11 May 2026
From wardrobe data to system change: How COSH! is powering a €2.2M European fashion research project
- EPR
- Reuse
- Reduce
Do you also have a wardrobe that’s bursting at the seams, yet still feel like you’ve got nothing to wear?
In 2022, the average EU resident bought around 19 kilos of clothing, footwear and household textiles. That’s enough to fill a large suitcase every year. And yet one in five garments in our wardrobes goes unworn.
When you think of a stylist, you might picture an afternoon of shopping with someone telling you what to buy. The stylists in this article work differently. They start with your own wardrobe and only look for something new when something is missing.
They can help you make more sustainable shopping choices: buying less new, wearing what you have for longer, discovering swapping and second-hand, and understanding why a piece does or doesn’t suit you. That way, you’ll put together outfits that suit you in the future and make fewer impulsive buying mistakes.
rea_sn helps you find the perfect balance between style, sustainability and confidence
At rea_sn in Utrecht, experienced style coach Renske Snaar explores with you why you wear what you wear. Her mission? To help you discover which clothes reflect your personality, values and style, so you never fall back on safe or impulsive choices again. She teaches you how to choose good (basic) pieces that you can combine effortlessly and enjoy wearing for years.
Her Femme Fatale programme lasts three to four months and is aimed specifically at women. You get styling advice, a colour analysis, wardrobe advice and a personal shopping session. Want something new in your wardrobe without buying it? Then join one of the Swap Deluxe clothes-swapping parties.
Renske’s tip: a versatile, well-fitting piece that can be worn both casually and formally is essential in every wardrobe. This is often a good pair of trousers in your favourite base colour or a neutral tone.
The Ethical Fashion Stylist guides you through your own wardrobe first
Ashna Chhatta works by appointment as the Ethical Fashion Stylist from Bickersgracht in Amsterdam. Her closet sessions help you rediscover the value of your current wardrobe and create new combinations with it.
As a personal shopper, she takes you to shops and brands she selects for social responsibility, environmental awareness, fairness and transparency. Want to know more about how the fashion industry works? Then join her Fashion Forward Tour. In the Mindful Fashion workshop, you’ll discover what kind of fashion suits your personality.
Try this at home: empty your wardrobe and make three piles. Pile one: what you wear often and easily. Pile two: what you love but rarely wear. Pile three: mistakes and pieces that need repairing. Then combine a favourite from pile one with something from pile two. Your wardrobe grows without adding a thing.
The Sustainable Stylist creates more outfits out of fewer clothes
The Sustainable Stylist Janneke Cloosterman from Utrecht helps you find the colours, fits and style that suit you. In her wardrobe programme, she optimises your wardrobe so you can create more combinations with fewer items.
Is something missing from your wardrobe? She’ll guide you in choosing with a personal sustainable shopping session, so the new piece really perfectly mixes and matches with what you already own.
Eva Schalckens gives your clothes a new feel
After eight years in England, Eva Schalckens chose the craft she was really meant for. She studied fashion design, pattern cutting and tailoring, and built up experience in made-to-measure work. She now has her own studio in Sinaai, around Sint-Niklaas, where designing, making, styling and workshops come together.
With her ‘Styled For You’ programme she helps women find overview and joy in their wardrobes again: combining more cleverly, refining and adding pieces without buying everything new. She offers one-to-one sessions in your home, puts together a capsule wardrobe for your trip with travel styling, and runs the ‘Boost your wardrobe’ workshop in collaboration with decluttering expert Ann of Org&nice.
You can also visit her studio for belts, scarves and bags, handmade from leftover fabrics and production surplus from other fashion houses. Got an old garment of your own, or from someone dear to you? Bring it along, and Eva will turn it into something new.
Prefer to make something yourself? Under the name ‘Made by you’, she shares sewing patterns, and in her Simple Repairs, Lasting Outfits workshops you learn how to mend your clothes so you can wear them for longer.
