Forkeeps App: An Easy Guide to Decluttering

Today’s society seems obsessed with the idea of more, and it is not necessarily because more means better. It’s just more stuff to add to the pile. Our clothes, for example, are often piled on more clothes that we don't wear, whether because we're too busy to remember that we bought them, or that we’ve simply moved on from them.

There's a pile waiting to be given attention, and in Meredith Grey's plea to Derek in Grey's Anatomy, the clothes are crying out, "Pick me, choose me, love me.” We live in an endless cycle of consumption, and there’s textile waste in the wake of our overconsumption. “Globally, the fashion industry produces around 92 million tonnes of textile waste each year—equivalent to a garbage truck full of clothes hitting a landfill every second,” according to Earth.org.

Decluttering is the way of letting the pile go. It is important because it helps to reduce textile waste, encourages conscious buying habits and promotes sustainability through community circulation.

When we let go of clothes in the pile, we choose to give our clothes a second chance and break the cycle of overconsumption. We help to combat the demand for resource-heavy fast fashion, open up affordable options for others, and when we swap, sell, or share instead of trash, we're living ethically and saving the planet.

This doesn’t have to be a complicated process, and luckily, we have Forkeeps to help us.

Forkeeps is a Nigerian-based sustainable fashion platform that launched in 2022. The app helps you declutter your wardrobe, sell or swap your preloved items, and shop consciously.

Forkeeps helps you do your part for the planet while still staying stylish. It turns fashion into a circular, shared, and conscious experience, especially for young Africans who want their choices to reflect both identity and responsibility.

Here are a few perks of using the Forkeeps app:

• First, it allows users to create a profile and upload preloved items they want to swap easily, with descriptions and pricing.

• Next, it offers a seamless experience, with free pickup for users, using an inbuilt pickup service called “Fleep.” This collects the items, professionally photographs them, lists them on the marketplace and allows for shipping around parts of Nigeria.
• The platform also allows seamless payment using an Escrow payment service, which protects both the buyer and seller. It works like this: the buyer pays for an item, then it goes to the Forkeeps app until the item is delivered to the buyer, and it is confirmed to be in good condition, before the seller receives their payment.

• Lastly, the app has smart filters that allow buyers to enjoy a feed with sections showing you items that match your brand, size, price, style, and favourite categories, whether it is dresses and accessories, books, or vintage finds. It's like scrolling through a closet built just for you.

Forkeeps promotes sustainable choices by making the act of swapping and reselling preloved items easy by decluttering, so items can stay in circulation.

The co-founder, Modupe Ope, shares it better: “At ForKeeps, we're changing that.

Here, we're building more than just a resale platform, we're building a circular fashion economy where every piece of clothing has extended life and real value. A culture where fashion is fluid, sustainable, and rewarding for both sellers and buyers. Where closets don't just take up space, they also make people money.” She revealed in a LinkedIn post.

Although it’s hard to let go of your clothes, as they carry memories, stories, and phases of who you once were, it is also time to have a mindset shift. To go from hoarding clothes to opening your wardrobe and setting all that pile free.

Forkeeps is operational in Nigeria, especially Lagos, with its “Fleep” pickup service covering areas like Lekki and Victoria Island.