger (2002, pp.585-86) adds, “diary designs place a greater burden onparticipants“andthereforeitisimportantthatsuchdesignsarebestimplementedattimeswhenchange is likelytooccur.Keepingthis inmind,theresearcherdecidedthataweeklydiaryentrywouldbemostsuitable.Tolimitthecontentofthediarybutstillprovideroomfor descriptive expressions, each week’s diary was guided by open-ended questions (e.g.Howhaveyouexperiencedyourfirstweekwithyourcapsulecloset(talkaboutyourmood,feelings, emotions etc.)?) to narrow the content of the diary and keep the focus on thecapsuleclosetexperiencewhilenotlimitingit(pleaserefertoAppendixIV:Diaryquestionsfortheweeklydiaryquestions).Participantswereaskedtouseawordfiletodocumenttheirexperiencesduetoconvenience,coherenceandsimplicity.As any data collection method also diaries have limitations. One of the most commonproblems in diary studies is to obtain qualitatively good data (Woll, 2014). Therefore,participant commitment and dedication is one of the most important criteria to obtainreliable,deepandvalidinsightsabouttheirexperiences.Inordertoincreasethechanceforreliabledata,participantswereinformedaboutthegoalandtheimportanceofthesediariesforthestudybutalsoaboutthebenefitofadiaryfortheirownaccount.

3.5. Dataanalysis In phenomenology the focus is on the phenomenon rather than the individual, thereforewhenanalyzingthedataitwasnotofgreatimportancefromwhichparticipantorwhichdatacollectionmethodthecontentwascollected(Cooperetal.,2012).Therefore,nodistinctionsbetween diaries and interviews were made. This was also partly possible because bothmethods complemented rather than competed one another and no major differencesbetweendiaryandinterviewcontentcouldbefound.To analyze the data collected through the interviews and the diaries, the following sevenstepsofHycner’s(1985)GuidelinesforDescriptivePhenomenologicalAnalysiswereused.

1. Transcription2. Examinetranscriptsforasenseofthewhole3. Bracketing4. Separatedataintomeaningunitsandlabelthem5. Eliminatenon-relevantmeaningunits6. Clusterrelevantmeaningunits7. Determineessentialtheme

1. Transcription

Writtendatafromdiariesonlyhadtobecollected.However,vocaldatafromtheinterviewshadtobetranscribedandincludedliteralstatementsofeachparticipant.

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2. ExaminetranscriptsforasenseofthewholeAftertheinterviewsweretranscribed,bothinterviewtranscriptsanddiarieswereexaminedbyreadingandre-readingthedataonebyoneseveraltimes.Thiswayageneralideaofthewholeexperienceofeachparticipantwasconstructed.

3. BracketingWhile reading the transcripts, a phenomenological tool called ‘bracketing’ was used.‘Bracketing’ helps to isolate the researcher’s personal experience from the participant’spersonal phenomenon (Connell, 2003). Munhall (1994, p.54) describes bracketing as theposition of standing before an experience with an attitude of unknowing, even if, andespeciallyif,onehaslivedtheexperiencepersonally.Atthisstage,theresearcherattemptedtoputherselfintheshoesoftheparticipantandlivethroughtheexperience.

4. SeparatedataintomeaningunitsandlabelthemAfterthetranscriptswereexaminedandtheessenceofthewholeexperiencewasgrasped,thewords and sentenceswere separatedbymeanings in order to developmeaningunits(Giorgi,1997).Todoso,a linewasputwheneverone ideaendedandanotheronebegan.Afterwards,eachmeaningunitwaslabeledwithdescriptivecomments,whichdescribedthecontentofthemeaningunit.Thisresultedintranscriptsthatlookedlikethis:

(…) and I really felt, if I would have to continue the capsule closet for 2 more weeks I would really have a very big problem| (problem if cc continues), because it was a very huge climate change| (problem due to climate), you know I came from 4 degrees to 24 degrees in Croatia| (big climate change), with a capsule collection full of winter clothes (…)

5. Eliminatenon-relevantmeaningunits

Then,theresearcheraddresseseachmeaningunittotheresearchquestion.Meaningunitsirrelevanttotheparticipants’capsuleclosetexperienceaswellasrepetitiveoroverlappingdatawaseliminated.

6. ClusterunitofrelevantmeaningAfterwards, relevant meaning units with a common theme were clustered and put intocategories(e.g.allcommentsinvolvingclimatestruggles).Afterwards,categoriescommontomost or even to all of the participants’ data were identified without dismissing uniquethemes.

7. DetermineessentialthemesIn the end, all clusters of relevantmeaning unitswere examined to find out if there is acentraloressential themethatexpressestheessenceoftheseclusters. (e.g.strugglesandchallenges).Thesethemeswerethensupportedbydescriptivecommentsmadebythestudyparticipants.PleaserefertoChapter4:Findingstoseetheessentialthemesandsupportingcomments.

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3.6. Validityandreliability Theconceptsofvalidityandreliabilitywereappliedtothisstudyinordertodeterminethequality of this research. Generalizability was not included because studies withphenomenologicalresearchdesignsdonottypicallygeneralizewell(Ensslen,2013).Validityinthisstudycanbedefinedas“howaccuratelytheaccountrepresentsparticipants’realitiesof thesocialphenomenaand is credible to them.” (Creswell&Miller,2010,p.124).Giorgi(1988) states that validity in phenomenological research can be achieved “If the essentialdescription of a phenomenon truly captures the intuited essence”. Reliability can beobservedwhenonecanusethisessentialdescriptionconsistently(Giorgi,1988).Usingmultiple data collectionmethods and comparing and analyzing interview aswell asdiarydatastrengthenedthevalidityofthisstudy.Giorgi(1988)warnsthatinterviewerbiasand past knowledge and experiences can error the phenomenon under study and canthereforeweaken the study’s validity. Due to the researcher’s lack of own capsule closetexperiences,interviewerbiaswasdecreased.Furthermore,theresearcherfollowedPatton’s(2002,p.553)recommendationto“exploreone’spredispositions,makingbiasesexplicit,tothe extent possible, and engaging in mental cleansing processes” to decrease researcherbias. It is very important that the researcheracknowledgesownprepositionsandbelievesearlyintheresearchprocess(Creswell&Miller,2010).Participantbiascantakeplacewhenthecomments,toneornon-verbalbehavioroftheinterviewercreateabiasinthewaythatthe interviewee responds to the questions being asked (Gatto, 2009). The researcherhowevertriedtokeepanaturalopinion.Nevertheless,participants’interviewanswersmighthavebeenunconsciously directed towards a specific answer due to the researcher’s non-verbal communication such as facial expression or body language (Gatto, 2009). Further,validitywas increasedbya“prolongedengagement in the field“ (Creswell&Miller,2010).“Workingwithpeopledayinanddayoutforlongperiodsoftimeiswhatgivesethnographicresearch its validity and vitality” (Creswell &Miller, 2010, p.128). During the one-monthperiod,theresearcherhaddailycontactwithallparticipants,whichhelpedtobuildtrustandestablishrapport.Thisincreasedthechanceforparticipantstodisclosepersonalinformationindiariesaswellasinterviewsanddecreasedchancesofparticipantbias.However,duetothe very personal nature of Skype interviews, participants may have withheld personalinformation,whichmayhaveincreasedparticipantbias.However,asSica(2006)says,“itisdifficult or even impossible to completely eliminate bias”, therefore the goal for theresearcherwastominimizebiasandtocomprehenditsresidualeffects.Theawarenessofabiascanalreadyallowforamoremeaningfulexaminationoftheresearchfindingsandtheconclusion.Furthermore,conductinganonymousinterviewsdecreasedparticipantbiasandincreasedtheprobabilityoftheintervieweestofeelmorecomfortableandfreetostatethetruth. To further strengthen the credibility of the study, rich descriptions of the settings,methods used and participantswere provided in this report thatmay help the reader toapplythefindingstoothersettingsorsimilarcontexts(Creswell&Miller,2010).Thestudy’sreliabilitycouldhavebeenweakenedbythedecisiontofindstudyparticipantsthroughsnowballsampling.Snowballsampling“doesnotallowforconfidentgeneralizationsnor does it control for selection bias (Gatto, 2009, p.9). Therefore, findings cannot begeneralized to populations outside of the context of this study. Additionally, snowballsamplingresultedinparticipantsthatwerenotonlyclosetotheresearcherbutalsotoeachother (e.g. some participants were friends) which resulted in sharing experiences among

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eachother.Therefore,commonelementsinthedataanalysismighthaveresultedfromthesharedexperiencesamongtheparticipants.Differences inage,backgroundandnationalityaswellasdemandsandexpectationsamongtheparticipantsmayhavehadaneffectonthedatacollected.Moreover,Saunders,etal.(2009,p.326)pointoutanumberofdataqualityissues, which can be identified in relation to the use of unstructured and in-depthinterviews.Specifically,thelackofstandardizationinthoseinterviewsmayleadtoreliabilityconcerns.

3.7. EthicalconsiderationSaunders, et al. (2009, p.184) define ethics as the “norms or standards of behavior thatguidemoral choices about our behavior and our relationships with others”. Because thisresearchwasabouthumanexperiencesandincludedpeopleintheirreallifecontext,ethicswere of significant importance. Ethical issueswere found in various steps throughout theresearch process such as: formulating and clarifying the research topic, designing theresearchandgainingaccess,collectingdata,processingandstoringdata,analyzingdataandwhilewritinguptheresearchfindings (Saundersetal.,2009).Therefore, theresearchwasbasedontheMRSCodeofConducttoassureresearchthat iscarriedout inaprofessionalandethicalmanner(MRS,2010).TheprinciplesoftheCodeareasfollows:

1. Researchers shall ensure that participation in their activities is based on voluntaryinformedconsent.

2. Researchersshallbestraightforwardandhonestinalltheirprofessionalandbusinessrelationships.

3. Researchersshallbetransparentastothesubjectandpurposeofdatacollection.

4. Researchers shall respect the confidentiality of information collected in their

professionalactivities.

5. Researchersshallrespecttherightsandwellbeingofallindividuals.

6. Researchersshallensurethatrespondentsarenotharmedoradverselyaffectedbytheirprofessionalactivities.

7. Researchers shall balance the needs of individuals, clients and their professional

activities.

8. Researchersshallexerciseindependentprofessionaljudgmentinthedesign,conductandreportingoftheirprofessionalactivities.

9. Researchersshallensurethattheirprofessionalactivitiesareconductedbypersons

withappropriatetraining,qualificationsandexperience.

