Learn Your Cost Per Wear

Cost per wear (CPW) is a simple idea: the value of an item is directly related to how much you use it. You can calculate CPW on any item by taking its price plus the cost of maintenance (dry cleaning, tailoring or mending for example) and dividing that by the total number of times it was used. 

CPW = Purchase Price + Maintenance Cost / Total Wears

A client, Leandra*, had reached out to me with the story I hear all too often, “Sarah, I have three closet’s filled with clothes, but I have absolutely nothing to wear”.  

We worked together to review her closet and determine the next steps. 

When I removed all of her pieces from her wardrobe, I counted 43 black blazers (all not-so-surprisingly similar). And, she reported to me that she only wore one on the regular. I knew immediately upon seeing it, however I asked her what was so different about the one piece? Leandra informed me it had been an investment and everything about it was right from the moment she saw it til the time she took it up to the register.

It was the perfect shade, the fit was on point and it was a classic piece. 

The only factor that was not perfect, in her mind, was the price. It was the last blazer that she had moved into her closet and it made all the others completely irrelevant and obsolete. For my friends in the dating pool, it sounds like finding the perfect guy, right? Some dating humor for you! 

Leandra reported that she spent half a month’s rent on it ($1200) and was worried she would be flat broke if she continued to develop an affinity for designer garments, much like her beloved black blazer. I quickly did a calculation, and by calculation I mean that I pulled out my iPhone calculator (math, ugh) and determined that if she had spent an average of $150 on her 42 other blazers she had close to $6300 in clothing sitting at our feet, ready to leave her home. 

Leandra had worn this blazer almost every day since she had purchased it, sometimes multiple times a day! It was the one piece in her closet that she could count on. In fact, she had worn this blazer almost 70 times since she purchased it and it was only 3 months old. 

Calculating cost per wear (CPW) showed Leandra a few important insights.

Wearing this blazer costs around $17 each wear and with it being a high quality item that she will have forever, the cost will only decrease over time. 

Many of her other blazers that she purchased which she thought were good enough, but she was not excited about, were worn once and had a $150 CPW. Hello expensive! 

This school of thought can be easily transferred to all aspects of Leandra’s wardrobe. She may spend more intially, however her wardrobe will be higher quality and actually cost less over time.

So, before you head to the cash register or press that oh so convenient, add to cart button, do the simple equation and calculate your CPW. Both your bank account, and the environment will thank you.

*This story has been shared with consent and the name has been changed.