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How-To: Marie Kondo Folding

3 menswear photos of man wearing bright, graphic fall outfit, a flat lay of jeans and a flanner and a man wearing an argyle vest and jeans

By Samantha Mulder, Buffalo Exchange Manhattan, and Seven Clark, Buffalo Exchange San Diego (Hillcrest)

Now that you’ve cleaned out your closet, how about some creative closet organization ideas? If you’re an avid Buffalo Exchange shopper like we are, you probably have a zest for procuring amazing things that far outreaches your actual storage space. Marie Kondo folding may do the trick. Utilizing some of her techniques and some of our own, find out how we manage to fit a whole lot of clothing into a small space!

Folding the Kon-Mari Way

Since its release, Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has taken the world by storm with its useful tips and tricks for cleaning out your closet and getting organized, a method which she refers to as “Kon-Mari”. For us, one of the greatest takeaways from the book was Marie Kondo’s folding method. This allows you to see everything you own at a glance, ensuring that each item has a chance to make it into your weekly rotations.

Behind Marie Kondo’s folding method is an origami-like precision. Each garment gets folded up into a neat little rectangular package that makes for a Tetris like fit. If you’ve never folded origami, not to worry: check out this handy visual guide for folding everything from socks and underwear to jeans and sweaters.

Man standing inside in front of shoe racks with foot up on bench wearing a yellow polo tee and green checkered socks
Men wearing a plaid sweater vest and brim hat
For T-shirts and sweaters, we take the Marie Kondo folding technique one step further and measure the length of our dresser drawers. Once you know the space you’re working with, you can fit the most into it by dividing that length into even rows. We use a ruler to fold our T-shirts into four rows that are six inches wide and our sweaters into three rows that are eight inches wide. The result looks neat and leaves no space unused.

DIY Storage Solutions

If you still need a little extra space, why not hang your clothing from the ceiling? These DIY storage baskets are fantastic for storing denim in plain sight but out of the way. You can probably find everything you’ll need at your local hardware store.

Supplies:

Chain
Zip ties
2 attachment hooks
Crates or baskets
Sturdy ceiling hook

Man standing inside in front of shoe racks with foot up on bench wearing a yellow polo tee and green checkered socks
Men wearing a plaid sweater vest and brim hat

How-to:

Use the zip ties to link your baskets or crates together. Make sure to pull tight. The larger zip ties are easier to use and you can cut away any excess afterward. Once you’ve completed this, weave the chain through to link the baskets, place attachment hooks on the ends of your chain to secure the chain to the baskets, then hang from your ceiling hook. You’re done! Now, roll up your denim (an excellent way to keep it wrinkle free) or use your Marie Kondo folding technique and place everything inside your new storage unit.

These days, it’s all about practicing minimalism, but no matter how much we clean out, we sometimes still find ourselves pressed for space. Plus, you may not always want to part with treasured finds. Thanks to innovative folding techniques and creative storage solutions, now you don’t have to!