10. Researchersshallprotectthereputationandintegrityoftheprofession.

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4. FindingsThis chapterprovides the readerwithanoverviewof the research findingsdevelopedasaresult of Hycner’s (1985) Guidelines for Descriptive Phenomenological Analysis,whichwasdescribedabove.Thesefindingsreflectthefocusofthisphenomenologicalstudy,whichwasparticipants’ lived experiences with capsule closets. The analyzing process revealed sevenessentialthemes,whicharepresentedinFigure6.Theseessentialthemesaimtoillustratehowtheparticipantshaveexperiencedthecapsulecloset phenomenon. The essential themes in Chapter 4.2. include to a great extentdescriptivecommentscollectedfromparticipants’diariesandinterviews.Phenomenologicalstudies gain their scientific rigor and trustworthiness from participants’ comments, whichhelptoillustratelivedexperiencesandbringthereaderclosertothephenomenon(Halling,2002).Thedatacollectedfromthediariesandinterviewswerecumulative,meaningthattheresults from bothmethods are tied closely together and can therefore not be presentedseparately. This can be seen in the similarity between diary and interview questions.Researchfindingsfrominterviewsanddiarieswerethereforeputtogether. Furthermore,ithastobenotedthatthispartincludessomeinterpretationsandconjectureindecidingwhatfindingstoselectandincludeandhowtoorderthem(Lester,1999).Thisispartly due to the nature of qualitative data collection methods such as semi-structuredinterviews and diaries. The analysis of this kind of data can be considered rather messybecause “data doesn’t tend to fall into neat categories and there can be many ways oflinkingbetweendifferentpartsofdiscussionsorobservations”.(Lester,1999,p.2).However,hereithastobenotedonemoretimethatthemainroleinthisstudywastodescriberatherthanto interpretorexplain.Further,aspreviouslyexplained,nodistinctionbetweendiaryandinterviewcontentwasmade. Figure6:Sevenessentialthemes

Thecapsuleclosetexperience

1)Feelingexcited

2)Feelingrelived

3)Experiencingstruggles

4)Feelingguilty

5)Feelinglimited

6)Feelingproud

7)Learningexperience

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4.1. ParticipantdescriptionsAspreviouslymentioned,participantdemographicswerenotof importance for this study.However,inthefollowing,briefdescriptionsofthestudyparticipantsaregivenwhichaimtomake it easier for the reader to put him/herself into the participants’ capsule closetexperiences.Names used are not the participants’ given names. Pseudonyms are used toprovidereasonableconfidentialitytothewomenwhovolunteeredforthisstudy.Table2:Participantdescriptions

4.2. EssentialthemesTable3presentstheessentialthemesfoundinparticipants’interviewsanddiaries.Thetableshowswhichparticipantspoketowhichessentialtheme.Hereby,ithastobenotedthatjustbecauseaparticipantdidnotspeakaboutaspecificessentialthemedoesn’tmeanthatshedidnotexperienceit;itjustmeansitwasnotmentionedinthediariesortheinterview.Table3:Essentialthemesandparticipantinput

Key:✔ Participantspoketothisessentialtheme

Anna

Age:25

Navonality:German

Occupavon:Student

Capsuleclosetsize:29

Beth

Age:29

Navonality:German

Occupavon:Secretary

Capsuleclosetsize:35

Claire

Age:25

Navonality:German

Occupavon:Student

Capsuleclosetsize:40

Dana

Age:26

Navonality:German

Occupavon:Buyer

Capsuleclosetsize:25

Emma

Age:22

Navonality:Croavan

Occupavon:Student

Capsuleclosetsize:26

Essencaltheme

Parccipant

Anna

Beth

Claire

Dana

Emma

1)Feelingexcited

-

✔

✔

✔

✔

2)Feelingrelieved

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

3)Struggles/challenges

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

4)Feelingguilty

✔

✔

✔

-

✔

5)Feelinglimited

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

6)Feelingproud

✔

✔

✔

✔

-

7)Learningexperience

✔

✔

✔

✔

✔

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4.2.1. Feelingexcited,enthusiasticanddeterminedAlmostallparticipants,somemoreandsomelessthanothers,experiencedsomefeelingsofexcitement, enthusiasm and determination while doing a capsule closet. These feelingsoccurredmostly rightbefore thestartof thecapsuleclosetprojectaswellasduring theirfirstcapsuleclosetweek.Bethrecalled:“Thefirstweekwasnew,exciting,anewchallenge(…)”ThesameaccountedforEmmawhosaid:“Firstly,thecapsuleclosetconceptmeansapotentialnewstart forme.Newstart intermsofcreatingkindofacloset Ineverthoughtabout, something new and exciting.” When Emma was asked specifically how sheexperiencedherfirstcapsuleclosetdaysheanswered:

“Yes, I was excited like a little child, I called my mom, my dad, my boyfriend and I announced to everyone that now I am putting my clothes into three boxes, and I had to tell everyone what I am doing, so my whole family, they all knew that I am doing a capsule closet, so yeah, I really felt like Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City, you know when you throw everything out and you see everything that you have (…).”

AlsoDanahadpositivememories of her first capsule closet day,which shedescribed likethis:“InthebeginningIwasreallylookingforwardtotheproject,soIwasveryhappyonthismorning.Openingmyclosetthinking:ThisiswhatIwanttowear!Feelsgreat.”Inthepast,participantsmentioned that theywerequiet familiarwith ‘Idon’t have anything towear’situations,whichwereassociatedwithstress,especiallyinthemorning.AccordingtoDana,the capsule closet removed these struggles. Similarly, Claire experienced her first capsuleclosetday:“Myfirstday,Iwasreallyexcited,Iwaslike:NowIcanwearmyfirstoutfit,whichIof courseknewalreadywhat Iwanted towear.” Interviewsanddiarieshavealso shownthatparticipantsfrequentlyusedwordssuchasholidayorvacationfeelingsinrelationwiththecapsulecloset.ThiscanbeseenincaseofClairewhogaveaquitegoodexplanationofwhatthecapsuleclosetremindedheroff:

“It was kind of like being on holidays, packing all of your stuff, and then just having these clothes, and being a little bit limited in your selection, but it was really good, I didn’t miss as many clothes as I thought in the beginning.”

Clairecomparedthecapsuleclosetwithasituationthatmanypeoplecanrelateto,goingonvacation. Beth did the same but related it to the relaxed and good feeling that peopleexperiencewhen being on holiday: “After the firstweek I am still absolutely in a kind ofholidayfeeling.Ithinkthefrustrationwillnotstartuntiltheendofweek2.”Attheendofweek2,Beththenstated:“NowattheendofthesecondweekIhavetoadmitthatIamalittleworriedaboutthenext fewweeks.WhatamIgoingtodo ifwehave20degrees forEastern?Winterboots?” Someof theparticipants also felt verydeterminedat the startoftheproject.Theyexpressedstrong feelingsaboutwhat theprojectmeans for themwhichcanbeseenincaseofBethwhosaid:“Idon’twantthistobejustaproject; IwantthistobecomeasomekindofnewphilosophyhowtoseelifeandhowIlive.”Emmawasalsoverydeterminedwhenitcametothedecisiononwhichitemstothrowout,donateorgiveaway:

“In the beginning I was so excited, I was so determined, I got rid of so many clothes I was very determined which I really liked because finally I threw out

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everything that I had to throw out, which was maybe the biggest and the best decision in the whole capsule collection.”

However, when looking back at her determination, Emma later expressed thatretrospectivelyshethinksthatshemighthavebeenalittletoodetermined.

“I’ll be honest maybe I was at some point a little too strict because now, I mean I got rid of things that now I am thinking: What the fuck, was I crazy? Because some of those things were not cheap and some of those things I even bought recently, recently like 2-3 months before that, yeah but then…with time you forget that you have it, and now its ok.”

4.2.2. FeelingrelievedandsatisfiedAllparticipants,atsomepoint,experiencedfeelingsofreliefand/orgreatsatisfaction.Thesefeelingswereexperiencedinsituationssuchasrightatthestartofthecapsuleclosetwhenparticipantsthrewoutandgaveawayalloftheclothesthattheybelievedtheydon’tneedanymoreorwhen they first lookedat their finishedcapsulecloset. Someparticipantsalsofeltgoodaboutthelimitedchoicesintheircapsuleclosetandthepositiveeffectofnotbeingallowedtoshop.Clairegotridofmanyofherclothes,butinsteadofbeingsadorregrettingherdecisionshesaidthatthrowingoutclothes,“makesmefeellikeIlostsomeweightofmyshoulders.“ Claire described the processes of getting rid of the clothes as “a kind of selfcleaningprocess;gettingridofstuffyoudon’tneedandkeepafocusonthoseclothesyoureallylike.”Sheadded,“Ifeltveryrelieved,itwasreallygood,itwaslikeabigstonefallingofmyback.” Thispositive feelingwhen throwingout the clothes thatdon’t fit anymore, arebroken,thatonehasn’tworninalongtimeorthatjustdon’treflectonespersonalstyleortastewassharedbyseveralparticipantsinthisstudy.AlsoBethdescribedhowshefeltabouttheclothesthatshegaveaway:

“Well, you can see that a lot of clothes are missing in the closet, but its not like I feel bad about it…or that I think I would have liked to keep them, actually I feel freer now, now that I have thrown out all of these clothes.”

Emmawas probably themost consequent participant when it came to throwing out herclothes,shesaid:“Iwouldsaythat Igotridofalmosthalfofmycloset”.Eventhoughshesaidgoodbyetohalfofthepiecesshehadinherclosetsheexperiencedthismomentas“agreatrelief”.“FormethatwasreallythebiggestdecisionandthebiggestactionIdidandthebiggest relieve I felt after.” She even encouraged her family and friends to do a capsuleclosetbytellingthem“howmucheasierwilltheirlifeandmorningbeandhowmuchrelieftheywillfeel.”Anotherverysatisfyingmomentwasexperiencedwhenparticipantsfirstsawtheirfinishedcapsulecloset.Anna,eventhoughsheadmittedthatshewasstrugglingwiththecreationofher capsule closet, couldnothideher satisfactionwhenshe lookedatherfinishedcapsulecloset.Sherememberedhowshefelt:

“And then the moment you put all these things in your closet and you see, you feel this is enough for one month, you are not going to have too little to wear, and you see how clean, and how nice your closet looks, also how coherent with

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colors and everything, patterns, that’s a really really satisfying feeling I have to say.”

Anna provided insights into how she used to feelwhen she opened the doors to her oldclosetandcompareditwiththefeelingshenowhaswiththecapsulecloset:“Ireally likedthis first feeling of opening my closet and not having a huge choice, not having thisoverwhelming choice of clothes and just knowingwhat towear.”When asked to furtherexemplifyonwhatsheusedtoexperiencewithheroldclosetshesaid:

“Usually I open my closet and I knew I only had 10 min. left to get dressed and leave for work or for university or I would probably freak out because I wouldn’t know what to pick out because I lost the overview of the things I have but now I just look into my closet and I know the single pieces that are in there already so sometimes I already know what to wear before actually looking inside the closet because I know what’s inside and it takes me 5 min. maximum maybe and I am done.”

