Many people struggle with maintaining an organized wardrobe, often forgetting when they last wore items or holding onto clothes they rarely use. This leads to cluttered closets and missed opportunities to donate unused clothing. While some tracking apps exist, they require manual input and lack physical visibility into clothing usage.

A Smart Physical-Digital Solution

One approach could involve creating hangers with e-ink displays that show when an item was last worn, paired with a mobile app for detailed tracking. Each hanger would contain:

• Weight sensors to detect when clothing is removed or returned
• Low-power e-ink displays showing usage timestamps
• Bluetooth connectivity to sync with a smartphone app

The system would automatically track wear frequency while providing visible reminders in the closet itself. The companion app could analyze usage patterns, suggest items to donate, and integrate with laundry tracking for a complete picture of clothing use.

Potential Benefits and Applications

This system could appeal to organization-focused individuals and minimalists who want data-driven wardrobe management. Environmentalists might use it to ensure they maximize clothing use before donating, while charities could benefit from receiving better quality donations. Retailers might find value in aggregated, anonymized data about how long customers actually wear different clothing items.

Implementation Considerations

A minimal version could start with basic hangers featuring e-ink displays and simple weight sensors, tested with fashion-conscious early adopters. More advanced versions could integrate with laundry services or offer AI-powered donation suggestions. Key challenges would include ensuring hanger durability and solving power requirements for the displays and sensors, possibly through solar charging or ultra-low-power components.

Compared to existing manual tracking apps, this approach would reduce user effort while providing immediate physical visibility into clothing usage. Unlike standard smart hangers that focus on lighting or space-saving, this system would offer meaningful analytics to help users make better wardrobe decisions.