At SCHÖN, you’ll find second-hand luxury including advice
Just south of Brussels, in La Hulpe, you’ll find SCHÖN, a shop with carefully selected second-hand clothing, shoes, bags and accessories from premium and luxury brands, for both men and women.
Founder Stephanie is a stylist and personal shopper and even runs styling courses in Berlin and London. At SCHÖN, you can book a wardrobe check, a styling session or a workshop to discover and strengthen your authentic style. SCHÖN isn’t just about fashion, but also about personal transformation through more conscious style choices.
Anke helps you discover what suits you, colour by colour
Anke Stienen is a stylist, make-up artist and owner of My Melonade, a concept store with (colourful) fashion labels and make-up for women in Hasselt. Under her own name, she works as a stylist and image coach, mainly for female entrepreneurs.
She always works with the same five ingredients: colour, figure, cut, style and personality. Her colour analysis doesn’t just label you with a type. You go through the colours one by one together, so you can see for yourself which shades make your face light up.
Her advice: “For me, discovering your own style starts with self-acceptance and self-love. Choosing what you find beautiful and, most importantly, what makes you feel good. Creating a mood board can help with this, as can having a colour and style analysis. That way, you discover what suits you and your body best.”
Tina Steinke starts with a photo of your wardrobe
Tina Steinke used to work in publishing until her colleagues noticed what she wore before they noticed what she wrote. That’s how Kleiderordnung, her styling practice in Berlin, came about. She works with people of every gender and age, from someone speaking on a panel for the first time to someone starting a new job.
The first conversation will focus on your goals and frustrations. Then you send photos of your wardrobe, your favourites and the pieces you never wear. Tina uses them to build new combinations and a capsule wardrobe, so you get more wear and more meaning out of your clothes.
If something is missing from your wardrobe, she’s happy to point you towards second-hand and vintage shops and independent Berlin labels or brands.
Tina’s wisdom: a good sense of style doesn’t come from following trends but from understanding yourself and knowing what’s already in your wardrobe.
Let Slowsetter surprise you with new outfit combinations
Uta, the founder of Slowsetter in Düsseldorf, has more than twenty years of experience in creative fields, from carpentry to interior design. She styles brand campaigns but also works with private clients for both special occasions and everyday life.
A session starts with an hour of getting to know each other. Uta wants to know what your days look like: are you often on the road, do you spend time in meetings, do you look after children? Then she puts together outfits using what’s already in your wardrobe. According to Uta, this often results in far different and more combinations than clients expect.
Need a new more sustainable item to complete your wardrobe? Then she’ll happily search with you, looking at quality, transparency, environmental impact, working conditions and animal welfare.
Uta’s free tip: dive into your own wardrobe at the start of every season. You’re bound to find pieces you’d forgotten about. Don’t put them aside, look for new combinations with them straight away.
Want to become a stylist yourself?
Do you dream of helping others discover their style in a more sustainable way? At the AFA | Sustainable Styling Academy in Baambrugge (between Amsterdam and Utrecht), personal stylist Victorien van Duuren trains you to become a stylist with a focus on wearing clothes for longer and choosing more consciously.
You’ll learn in small groups, with lots of hands-on practice: fits, colours, combinations and garment care. After the course, you can set up on your own business or use it as a specialisation in your current fashion job.
No budget for a stylist? Try a digital one
The AI stylist in the COSH! Digital Wardrobe app isn’t a replacement for a stylist standing next to you in front of the mirror, but it does help on those mornings when you can’t make up your mind.
The stylist takes into account your location, the weather forecast and the season to put together the ideal outfit from pieces in your own (digital) wardrobe. No new purchases needed, just new combinations with what you already own.
Start with the piece that’s been living in the back of your closet for over a year
Which item in your wardrobe hasn’t seen daylight for a whole season? Challenge yourself to find a new combination for it this week. Can’t manage it on your own? Now you know who to call.
Frequently asked questions about stylists
What does a stylist who works with your own wardrobe do?