Participants repeatedly mentioned how relieved and satisfied they felt with the capsulecloset because of the limited choices of clothes it provided. Anne remembered: “In themorningsIwasverysatisfiedwithhowlittletimeittookmetodecidewhattowear,simplybecausetherewasnotagreatchoice.”AlsoClaireexplainedthatthecapsuleclosetandthelimitedchoicesofclothesavailablemadeherlifesimpler.

“I am glad that the capsule closet makes my choice-making easier, I anyways have a lot of things going on in my head (Master thesis, job searching, maybe moving somewhere else – so big things to think about) and therefore I am really glad to have something where I do not need to worry a lot about.”

SimilartoClaire,Emmaalsonotedthatthecapsuleclosetmadeherlifeeasierbyremovingsomeof thedecisionsshehadtomakeduringhereveryday life:“Thisweekwasprobablytheeasiestonebecausetherewassomuchgoingon,whichisprobablygoodbecauseIsawhowgooditcanbetohaveacapsulecloset.Ididn'teventhinkaboutwhatIamwearingandjust picked the outfits that were safe.” Thinking about what to wear the next day wasexperienced as a struggle or burden for someof the participants. Therefore, not to thinkaboutwhatoneisgoingtowearthenextdaywasexperiencedassatisfyingandrelievingbytheparticipants.Danaexplained,”Normally Iplaneveryeveningwhat IamgoingtowearforworkthenextdaybutsinceIhavemycapsulecloset,Iamnotdoingthisanymore.Iamnoteven thinkingaboutwhat towear thenextday. Everymorning I stand in frontofmyclosetandknowexactlywhattowear.”Some participants also experienced relief. Due to the fact that the participants were notallowed to purchase new clothes, some participants noted that the usual bills thataccumulatedattheendofonemonthweren’tthere.ThiscanbeseenincaseofDanawhosaid,“Itwaseasiernottoshopthisweekthanlastweek.IthinkIamgettingusedtoitandIlikethatIamnotafraidtolookinmybankaccount.”AlsoBethnoted,“Idon’tbuyanythinganymore, sousually at theendof themonth therewereall thesebills, now therearenobills,Ifeelgoodwiththat.”

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4.2.3. ExperiencingstrugglesandchallengesCapsuleclosetcreationAtsomepointduringthecapsuleclosetmontheachparticipantexperiencedsomekindofstruggles and challenges.One of the first struggles the participantswere confrontedwithwasrightatthestartoftheircapsuleclosetmonth,thecreationofthecapsulecloset.Annadescribedhowsheexperiencedthemomentwhenshelaidoutallofherclothes,shoesandaccessories in her room in order to decide which items to include in the capsule closet,whichonestostoreandwhichonestogiveaway:

“First of all I was shocked again about how many clothes I have. I was simply shocked, I took photos of my apartment because seriously the entire floor, every piece of floor that could have been covered by clothes was covered, even in several layers, so it was a lot, and then you get a little frustrated because you don’t know where to start, its huge, it looks like too much and you have no idea where to start and where to decide what to put into your capsule closet or not. And you really feel that from that probably I have hundreds of pieces of clothes you will not be able to get a capsule closet of 30 pieces. You feel like you will never going to get there.”

Similarly,Bethexplainedhowsheexperiencedthestruggledtocreatehercapsulecloset:

“Actually one really wonders how many clothes one owns. Honestly, I have to say that I took a lot of time to collect all of the clothes together, to lie them down and then I had to have a break because I seriously had no idea how to continue. This break actually lasted a couple of hours. Until I then had an idea, on how to continue. And then I made those 3 piles, the yes, no and maybe pile, and then I had 3 piles ready, and then I left the room again because I was again overwhelmed and thought: What should I do now?”

Both,AnnaandBethexperiencedsomekindoffrustrationafterseeingalloftheclothestheyown.WhenDanacreatedhercapsuleclosetsheactuallystartedcountingsomeofheritemsandwas shockedabouthowmuch sheactuallyowns: “While startingmycapsule closet, IcountedmyclothesandwasalittlebitshockedthatIhave88blouses,Iknew,thatIhavealotofclothes,butIhavenevercountedthem.”Whilecreatingthecapsulecloset,Danafeltlike:“AmIreallydoingthis?”Shewasstrugglingbecauseaccordingtohereverypieceinherclosetisniceenoughtobeincludedintothecapsulecloset:“IlookedintomyclosetdecidingonwhattoincludeandnottoincludeandIwasthinking:thisisnice,andthisisnice,andthisisnice,thisisnice…!”WearingthecapsuleclosetSome participants also experienced some struggleswhen it came to thewearing of theircapsule closet items.While in the firstweek,participantswerenot yet challenged to findsuitable daily outfits, the followingweeks revealed some challengeswhen it came to themixingandmatchingofdifferentitems.Participantsingeneralstatedthattheydonotliketowearoutfitstwiceinarowandthattheyliketobecreativewiththeiroutfits.EventhoughAnnaexperiencedthemixingandmatchingas“it’sstillfun”,shealsoadmitted:

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“It gets more and more challenging, the longer one does the capsule closet. I am a tiny bit nervous about how I will wear the same items differently and combine them in different looks the next weeks because I simply do not like to look the same every single day, fashion is still a major thing to communicate the own personality.”

AlsoEmmaadmittedthatshehadsome“stuckmoments”whereshefelt“Ididn’tfeel likewearinganyofthis.”Bethwasfacedwithchallengesbecausesincetheclotheswerewornmoreoftentheyalsohadtobewashedfaster.Thisresultedinherhavingtowearher‘good’clothesforactivitiessuchascleaningorgardening:“ThisweekIwaschallengedbythefactthatmostofmyclotheswereinthelaundry.Ididn’thaveanypantsorlong-sleevedshirts.Iworemygoodpantsandshirtsforcleaningandgardeningbecauseallofmyotherclothesweredirty.”WeatherconditionsandspecialoccasionsFurthermore, weather conditions as well as special occasions such as parties or eventscausedsomeparticipantstostrugglewiththeircapsuleclosets.Weatherwassomethingthatparticipants could not foresee and which can change unexpectedly. This meant that forsome participants the capsule closet did not always offer the right type of clothingappropriate for the current temperature. Beth and Emma both felt that the weathersometimes negatively influenced their capsule closet experience. Emma, who travelledduring her capsule closetmonth from Sweden to Croatia,was facedwith a great climatedifference.She remembered,“I reallyhadaverybigproblem,because itwasaveryhugeclimatechange,youknow I came from4degrees to24degrees inCroatia,withacapsulecollectionfullofwinterclothes.”ThisactuallycausedEmmatowearclothes,whichwerenotincludedinhercapsulecloset.AlsoBeth,eventhoughshedidnottravel,struggledwiththeGermanweatherconditions,whichforcedhertowearwinterbootsinwarmtemperatures:“Its becomingmore andmore difficult to find outfits for all kinds of weather conditions,becauseIonlyhavereallywarmwinterbootsinmycapsulecloset,Ialsohadtoweartheseboots during 15 degrees sunshine which was really uncomfortable.” Also Claire stated:”Meanwhile,therewasonedayinthemonthwherewehadaround25degreesanditwastoowarmformywinterjacketsandmywinterboots.”Also special occasions challenged some of the participants. Dana described a situation inwhichshewasinvitedtoabirthdaypartyandfeltlikeshedidn’tincludeanysuitablepiecesfor thisoccasion inhercapsulecloset.This situationcausedher to look throughallofheritemsthatsheownsbutdidnotincludeinthecapsuleclose:

“On Saturday, I was invited to a friend’s birthday party and I was a little bit stressed that I have only my capsule closet and really wanted to have something special for this evening. Since I am working and I am also in a weekend relationship, I am not going out very often, so I wanted to have something that’s pretty, chic as well as fashionable. I was looking through my “old clothes” that are not included in the capsule closet and I had immediately the problem that I have nothing to wear in this bunch of clothes. I didn’t want to cheat, but I felt sad that I am not able to wear all my other pretty clothes, so

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I just wanted to know what I would wear if I had all possibilities. However, in the end I felt pretty, chic as well as fashionable with exactly the clothes of my capsule closet and my boyfriend liked it pretty much as well. So I have experienced again, that it is way more difficult to find a suitable outfit when you have more clothes than when you only have a limited range of clothes.”

Similarly,Clairefeltlikeshedidnotincludetherightoutfitforajobinterviewthatshehad.“LastweekIwasstressedwiththefactthatIdonothavesomanypiecestoselectfortheinterview,butnowIfeellikedIhaveacceptedthefactthatIuselessgarments.”ThenoshoppingruleAnother challenge for almost all of theparticipantswas the limitation that theywerenotallowedtoshopandbuynewclothesduringtheentirecapsuleclosetmonth.Participantsingeneral admitted that they went to various stores or shopping malls but refused to buysomethingbecausetheyknewitwasnotallowed.However, togoshoppingandnotbeingallowedtobuysomething isexperiencedasachallengebymanyoftheparticipants.Annafor example described how she experienced it to go shopping knowing that she is notallowedtobuysomething:

“I did experience a little challenge this week when going for a shopping trip with my sister, because shopping and strolling through shops used to be a great “hobby” or weekend-activity for me. I did not always used to buy a lot on these shopping trips, but the option to buy one or two little things was always nice to have. Now, when going shopping and strolling through shops for hours I find it a lot more exhausting and a lot less exciting than I used to.”

EventhoughAnnaexperiencedtheshoppingtripaslessexcitingsheadded:“Afterthelastshoppingtriphowever,Iwassimplymuchlessexcitedabouttheentirethingbutalsoverysatisfied with coming home to all the beautiful clothes I have without having boughtanything.AndasastudentIfeelIhaven’tliterallywastedthemoneyIdonothaveanywayonsomethingIdonotneed.”AlsoDanaexperiencedthe‘noshoppingrule’asachallenge.Sheremembered,“Thatwasthehardestpart,thatwasreallyhard,becausenormallyIordertwicepermonthatZaraorH&Msoyes,thiswasreallyreallyhardforme.”Danaaddedthatshe is“missingthefeelingofwearingsomethingnew,whenyoufeelespeciallyprettyandfashionableaswellasIammissingtogoshoppingandbuyingsomenewtrends.”Bethalsostrugglednottobuyanythingbecause“It’slikearoutine,youhavethefeelingthatyouhavetobuysomething, justbecause itwas, itwaspartofmy lifeand Ialwaysdid it like that.”However, she made some positive experiences when she went shopping with a friend.Insteadofhavingthefocusonbuying,sheexplainedhowthefocusoftheshoppingtripwasonspendingsomequalitytimewithafriend:“Itoldmyfriendaboutthecapsulecloset,sowhenwewentshopping,thefocuswasnotonclothesbutonbeautyproductsorelectronicsorbooks,weevensatdownandtalkedfor1½hours in therestaurant,wentthroughthemall foranotherhourandthenwesatdownandhadadrinkandtalkedagain.”Clairealsodescribed some times during the capsule closet month where she really felt like buyingsomething.According toher, the ‘noshopping’ ruleof thecapsulecloset remindedherofdoingadiet.

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“I still do define this project a little bit like a diet, where you experience weak time as well, just like during a diet you want something you are not allowed to have very desperately, even though you don´t need it for real. I think it was the same last week when I really wanted to buy something and the things in the shop were so tempting. This week I was over that weak phase and that’s same during a diet, I think.”

4.2.4. FeelingsofguiltandregretParticipantsadmittedthatthereweremomentsduringthecapsuleclosetmonthwhentheyexperienced feelings of guild and regret. Anna even used the word ‘ashamed’ when shedescribedhowshefeltaboutalloftheclothesthatsheusedtoown.

“A few days ago I went through my outfit pictures of the past 10 days and figured how comfortable I felt in every single one of them. None of them, however, includes a lot of color. So when thinking about very colorful pieces in my storage, I almost start to feel ashamed. Or better: I start to feel a bit frustrated that I spent money on something I do not enjoy to wear really and that does not suit my closet or my typical style either. I have one belt and one bag in my capsule closet that match with everything in my closet. It makes me wonder why I even own more than that one belt and much more bags than that one.”

Furthermore, she talked about another situation, which made her feel ashamed: “To bereallyhonest,andIamashamedtosaythis,afterfewweeksofnotbuyinganything,mylastpurchasewasabout3½weeksago, Idostart to feel likepurchasingnewagain.”Shesaidthatshewashopingthatthecapsuleclosetwouldchangeherwishtofrequentlybuynewthings,butcametotheconclusion“Itstilldidnotstopthat Iseesomethingonlineor inashopwindowandwant tohave it. I did tryon things, like shoesand fashion itemsbutofcoursedidnotbuythem.However, Iputthemona ‘aftercapsuleclosetwish list’andwillthinkaboutbuyingthemafterwards.Thatmakesmefeelabitashamed.”AlsoEmmaexperiencedfeelingsof regretwhenthinkingaboutwhatshepurchased in thepast.Forher itwashardtoadmit thatwhilegoingthroughallof thethingssheownssherealizedthat“Halfofmyclosetwascheapandpoormadegarments.Ihadsomuchclothesthat I neverwore orwore only once, somuch clothes of a bad quality from fast fashionretailersandsomanyclothesthatdon’tevenfitme.”Accordingtoher, thecapsuleclosetwas“abigeyeopener”.Claireontheotherhandexperiencedsomeguiltafteradmittingthatshewore an item,whichwasnot included in her capsule closet. Claire, because she livesclosetoherworkduringtheweekanddriveshomeovertheweekendstotheapartmentsheshareswithherboyfriendhas to takeandpackher capsule closet everyweek.When sheforgothersportsclothesatherotherapartmentshewasfacedwithadifficultsituation:

“I was away and I had my gym stuff in my other apartment and I went home, and it wasn’t planned but there was this gymnastic evening where my boyfriend goes so I thought it might be good going there because I was struggling with my back but of course I forgot the gym stuff, so I was thinking: I

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really want to go and that’s just stupid, so I cheated in that way, so I took one of my forbidden things.”

AfteraskingherhowshefeltaboutthatClairesaid:“IfeltlikeIcheatedonthewholething,and its not good, I was thinking:well, I havemy stuffwhy should I take something else.That’snotgood.Itwasn’tgood,Ididn’tfeelgoodwithit.”AlsoEmmaworeanitemwhichwasnotincludedinhercapsulecloset:

“I also did one mistake I did not really take clothes for going out and clubbing, you know something a little bit more nice or…something like that. So then I had a real challenge, I think I went out 2 or 3 times that month and the first two times were ok but third time I couldn’t go in the same outfit so you know I didn’t have anything to exchange which would still look very nice and really for going out, a top or something, I had a closet full of sweaters…yeah so that day was extremely annoying, that day was the day when I pulled out the shirt from the “maybe pile”.

Whenaskingherhowshefeltaboutthatsheanswered,“Guilty!Idon’tknowwhy.”

4.2.5. Feelinglimited,boredandlesscreativeAspreviouslymentionedthestartofthecapsuleclosetaswellasthefirstweekwereveryexciting for the participants. However, throughout the rest of the capsule closet monthparticipantsalsoexperiencedmomentsofboredomwiththeclothesavailableinthecapsuleclosetandmomentswheretheyfeltlimitedintheirchoicesorlesscreative.Annadescribedhowsheexperiencedthesemomentsandexplainshowrelievedshewasknowingthatthecapsuleclosetwasforonemonthonly:

“Here and there, of course, I do get bored of items. I cannot wait to exchange single items, because looking at the exact same for weeks can get a bit boring. I have to say that, if I had to wear the exact same things for the next two months too, as other capsule closet bloggers do it, I would definitely get bored.”

Emmaalsowishedtoswitchsomeoftheitemsincludedinhercapsulecloset.Shedescribedherself as a person “Who likes changes,who doesn't have a certain style, likes to switchgarmentsanddoesn'tliketobetoolimited”.Shesaid:“Istillsometimesstandinfrontofthecloset thinking that Ihavenothing towear. I feel like Ialreadyworeall thegarmentsandthatitcouldbecomequiteboringformenottoswitchthingseverynowandthen.”AlsoDanagotalittlefrustratedafterherfirstcapsuleclosetweekwasover.Eventhoughshepreviouslymentionedthatshelikedthefactthatthecapsuleclosetmakesherdecisiononwhattoweareasier,atthesametimeshesaid:“Itwasnicetonotthinkaboutwhat IamgoingtowearbutintheendIwaslike:Iwanttohavesomethingdifferent.Iwanted,Idon’tknow, it felt boring.” Also Beth experienced some down moments after her initialexcitement.Accordingtoher,weekthreewasthemostchallenging:“Thethirdweekwasthemostextremewhenitcomestomymood,inthethirdweek,itwasthefirsttimethatIwasthinking:DoIstillhaveclothestowear?Ireallydidn’tlikethechoicesIhadinmycloset.”

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Someoftheparticipantsalsomentionedthattheyfeelthatthecapsuleclosetlimitsthemintheircreativity.Annaforexamplesaid,“Theonlynegativething I feltsomedayswasthat,becauseIchoseverybasic,casual,go-topiecesformycapsulecloset,simplysincetheyaremoreeasilycombinable,Iwasalittleholdbackfromgettingcreativewithmyoutfits.”Clairefeltsimilar,however,accordingtoherchoosingsimpleandbasicpiecesinthecapsuleclosetcanalsohaveitsadvantages.”ThecapsuleclosetmakesmefeellesscreativebutIalsomustadmititmakesmelessfrustratedinthemorning.”Emmaalsomentionedthatshestruggledwiththefeelingofbeinglimited.Sheprovidedaquitegooddescriptionofhowshelikestodressaccordingtohermoodandwhatshefeelsifheroutfitandmooddonotmatch.

“I felt really limited. I am starting to notice that I definitely dress up according to the mood and if the mood is not the pieces I have with me and I don't have a choice, I really don't feel well in my outfit. There was a day when I had only one clean shirt that I didn't feel to wear and I couldn't wait to come back and take it off of me.”

ClaireagreedwithEmmawhenitcametoclothesandtheirconnectiontoaperson’smood:

“Women also have many mixed feelings that they want to mirror in their garments, if you feel unsecure that day, you want to hide in a big sweater and that’s something you can’t do in the capsule closet, you are a little bit more limited in that, you have to reduce these feelings and actually I felt more supported by my garments that they said: no you cannot have these feelings today you have to be more sure about how you are at the moment.”

WhenaskedtofurtherexplainwhatshemeantEmmasaid:

“Yeah… you know those situations when you wake up in the morning and you are thinking yeah this is exactly how I want to look today and then you look at your closet and you don’t have it. Or even worse you see something online that you really want to have in your closet but you can’t buy it and then you feel like nothing else from the closet will look good or feel good.”

Almost all participants experienced some kind of ups and downs throughout the fourcapsule closet weeks. As previously mentioned, after the initial excitement, participantsoften experienced some kind of recession, which was coupled with feelings of boredom,being limited or less creative. Dana, after being asked how she experienced the entirecapsuleclosetmonthsheexplained,“AtthebeginningIwasveryhappy,thenIwaskindofbored,thenIgotusedto itandI liked it.”WhenitcomestothechangeshowthecapsuleclosetwasexperiencedthroughouttheentiremonthEmmaprovidedaconcreteexampleofwhatthisexperiencedremindedherof:

“I think the excitement just went into, well, you know how it feels, its just like a relationship with a new guy, at the beginning you are very excited and you have all the butterflies in your stomach and everything, for the first few months, and then after 6 months you are totally used to it and you know,

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everything is like you know each other for many years, yes that’s how I was with the capsule closet.”

4.2.6. FeelingsofaccomplishmentandproudnessAlmostallparticipantsatonepointexperiencedsomesuccessmomentswhentheyfelttheyhave accomplished something andwere proud of themselves; whether it waswhen theycreated their capsule closet,when they resisted to cheat andwear itemswhichwerenotincludedintheircapsuleclosetorwhentheyresistedtobuysomethingnew.Thesefeelingsarouseinsomecasesbecauseofcomplimentsorinputbyfriendsandfamily,asforexampleincaseofAnna:“IalsoheardfromsomefriendsnowthattheydonotevennoticethatIamhavingsuchalimitednumberofitemsinmycloset.Itseemstheywouldhaveexpectedmetowalkaroundinthesame,boringoutfitforthreeweeksnow,butobviouslythatisnotthecase.SoIfeelverygoodaboutmyclosetwhenitcomestomyoutfits”.Beth,whileshewasstrugglingalottocreatehercapsulecloset,feltproudwhenshefinallydid and saw the finished result: “When it comes to the number of pieces inmy capsulecloset,Iagainandagainthought:noyoudon’tneedthatmanytops,youcanbeokaywithless,noyoualsodon’tneedthatmanyjackets,andintheendIhad35piecesandIhavetosayIwasquiteproudofmyself.”Annawasquitesurprisedofherselfthatshedidnotcheatbywearing items that are not included in her capsule closet. She however admitted thatthereweresomemomentswhereshethought:“Whydon’tyoujustdoit?Nobodyisgoingtonotice,butthenIwaslike,thesearetherules,andthisisthecapsuleclosetyouaregoingtowearforthismonth,IwasactuallyimpressedofmyselfthatIdidn’texchangeanything.”Annaalsoresistedandfinishedthecapsuleclosetwithoutbuyingasingleitem.Whenaskedto talk about how it was for her not to buy anything while browsing the stores sheanswered:“Ihavetosayoverallitgoteasierandeasier.IrememberinthefourthweekIwasactually soproudofmyself fornothavingboughtanything for fourweeks so Iwanted tocontinuetheprojectjustbecauseIwassoproudandIfeltsocomfortablewithnotbuyinganything.”Bethrememberedhershoppingtripwithafriendandasituationwhereshewasquiteclosetobuyingsomething.