This kind of stylist starts with the clothes you already own, not with a shopping list. Together you look at what you wear and what you don’t, and why. Then you create new combinations with existing pieces. Only when something is really missing do you look for a specific addition, often second-hand or from a more sustainable brand.
What makes working with a stylist more sustainable?
A stylist makes your wardrobe more sustainable by helping you buy less new and wear what you already have for longer. In practice, that means wardrobe sessions, finding new combinations, swapping clothes, buying second-hand and repairing. By knowing which colours and fits suit you, you also make fewer buying mistakes.
Which stylists in Utrecht work with your existing wardrobe?
In Utrecht, you can visit Renske Snaar of rea_sn and Janneke Cloosterman of The Sustainable Stylist. Renske offers the Femme Fatale programme, which lasts three to four months and includes a colour analysis, wardrobe advice and swapping parties. Janneke’s programme helps you create more outfits from fewer pieces.
Which stylist in Amsterdam helps you rediscover your own clothes?
In Amsterdam, Ashna Chhatta works by appointment as the Ethical Fashion Stylist. She offers wardrobe sessions in which you create new combinations with what you already have. She also runs private shopping sessions, the Fashion Forward Tour about the fashion industry and the Mindful Fashion workshop.
Is there a stylist near Brussels who offers second-hand clothing?
Yes. SCHÖN in La Hulpe, just south of Brussels, sells second-hand clothing, shoes, bags and accessories from premium and luxury brands, for men and women. Founder Stephanie is a stylist and personal shopper. She offers wardrobe checks, styling sessions and workshops.
Where can I find a stylist for a colour analysis in Hasselt?
In Hasselt, you can visit Anke Stienen of My Melonade, a stylist, make-up artist and image coach for female entrepreneurs. She works with five ingredients: colour, figure, cut, style and personality. During her colour analysis, you go through the colours one by one together, so you can see for yourself which shades suit you.
Is there a stylist in Sint-Niklaas or the Waasland region?
Yes, Eva Schalckens has a studio in Sinaai, part of Sint-Niklaas in Belgium. With her Styled For You programme, she helps women combine and add to their wardrobes instead of buying new, with sessions in your home. She also makes belts, scarves and bags from leftover fabrics and runs repair workshops. The studio is open by appointment.
Can I book a stylist in Berlin who works with my own clothes?
Yes, Tina Steinke of Kleiderordnung. She starts with a conversation and photos of your open wardrobe. Then she puts together new combinations and a capsule wardrobe. If something is missing, she points you towards second-hand and vintage shops or independent Berlin labels. She works with people of every gender and age.
Is there a stylist in Düsseldorf who creates outfits from your current wardrobe?
Yes, Uta of Slowsetter. She works with both brands and private clients. A session starts with an hour of getting to know your daily routine. Then she builds outfits from clothes you already own.
How do you become a stylist with a focus on sustainability?
At the AFA | Sustainable Styling Academy in Baambrugge, personal stylist Victorien van Duuren trains you. You learn in small groups about fits, colours, combinations and garment care, with lots of hands-on practice. Afterwards, you can set up on your own or use it as a specialisation in your fashion job.
What can I do if I don’t have the budget for a stylist?
Start with stylist Ashna Chhatta’s three-pile method: divide your clothes into what you wear often, what you rarely wear and what needs repairing. Then combine pieces from the first two piles. Stylist Uta recommends going through your wardrobe every season to find forgotten pieces. The AI stylist in the COSH! Digital Wardrobe app puts together outfits from your own clothes, based on your location, the weather forecast and the season.
How many textiles do we buy in Europe?
In 2022, the average EU resident bought around 19 kilos of clothing, footwear and household textiles, up from 17 kilos in 2019 (Source: European Environment Agency). That’s enough to fill a large suitcase every year. And yet one in five garments in our wardrobes goes unworn (Source: Journal of Circular Economy (Volume 3, Issue 1)).