“You know I saw these pair of white jeans and I was thinking that now for the summer they would be perfect. But I don’t need them right now because its not summer, and first I want to check how many white jeans I already have at home, so I just walked by and didn’t buy them, and it felt good, it felt really good not to get out my wallet and just leave it in my bag.”

Bethevenrememberedtheentireshoppingtripas“agreatdayandIwasveryveryproudofmyselfthatIdidn’tbuyanyclothes.”Sheadded,“Afterafewweeksyoudon’tevenbotheranymoreaboutshoppingandalloftheseclothes.”Clairealsodescribedhowcloseshewastopurchaseaclothingiteminastorebutresistedinthelastsecond.

“I was in H&M and I had these trousers in my hand, and they were colorful and had this pattern that is very in right now, so I was thinking: This is nice to have! Because I don’t have something like that yet. Then I was like: No you are doing

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the capsule closet right now, this is a strict rule, you are not going to buy that, maybe I can buy it after the capsule closet project. Then I thought you don’t need it, you have a lot of trousers, you shouldn’t need it. Then I thought maybe I go to the lingerie section because lingerie is not part of the capsule closet, maybe I find something there and of course I found something there, and I was at the cashpoint with the thing and then I thought: No, this is also cheating. I really should not buy it, and I was really struggling with saying yes or now, what should I do, and then I really said loudly. No! and then I put it away. And I walked out of H&M and I was really proud of myself that I didn’t buy anything. And I felt even better not buying it than I would have if I had bought it.”

4.2.7. LearningexperienceWhen participants were asked how they have experienced the capsule closet month, allparticipants said that they have experienced it as a kind of learning experienced that hastaughtthemsomethingmoreaboutthemselves.Emmasaidthatwhatchangedis,“ThewayIperceiveclothesandhowIcareaboutthem,throughthecapsuleclosetIhavetosaythatitdefinitelymademeawareofsomethings, Idefinitelypurchasethingswaymorecarefully,waywaywaymore, and I am proud of that.” Through the capsule closet all participantsexperienced somekindofpersonal growth. Theseweregainedby realizationsabout theirpast habits and behaviors with regards to closets, clothing and consuming as well as anincreased awareness about their past, current and future behavior. Anna for examplerealized that theexcitement sheexperienced in thepastwhenbuyingclothesactuallydidnotlastthatlong.

“The shopping process compared to before changed a lot because before I also remember when I bought something, and I did that a lot, fashion items, once a month, maybe twice a month…I wasn’t so happy about it, I wasn’t…I bought it, I mean the moment I bought it, I was happy and getting excited, but that excitement seriously, how to say, only… took until I wore that piece the next day for the first time and then it ended up in my closet where it got run over by all the other pieces. So I just forgot about it again and that moment I wasn’t excited about it anymore because that moment I had so much and then I had one more thing added to the already big amount of things I already own. And now I feel, if I bought something now, and I thought about it for a long time and I really feel it’s a good addition I feel I am going to be much more happy and I also feel I am not going to have this, how to call it, bad conscious, when you feel bad about buying something.”

FurthermoreAnnasaid:“IfeellikeIfoundmyownstylemuchmoreandIandIfeellikeIammore independent from trends andwhat other people tell you. I do not feel like buyinganything that is promoted as ‘new trend’ or ‘spring trend 2016’which usually caughtmeeasily in front of shop windows.” Similarly, Beth described how her interest in buyingdecreasedovertheweeks:“Afterfourweekstheinterestinshopping,onlineshoppingandcatalogues becomes less, I can even go through the shops and can say tomyself: I don’tneedthesethings,itsnicebutIwontwearitanyway.IalsorealizedthatIhavemoretime

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formore important things.”AlsoClaire talkedabouthowthecapsuleclosethelpedher toseethingsdifferentlyandfromanotherperspective:

“I realized that I do not need that many clothes, in a brutal way, I mean I don’t have that much, I mean I don’t have that many garments, but in the end it, it was hard to realize that you really don’t need that many clothes, how this whole society thing today has changed how you’re thinking that you need so many garments…”

Duetothefactthatparticipants’’capsuleclosetsincludedconsiderablylessitemsthantheiroldclosetsdid,theyalsohadtowearitemsmorefrequently.Whilethefrequentwearingofanitemwasexperiencedasboringorwasconnectedwithafeelingofbeinglesscreativeitalsohadanadvantage.Annaforexamplestated:

“The more I wear a certain item, which I obviously do more with a capsule closet, so I don’t have that many pieces to chose from, so I wear things more often, I feel like I get a better connection to it, not connection that’s maybe the wrong word, I feel like I appreciate the thing more because I see how versatile it is and I do more with it, I wear it in other situations.”

She added that she feels that the longer andmore often shewears an item “Themore Iappreciatethatitembecauseitfeelsmorelike“mine”ormore“me”,ifthatmakessense.”Whileusuallythefrequentwearingofanitemmakessomepeoplefeeluncomfortable,Annaactuallysaid:“Iseemyselfwearingoneandthesamesweaterfor3days inarowwithoutfeelinguncomfortable.”AlsoBethexperiencedachangewhen itcametoherappreciationforherclothes:“Ihavetosaythat Iengagewithmyclothesa lotmorethanIdidbeforeIstartedtheproject,Ifeel,now,Ikindofdressmorediverse,myoutfitslooktidier,moreputtogetherandnotasboringas inthepast.”Bethalsoexplainedhowthecapsuleclosetdidnotonlychangeherawarenesstowardsclothesbutotherconsumergoods.

“It’s incredible how my awareness not only towards clothes changed but also towards food and decorations, I don’t need more decorations because the house is already full, and why do I need 20 flower pots in the garden? 3 are also enough, the garden looks nice enough, all of these things are more or less disposables that you throw away later anyway. Now I really say to myself that I didn’t want to do this anymore. I also do other things in my free time now, I clean the house because this also makes it look nice, I go for a walk with the dogs, I clean the garden instead of buying new things for it.

Claireontheotherhandsurprisedwiththiscomment:“Eventhough I liked it tohave lessthingstodecidewhattowearIalsomissedthefamiliarcrisisIsometimeshad,notknowingwhat towear. I liked the changing of outfit’s even though you always end upwith thosethingsyouusuallywearandprobablywouldbeanywayinyourcapsulecloset.Butthat’salsosomethingIrealizedwhichappliesforthisoneaswell:Youalwayswantwhatyoudon´tgetnow.” After asking her how she experienced her first daywithout the capsule closet andbacktoheroldclosetshelaughedandadmitted:

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“Yeah that was a funny day, because I actually didn’t know what to wear, I had a look into my closet and I actually picked something of the capsule closet. Because now I have these combinations and I felt great in the combinations and it was so easy. So...and I looked through the rest of my closet and I was…yeah…overwhelmed. It was so easy before. And I was thinking: Well, I just wear it again!”

Danaexperiencedthesame,afterchangingbacktoheroldclosetshesaid,“Nowthat thecapsuleclosetisoverandIhavemyoldclosetbackIamthinkingagain:whatshouldIwear?Becauseit’stoomuch.Iamwearingthesamethingsallthetimebasically.”

4.3. KeyfindingsTable4providesaclearandcomprehensiveoverviewoftheessentialthemesandkeyfindings,whichwerepresentedindetailabove.

Table4:Keyfindings

No. Essentialtheme Experiencedwhen Talkedaboutbywhom

Talkedaboutbyhowmany

1

Feelingexcited,enthusiasticanddetermined

Atthestartandduringthefirstcapsuleclosetweek Beth,Claire,Dana,Emma 4

2 Feelingrelievedandsatisfied

Throwingoutnon-essentialclothes Beth,Claire,Emma 3Lookingatfinishedcapsulecloset Anna,Beth 2Havingalimitednumberofclothes Anna,Claire,Dana,Emma 4

Noshopping Beth,Dana 2

3

Experiencingstrugglesandchallenges

Capsuleclosetcreation Anna,Beth,Dana 3Wearingthecapsulecloset Anna,Beth 2

Weatherandspecialoccasions Beth,Claire,Dana,Emma 4Noshopping Anna,Beth,Claire,Dana 4

4 Feelingsofguiltandregret

Aboutpastconsumptionbehavior Anna,Beth,Emma 3Cheating Claire,Emma 2

5Feelinglimited,boredandless

creative

Feelinglimited Claire,Emma 2Feelingbored Anna,Beth,Dana,Emma 4

Feelinglesscreative Anna,Claire 2

6Feelingsof

accomplishmentandproudness

Capsuleclosetcreation Anna,Beth 2

Notcheating Anna,Beth,Claire 3

7 Learningexperience

Newbuyingbehavior,newwayofdressing

Anna,Beth,Claire,Dana,Emma

5

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5. AnalysisThemaingoalof this chapter is toanalyze the key findingspresented inTable4above inrelationtothetheories introduced inthetheoretical framework.Basedonthefindingsandtheanalysistheanswertotheresearchquestionispresentedattheendofthischapter.

5.1. EssentialthemesAs previouslymentioned, phenomenological research does not aim to provide cause andeffect relationships, neither does it try to generalize research findings. The purpose ofphenomenologyisto“speaktothenatureofaparticularphenomenonanddescribehowitisexperiencedbyasubject”(Gatto,2009); inthecaseofthisstudy,howparticipantshaveexperiencedthecapsuleclosetphenomenon.Furthermore,ithastobenotedthatthisstudydid not prove or disapprove existing theories related to the capsule closet phenomenon,whichwerepresentedinthetheoreticalframework.However,someofthisstudy’sfindingswereconsistentwithpreviousresearch.Feelingexcited,enthusiasticanddeterminedParticipants often shared their excitement and enthusiasm of this new experience,whichwasexperiencedrightbeforethestartof theprojectaswellasduringthefirstweek.Oneparticipantnoted,“Iwasexcitedlikealittlechild.”Theywerelookingforwardfortheprojecttostart.Thiscanberelatedtothefactthatforallparticipants,thecapsuleclosetwasafirst-timeexperience,somethingnewthattheyhaven’texperiencedbeforehand.Theword‘new’for example ‘a new challenge’ or ‘a new start’ were terms often usedwhen participantsexplained why they felt so excited. It was noticed that regardless of the differentexperiencesthattheparticipantsmadethroughoutthefourcapsuleclosetweeks,aftertheproject,participants still remembered theirexcitementandenthusiasmat the startof theproject. Someparticipantsalso felt verydeterminedwhich showedhowserious they tookthisproject.Theysawthecapsuleclosetnotjustasafunactivitybutalsoasachallengetoprovesomethingtothemselves.Interestingwas how someparticipants compared the capsule closetwith the feeling theyhave when they go on vacation. One participant recalls, “It was kind of like being onholidays, packing all of your stuff, and then just having these clothes.”When packing forholidaypeopleoftenhavetolimitthemselvestoonesuitcase.Therefore,onlyafractionoftheclosetcanbebrought,whichmeansthatoftenalotofthoughtisputintothepackingofa suitcase in order to have outfits for all kinds of occasions. Participants experienced thecapsule closet similar to this feeling of packing for and going on vacation. However, thisinitialexcitementandenthusiasmlastedformostoftheparticipantsuntiltheendofthefirstweek for some until the end of the second. During the second part of the month, allparticipants started to experience some struggles as well as feelings of boredom andlimitation,whichareanalyzedinmoredetailintheEssentialTheme:Feelingbored,limitedandlesscreative.

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FeelingrelievedandsatisfiedAs previously mentioned in the theoretical framework, a number of researchers havetheorized howminimalisms and simplicity and getting rid of non-essentials can positivelyaffectpeoples’lives.Themajorityofparticipantsinthisstudyexperiencedthepartinwhichtheyhadtominimizethemselvesandgetridofclothestheybelievedarenon-essentialasarelieving and satisfying experience. One participant recalled: “Itmakesme feel like I lostsome weight of my shoulders.” Another one said: “I feel freer now.” Garðarsdóttir andDittmar(2012)foundthatmaterialpossessionssuchasclothescanbeaburdenforpeoplebynegativelyaffectingpsychologicalwell-being.Woodruffle-Burton(2006)statesthatmanypurchases todayresult from impulsiveoraddictivepurchasing.Oneparticipantsaid:“WhydidIbuyalloftheseclothes?Manyofthemarecomfortbuys,sale-buysor‘Ihavetohavethis because this person also has this’ buys (...).“ One can conclude that the closet is aconstant reminder of this behavior,which iswhy the removal of these clothes can causepositive feelings. Therefore, also the look at the finalized and finished capsule closetwasexperiencedassatisfying.Participantsexperiencedthecapsuleclosetasclean,tidyandwellarrangedwhichgavethemagood feeling.Participantsstatedhowgoodthey feltknowingexactlywhat towearwhichwas due to themanageable size of the capsule closet. Thesefindings are consistentwith Schwartz (2004)who found that toomuch choice,which canresult from toomany clothes, is negative and can result in decision fatigue. This can alsoexplain why some study participants experienced the limited choices provided by thecapsuleclosetasrelievingandsatisfying.Accordingtothemitmadedecision-makingeasier.Atthesametimehowever,participantsexperiencedthelimitationasastrugglethatmadedecisionsonwhattowearmoredifficult.Participants also stated later that they did notmiss any of the clothes they threw away,whichprovidesan insightaboutpeoples’relationshipwithclothes.BhardwajandFairhurst(2010)supportthesefindingsbystatingthatfastfashionitems,whichareoftenpurchasedbyyoungwomen,arereplacedtooquicklyforcustomerstobuildarelationshipwith.Eventhoughparticipantswereingeneralstrugglingwiththecapsuleclosetrulethatpermitsthem topurchasenewclothes, someparticipants experiencedpositive sideeffectsof thisrule.Thepeoplewhoparticipatedinthisstudyallliketoshopandthereforesaidthattheyoftenstrugglewiththebillsthataccumulateattheendofthemonth.The‘noshoppingrule’removed the financial burden that results from clothing purchases. One participantreported: “I like that I amnot afraid to look inmy bank account.” This shows how someparticipants were struggling with the financial consequences of their shopping behavior.ThesefindingssupportGarðarsdóttirandDittmar(2012)whoreportedthatpeoplewhoputagreatfocusonmaterialisticthingsandthereforepurchasefrequentlystrugglewithmoneymanagementandthereforehavegreaterfinancialworries.ExperiencingstrugglesandchallengesAnother theme in the research findings was the struggles and challenges that wereexperiencedbyalloftheparticipantsatsomepoint.Rightatthestartofthecapsuleclosetmonthparticipantshadtocreatetheircapsulecloset,whichcausedfeelingsoffrustration,mostly because participants underestimated the amount of clothes they owned. Oneparticipant admitted, “I was simply shocked.” Another one remembered, “I was againoverwhelmed.” These findings again support Garðarsdóttir and Dittmar (2012) who state

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thatclothescannegativelyaffectwell-being.Scheibehenne(2008)explainsthequantitiesofclothespeopleownnowadaysbythefactthatpeoplegenerallypreferlargeassortmentsandlarge varieties. According to Dittmar (2008) these help them with the expression andmaintenance of their various identities. Also the emergence of fast-fashion, according toBinkley (2008)andBauman (2005),helpedconsumers topurchaseproducts thatallow forimmediate gratification for people’s temporary identities.Whenparticipants created theircapsule closet they had tomake decisions onwhich items to include, store or give awaywhichwasexperiencedasstressful.ThisfindingisagainsupportedbyBarrySchwartz(2004)whorelatesthestressexperiencedbytheparticipantstotheparadoxofchoice,thefactofhavingtomanyclothesandthereforetoomanychoices.Eventhoughparticipantsstruggledto create their capsule closets it was interesting to notice that none of them seemed tostrugglewhenitcametothrowingoutclothes,whichwereconsiderednon-essential.Furthermore,thestudy’sparticipantsreportedthatwhilenotatthebeginningoftheprojectbuttoa laterpointtheywerestrugglingwiththewearingofthecapsulecloset items.Theparticipants’decisiontoincludebasicpiecesthataremoreeasilycombinableaswellasthelimited choice of items in the capsule closet caused participants to struggle. The longerparticipantshadthecapsuleclosetforthemorechallengingtheyexperiencedittomixandmatchoutfitsthatstillrepresentedtheirdifferentidentities.Participantsreportedthattheyliketochangefrequentlyandtonotwearanoutfittwice,whichalignswithScheibehenne’s(2008) theory about using clothes to create different identities. Especially when weatherconditionschangedrapidlyorspecialeventsoccurred,participantsexperiencedstrugglestofindoutfits for their chosen identity.Here itwas interesting to see thatmostparticipantschose to rather feel uncomfortable wearing clothes not appropriate for the weatherconditionoreventthantakingitems,whichwerenotincludedintheircapsulecloset,whichwouldhavebeen classified as cheating.As canbe seen in caseof this participant: “I onlyhavereallywarmwinterbootsinmycapsulecloset,Ialsohadtowearthesebootsduring15degreessunshine.”As previously mentioned the fact that participants were not allowed to shop wasexperiencedasareliefandachallengeatthesametime.Oneparticipantexperiencedthisruleas“thehardestpart”.Participantsmentionedthattheyareusedtoshopfrequentlyandthatshoppingispartoftheireverydaylife.Oneparticipantadmitted,“It’slikearoutine,youhavethefeelingthatyouhavetobuysomething,justbecauseitwas,itwaspartofmylifeand I always did it like that.” These findings supportWoodruffe-Burton (2006) et al. andFriese(2000)whoindicatethatpeoplenowadaysseeshoppingaspartoftheirdailyroutine,ahabitorawaytogratifythemselvesfortheirdailyachievements.FeelingsofguiltandregretTherewere somemoments inwhichparticipants experienced feelingsof guilt and regret.This could be seen when participants thought about their past buying behavior. Oneparticipantsaid:“Halfofmyclosetwascheapandpoormadegarments.”Ingeneralonegottheimpressionthatparticipantsknowaboutthebadimpactsofmassconsumptionandfast-fashiongoods,whichwasareasonforthemtoparticipate inthisproject inthefirstplace.Nevertheless, they still engaged in mass consumption of fast fashion goods. This findingsupportsJoyatal.(2012)whofoundthatyoungconsumersareveryconsciousaboutgreenvaluesand therefore struggle tobalance thesevalueswith their continuousneed fornew

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fashion items. Further, as previously mentioned, participants were very determined andtooktheprojectquiteseriously.Therefore,theyfeltguiltybreakingsomeoftherulessuchaswearingan item,whichwasnot included in the capsule closet, orbuyingnewclothingitems.Even thoughparticipantswerenot forced to report thisbehavior to the researcherthey felt very comfortable talking about it in the diaries or during the interview.Nevertheless, participants felt bad, almost as if they failed a challenge or lost in a gamewhentheycheated.Whenparticipantscheateditwasmostlytowardstheendofthecapsuleclosetmonth.Oneparticipantworeanitem,whichwasnot includedinhercapsulecloset.Sherecalled,“IfeltlikeIcheatedonthewholething.”Anotherparticipantboughtaclothingitem,which in theendmadeher feel“guilty”.Thisshowshowuncomfortableparticipantsfelt about situations and behaviors that were normal to them before they started thisproject. However, when participants resisted to cheat, they felt very proud andaccomplished which is described in more detail in the Essential Theme: Feelings ofaccomplishmentandproudness.Feelingbored,limitedandlesscreativeAspreviouslymentioned,participantsreportedthataftertheinitialexcitement,thereweretimes when they felt bored, limited and less creative. Even though the limited choice ofitems in the capsule closet was experienced as positive causing less frustration becauseoutfits were chosen much easier and faster, the limited choice was also experienced asnegative.ThisisagainsupportedbyScheibehenne(2008)whostatethatchoiceprovidesuswith personal freedomand autonomywhereas no choiceor not enough choicemakes usfeelunsatisfiedand limited.Participantsnoted that towards theendof thecapsuleclosetmonththeygottiredof the items intheircapsulecloset.Oneparticipantstated:“Idogetboredof items!”Participantsalso felt that theycannotbeascreativewith theiroutfitsasthey usually are because a capsule closet generally includes more basic and easilycombinable pieces. Therefore, participants often did not include their favorite colorfulstatement pieces. In order to bringmore excitement into their closets, participants oftenmentioned theirwish to switch someof the items in their capsule closet.Oneparticipantevennotedthatshefeelsagainasifshehasnothingtowear,afeelingthatmostparticipantshave not experienced after they started the capsule closet. She said, “I have nothing towear.IfeellikeIalreadyworeallthegarments.”Thenegativefeelingsofhavingnotenoughchoiceaccordingtotheparticipantscanagainbeascribedtopeoplesneedtofulfilldifferentidentitieswiththeirclothes. If theclothesonehasdonotreflectthe identityorthemoodonewantstopresent,onecanexperiencedissatisfaction.ThismatcheswiththefindingsbyGuy(2001)whoemphasizedontherelationshipbetweenapoordecisiononanoutfitanditsabilitytoaffectthewearer’smood.However,thefactthatclothesinthecapsuleclosetwereworna lotmoreoftenalsohadanadvantage.Someparticipants felt that it increased theappreciationforaclothingitem.Oneparticipantsaid,“IfeellikeIappreciatethethingmorebecauseIseehowversatileitisandIdomorewithit.”FeelingsofaccomplishmentandproudnessThroughoutthecapsuleclosetmonthparticipantsalsoexperiencedsomemomentsinwhichthey felt accomplishment and proudness of what they have achieved. This happened forexamplewhenparticipantsfinishedcreatingtheircapsuleclosetandstoodinfrontoftheirclosetforthefirsttime.Sincethecreationwasassociatedwithstruggleandfrustrationfor

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someparticipants theyexperiencedakindofsuccessmomentafter thecompletionof thecapsulecloset.Oneparticipantrecalls,“Toseehowclean,andhowniceyourcloset looks,also how coherent with colors and everything, patterns, that’s a really really satisfyingfeeling (…).”Participantsalso feltproudwhen they resistedbreakinga capsule closet rulesuch as wearing items not included in the capsule closet or buying a clothing item. ThisfindingsupportsBelketal.(1997)whostatethattheacquisitionofaconsumergoodisoftenconnectedtopositiveandhappyfeelings.However,rightaftertheacquisitionpeopleoftenfeel frustration and regret. This can explainwhyparticipants felt happier not to purchasethantopurchase.LearningexperienceAnessentialthemethatwasmentionedfrequentlybythestudyparticipantswasalsohowthe capsule closetexperiencehas changed themover themonth. Itwasexperiencedasalearningexperiencethattaughtparticipantsthingsaboutthemselvesandmadethemmoreawareandreflectmorecloselyontheirpast,currentandfuturebehavior.Oneparticipantsaid, “I realized that I do not need that many clothes.” Some participants noticed adecreasedinterest inshoppingandstatedthattheynowspendmoretimewithfamilyandfriends instead. This finding supports Garðarsdóttir and Dittmar (2012) who state thatinterpersonalrelationshipsaremorecloselyrelatedtohappinessthanmaterialpossessions.Oneparticipantevennoticedhowtheminimalisticthoughtonclotheshasspreadtootherconsumer good categories such as food, technology and decorations. Another participantsaidthatshenowdressesmoreaccordingtowhatshewoulddefineasherstyle.

5.2. AnswertotheresearchquestionThe goal of this research was to find an answer to the research question, “What areparticipants’livedexperienceswithcapsuleclosets?”Howtheparticipantshaveexperiencedthecapsuleclosetisreflectedinthesevenessentialthemes.Afteranalyzing thekey results fromparticipants’diariesand interviews it canbesaid thatparticipants have experienced the capsule closet feeling excited, enthusiastic anddeterminedatthestartaswellasduringthefirstcapsuleclosetweek.Theyfeelrelievedandsatisfied throwing out clothes that they thought are non-essential, they were satisfiedlooking at the result of their finished capsule closet and liked but also struggledwith thelimited amount of clothes available for wearing. They were satisfied with the financialbenefits of the no-shopping rule but otherwise struggled not to shop. They experiencedstruggleswhentheyhadtocreateanddesigntheircapsuleclosetbutnotwhentheyhadtothrowoutnon-essentialclothes.Mixingandmatchingappropriateoutfitsandwearingitemsmore often was experienced as struggle but at the same time increased a person’sappreciation for a clothing item. Further,weather and special occasions aswell as to notpurchasenew itemschallenged them.They feltguiltywhenthey thoughtabout theirpastconsumption behavior or when they broke the rules by wearing an item that was notincludedinthecapsuleclosetorwhentheypurchasedanewclothingitem.Theyfeltbored,limitedandlesscreativewiththecapsulecloset,thelimitedchoiceofitemsitincluded,andthefrequentwearingofthemorebasicitems.Theyfeltproudandaccomplishedrightatthe

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startwhentheyfinishedthecreationanddesignoftheircapsuleclosetaswellaswhentheyresisted to cheat and wear an item which was not included in the capsule closet orpurchasedanewclothingitem.Theyexperiencedthecapsuleclosetasalearningexperiencethattaughtthemmoreaboutthemselvesandtheirbuyingbehavior.Overall it can be said that participants experienced the capsule closet similar to a roller-coaster ride having its ups and downs. Ups were felt when participants were excited,relieved,proudorlearnedsomething.Theyfeltdownwhentheyexperiencedstruggles,feltlimitedorguilty.Intheendalloftheseupsanddownthatwereexperiencedthroughoutthemonth make up the capsule closet experience. In the end every participant learnedsomething about himself or herself, no matter if that means they liked or disliked thecapsule closet or if theywoulddo it againor not. Therewasnot an all-positiveor an all-negativeexperienceandeachexperiencewasinitselfunique.

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6. DiscussionBasedonthepreviousanalysischapterandtheanswertotheresearchquestion,thischapterprovidesinsightsintothisstudy’scontributionsaswellaslimitations.

6.1. ResearchcontributionsThisstudyprovidedcontributionstobothknowledgeandmethodology.Thepurposeofthestudy was to increase the understanding of lived capsule closet experiences and therebycontributetothebodyofknowledgeintheareaofminimalistlifestyleconcepts;whichwasachieved by this study. Further, this study provided new insights into a trending andcontemporary issue in the society concerningminimalist lifestyle concepts.By researchingissuesofnewresearchareasandbybuilding literature for thissubject thisstudyprovidedsignificantcontributiontoknowledge.Furthermore, this study can be regarded as contributing to methodology; since to theknowledge of the researcher, a phenomenological study on capsule closets hadn’t beenundertaken before. Phenomenology even though it exists for years and ismainly used innursing research is an underestimated research approach in consumer studies. This studycontributedbyexploringhowaphenomenologicalmethodology canbeused in consumerrelated studies and how it can be used in the capsule closet context. In this study, aphenomenological research philosophy contributed to the acquisition of valuable insightsaboutconsumerdatabyproposinganewapproachtotheacquisitionofthisdatathroughqualitative research. The phenomenological methodology was able to provide a much-neededperspectiveon thehuman livedexperience that is of such relevance in consumerstudies. Therefore, this study encourages the field of consumer research to considerphenomenologyasanessentialcomponentduetoitsfocusandinsightsonthecomplexityand wholeness of human experiences. Further, phenomenological research is usually notundertakenincombinationwithanexperiment.Thisstudyshowedhowaphenomenologicalmethodology combined with an experiment can be used if study participants with theneededknowledgeandexperiencesarenotavailable.

6.2. Researchlimitations

As with any kind of research, also this study has limitations. Phenomenological researcheven though it is agreatway to collect richand in-depth informationhas itsweaknesses.Findings inphenomenology, asabovenoted,donotprovide insights inwhat ledup toanexperience,whatoutcomesandconsequencestheexperiencemighthavefortheindividualand what the concomitants and other factors associated with the experience are.Phenomenologyfocusesonwhatwasexperiencedwithoutaskingwhy.Further,thechoiceto use snowball sampling, a non-probability sampling method, might have limited theresearchduetosamplingbias.Eventhoughphenomenologicalstudiesareknownfortheirsmallsamplesize,moreparticipantsmighthaveprovidedmoreversatileinsightsaswellasallowingforsomegeneralizability.Furthermore,theuseofSkypeinterviewsinsteadofface-to-face resulted in issues that might have affected the interview outcome. During one

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occasion, a participant’s flat mate walked in and was present for about five minutes.Anothertime,InternetconnectionproblemsimpactedthequalityoftheSkypeinterview.Inaddition,capsuleclosetsareusuallydoneforoneseason(3months)andnotforonemonth,asitwasthecaseinthisstudy.Alongitudinalstudythatwouldhaveresearchedparticipants’experienceswiththecapsuleclosetoveralongerperiod(e.g.3months)mighthaveresultedinanexperiencemoresimilar to theactualcapsuleclosetexperience.Additionally,duetothe fact thatparticipantsparticipated in a capsule closet experiment theymighthave feltmoreobligatedorwatchedwhich could have influenced their lived experiences. This alsoraisesthequestion ifoneshould includeanexperiment inthesekindsofresearchstudies.Theoutcomeofthisstudymighthavechangedbynotinterviewingfirst-timecapsuleclosetusers but participants who have already done a capsule closet. Since phenomenologicalstudies are usually undertaken by collecting data from participants who have alreadyexperiencedaspecificphenomenon.

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7. ConclusionThischapterconcludestheresearchandshowsthatthepurposeof thisstudywasfulfilled.Futureresearchindicationssuggestnextstepsintheareaofcapsuleclosetresearch.The reason out of which this thesis topic emergedwas the focus and attention onwhatfashionandtextilecompaniesdowrong,whatproblemstheyhaveandwhattheycandotocontributetoamoresustainableworldbychangingtheirsupplychainsandtechnologiesandthe impression that consumers are kind of left out in this change to a more sustainableworld.Minimalistconceptssuchasthecapsuleclosetfocusontheconsumerratherthanthefashion companies as a power of change for a more sustainable world. Studying andresearchingtheseminimalistlifestyleconcepts,suchasthecapsulecloset,andhowtheyareexperienced by consumers provided valuable insights into further research on how theseconcepts can be used by consumers, organizations or fashion and textile companies tocontributetoamoresustainableworld.Therefore,thepurposeofthisthesiswastoprovideabetterunderstandingofthecapsuleclosetexperiencebycapturinganddescribingthephenomenonasitwaslivedbythestudyparticipants.Answering the researchquestion,whichprovided thesevenessential themesthatmadeuptheparticipants’livedcapsuleclosetexperiences,fulfilledthispurpose.Theseessential themeswere 1) Feeling excited, enthusiastic and determined; 2) Feeling relivedand satisfied; 3) Experiencing struggles and challenges; 4) Feelings of guilt and regret; 5)Feeling limited, bored and less creative; 6) Feelings of accomplishment andproudness; 7)Learningexperience.It has tobenoted that this studydidnot come to a firm conclusion, but rather aimed toprovide initial researchandpointout to implicationsorways to further study thecapsuleclosetconcept.Inthissenseitisimportanttofurthercontinueresearchinthisareaandaskquestionsabouthowpeopleexperienceminimalistlifestyleconceptsandtofurtherresearchand learn about these experiences from the viewpoint of thosewho have lived them. Aspreviouslymentioned, no qualitative research about people’s experienceswithminimalistlifestyle concepts such as capsule closets were found. Therefore, my hope was that thisresearchwoulddrawattentiontothis topicandwillhelptostart to fill thisgap.Withthisresearch future researchershave thechance toconstructamoreaccuratepictureof livedcapsuleclosetexperiences.Againthisstudywasjustastartthathopefullyisthebasisforfurtherresearchthatfocusesnotonwhatwethinkbutlearnfromthosewhohaveactuallyexperiencedit.

7.1. FutureresearchAs previously mentioned this research is a starting point; it was a first step to gatherinformation to better understand the capsule closet phenomenon. The findings of thisresearch show that this study has implications for research, associations and institutionsconcerned with minimalist consumption, consumers as well as fashion and textilecompanies.

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Theseresearchfindings inspireavarietyofnewstudiesthatare interested inhowcapsuleclosetscanactuallychangeconsumerbehaviorandhowitcanchangenotonlyintheshortbut also long termwhich has implications for consumers aswell as companies. Since thisresearchdidnot try toanswer ‘why’ questions, it couldbe interesting to further researchwhat factors (e.g.participantsbackground,socialenvironmentoreducation) ledupto thecapsule closet experience. Furthermore, this study’s findings encouraged research tooptimize or change the capsule closet concept to make it more efficient and effective.Duringthe interviewsanddiariesparticipantsoftenmentioned ideasonwhatwouldmaketheconceptbetter(e.g.beingallowedtopurchaseoneitempermonth,makeatrialcapsuleclosetweek,lengthencapsuleclosetto3monthsetc.).Additionally,itcanbeinterestingtoresearchwayssothatcompaniescanusetheconcept(marketingstrategies,storeconceptsetc.).Avarietyofstart-upbusinessesthatareconcernedwithminimalismandsustainabilityalreadypickedupthecapsuleclosetconceptanduseditasabusinessidea(e.g.thebrandVetta). Moreover, it would be interesting to know more about the psychology andbehavioral theories behind theminimalistic way of thinking of why less is more becauseresearchinthisareaisratherrare.

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9. AppendicesI. Capsuleclosethandbook

55

General information

It is important for you to know that there are only a few requirements and rules on how to do the capsule closet in this study. The reason for this is that this should be your personal experience. You are free to decide on how to use and interpret the con-cept of capsule closets for yourself and make this to your own unique experience. The idea is to make this concept work for your personal lifestyle, interests and preferen-ces. This means that you can decide for yourself how many items to include into the capsule closet (but remember: less is more), what kind of clothing items to include or exclude (are shoes, bags and outerwear going to be part of the capsule closet?), what to sell, give away or store. Remember that mistakes are allowed and are part of the process and that there is no perfect closet. So use the mistakes you make to learn for the future. Feel free to continue the capsule closet after the study.

Your goal should be to make this experience as meaningful, considerate but also as fun as possible. This should not be seen as a competition but as a challenge for your-self. This means that you should consider the goal of this concept and the fact that this capsule closet only lasts for one month when designing your capsule closet. Feel free to inform yourself and get inspired by online bloggers and articles.

In the following, I will provide you with the most common capsule closet guidelines. I would like you to read the following information in order to get a basic idea on what a capsule closet is, how to start and what requirements you have to fulfill. So please study this booklet carefully since it provides you with most of the information needed to start and go though with this experience.

Feel free to research and check whatever information you can find and that interests you besides the one provided by me. Please contact me if there should be any ques-tions or misunderstandings.

Giuliana HegerPhone: +46 7000 666 25 (also via WhatsApp)

Email: giuliana.heger@gmail.com

56

General information

It is important for you to know that there are only a few requirements and rules on how to do the capsule closet in this study. The reason for this is that this should be your personal experience. You are free to decide on how to use and interpret the con-cept of capsule closets for yourself and make this to your own unique experience. The idea is to make this concept work for your personal lifestyle, interests and preferen-ces. This means that you can decide for yourself how many items to include into the capsule closet (but remember: less is more), what kind of clothing items to include or exclude (are shoes, bags and outerwear going to be part of the capsule closet?), what to sell, give away or store. Remember that mistakes are allowed and are part of the process and that there is no perfect closet. So use the mistakes you make to learn for the future. Feel free to continue the capsule closet after the study.

Your goal should be to make this experience as meaningful, considerate but also as fun as possible. This should not be seen as a competition but as a challenge for your-self. This means that you should consider the goal of this concept and the fact that this capsule closet only lasts for one month when designing your capsule closet. Feel free to inform yourself and get inspired by online bloggers and articles.

In the following, I will provide you with the most common capsule closet guidelines. I would like you to read the following information in order to get a basic idea on what a capsule closet is, how to start and what requirements you have to fulfill. So please study this booklet carefully since it provides you with most of the information needed to start and go though with this experience.

Feel free to research and check whatever information you can find and that interests you besides the one provided by me. Please contact me if there should be any ques-tions or misunderstandings.

Giuliana HegerPhone: +46 7000 666 25 (also via WhatsApp)

Email: giuliana.heger@gmail.com

Common search terms

• Capsule closet• Capsule wardrobe• Lean closet

Capsule closet history

Capsule closets date back to the 1970s when London boutique owner Susie Faux first created the term ‘capsule wardrobe’. According to her, “The basic idea is simple: by building a capsule wardrobe you will buy fewer clothes of a higher quality that you will wear more often. You will look and feel confident and successful because the quality will show and because you know that the overall look works”. Her ideal capsule closet consisted of fewer than a dozen items including jackets, skirts, pants, blouses, sweaters, dresses and accessories. Later in 1985 Donna Karen revived capsu-le closets when she took the concept to the USA with her first line called ‘Seven Easy Pieces’. Nowadays, capsule closets received momentum with bloggers such as Caro-line Rector from un-fancy.com, Project 333 by bemorewithless.com or the famous article “Why I wear the same to work every day”, by Matilda Kahl.

Capsule closet goal

To live with a small, high quality wardrobe, and still have enough to wear, impeccable style and plenty of options for any occasion without owning excessive items of clothing and accessories

Useful websites

• Un-fancy.comwww.un-fancy.com

• Project 333 by bemorewithless.combemorewithless.com/project-333/

• Matilda Day www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a10441/why-i-wear-the-same-thing-to-work-everday/

• Thekardiablog.comhttp://www.thekardiablog.com/2015/04/capsule-wardrobe-the-beginning/

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II. Consentform

ParticipantconsentformThankyouforyourinterestinparticipatinginthisstudyconductedbyme,GiulianaHeger,asapartofmymasterthesisforTheSwedishSchoolofTextiles.ResearchtopicAnexplorationofthecapsuleclosetexperiencePurposeofthestudyThepurposeofthisstudyistoexploretheexperiencesthatparticipantsmakewhendoingacapsuleclosetandthereforewillexplorethefollowingquestion:“Whathasbeenyourexperiencewiththecapsulecloset?”.StudyproceduresIfyouvolunteertoparticipateinthisstudy,Iwouldliketoaskyoutodothefollowingthings:YouareaskedtodoacapsuleclosetforthemonthofMarch2016(1.03.-31.03.2016).DuringthemonthofMarchyouwillhavetotakeaphotographofyouroutfiteverydayoftheweekandsendittomeassoonaspossible.Furthermore,youareaskedtowriteadiaryentryonceaweek.Inthediaryyouwillbeaskedtowriteaboutwhatyouhaveexperiencedduringthisoneweek.Diaryentriesaswellasphotographswillbemadeanonymousinthefinalreport.Attheendofthemonthyouwillbeaskedtoparticipateinaface-to-faceorSkypeinterview.Duringthisinterviewyouwillbeaskedquestionsaboutwhatitwasliketodoacapsulecloset.Interviewscanrangefrom1hourto2hoursandwillbeconductedsometimebetweenthe1stand15thofApril2016.Withyourpermission,theinterviewwillberecordedbyadigitalrecordingdeviceandthentranscribedtowrittenform.Alltranscriptswillbeconfidential,meaningthatyourrealnamewillnotappearanywhereinthefinalreport.Forthesecondpartoftheresearch,youwillbeaskedtoreadoverthewrittendescriptionofyourexperience.Thiswillprovideyouwiththeopportunitytoaddand/ormakechangestoyourstoryandseeifthetranscripttrulycaptureswhatiswaslikeforyoutodoacapsulecloset.Afinalcopyofthereportwillalsobemadeavailabletoyouifyouareinterestedinreceivingit.ParticipationandwithdrawalYoucanchoosewhethertobeinthisstudyornot.Ifyouvolunteertobeinthisstudy,youmaywithdrawatanytimewithoutconsequencesofanykind.Youmayexercisetheoptionofremovingyourdatafromthestudy.Youmayalsorefusetoansweranyquestionsyoudon’twanttoanswerandstillremaininthestudy.ConsentYoursignaturebelowindicatesthatyouhavedecidedtovolunteerasaresearchparticipantforthisstudy,andthatyouhavereadandunderstoodtheinformationprovidedabove.Youwillbegivenasignedanddatedcopyofthisformtokeep,alongwithanyotherprintedmaterialsdeemednecessarybythestudyinvestigators.Asthereislittletonoresearchdoneregardingexperiencesofcapsuleclosets,yourparticipationwillbeveryhelpful.Participantname:SignatureandDate

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III. InterviewguideThankyouverymuchforagreeingtoparticipate inthisstudy.Duringthis interviewIwantyoutotalkaboutwhatitwasliketodothecapsulecloset.Idohavesomebroadquestionsso feel freetotalkaboutanythingthatyouwanttoaboutyourcapsuleclosetexperience.Youcanstoptheinterviewatanytime.Youcanalsorefusetoansweranyquestionandstillremaininthestudy.Theinterviewisanonymous.AreyoucomfortableifIrecordthisinterview?Interviewquestions:

• Leadquestion:Inasmuchdetailaspossible,whatwasitlikeforyoutodoacapsulecloset?

o Howhaveyouexperienced:differentsteps,sortingout,thefinishedcapsulecloset,noshopping

• Tellmewhatitwaslikeforyouthefirstdayofthecapsuleclosetproject?• Whatisanormaldayforyoulikenowthatyouhavethecapsulecloset?• Howdidyoufeelwithyouroutfitsduringtheday?• Hasyourexperiencechangedinthepast4weeks?• Nowthatyouhavedoneacapsulecloset,supposeIamdebatingofdoingacapsule

closet.Whatwouldyoutellmeitwillbelike?

• ThatisallofthequestionsIhave.Isthereanythingelseyouwouldliketosharethatyoudidn’thavechangetospeakabout?

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IV. Diaryquestions

Week1(01.03-06.03.2016)

1. Whatdoesthecapsuleclosetconceptmeantoyou?2. Howwouldyoudescribeyourowncapsuleclosettoafriend?3. Howhaveyouexperiencedyourfirstweekwithyourcapsulecloset(talkaboutyour

mood,feelings,emotionsetc.)?Week2(07.03-13.03.2016)

1. Inasmuchdetailaspossiblehowhaveyouexperiencedthisweekwithyourcapsulecloset?(includeyourmood,feelings,emotionsetc.)

2. Comparethisweek’sexperiencewiththatoflastweek.Week3(14.03-20.03.2016)

1. Inasmuchdetailaspossiblehowhaveyouexperiencedthisweekwithyourcapsulecloset?(includeyourmood,feelings,emotionsetc.)

2. Howwouldyoudescribeyourclosetbeforeitturnedintoacapsulecloset?3. Inasmuchdetailaspossiblehowhaveyouexperiencedyouroldcloset?

Week4(21.03-31.03.2016)

1. Inasmuchdetailaspossiblehowhaveyouexperiencedthisweekwithyourcapsulecloset?(includeyourmood,feelings,emotionsetc.)

2. Ifyoucoulddothecapsuleclosetalloveragain,whatwouldyouchange?3. Areyouplanningtocontinuethecapsuleclosetafterthisstudy?Ifyes,why?Ifno,

why?