The Pros and Cons of a Client Closet

I began offering a client wardrobe in 2021, and have experienced both the pros and cons of this decision. It’s wonderful in many ways: I can create a seamless and stress-free experience for my clients as they skip out on shopping, I can help them look their very best and feel confident at their session, and I’ve benefitted from the consistency it’s created in my portfolio.

At the same time, it has been a big investment of both time and money to create and maintain this wardrobe. I schedule appointments with my clients, I wash, dry, and steam clothing, I schedule clothing pickups before sessions, and I purchase pieces each year so that my offerings remain fresh and stylish.

Personally, I love having this available – but that doesn’t mean that I recommend it to everyone.

Before investing your time, energy, and money into building a client closet, it’s worth thinking through everything that is actually involved in this undertaking — and whether it truly aligns with your business goals, your workflow, and your clients’ needs.

The Pros and Cons of a Client Closet

The benefits of a client closet:

1. It elevates the overall look of your portfolio.
   When clients wear pieces that photograph beautifully and align with your brand aesthetic, it becomes easier to create a consistent and compelling portfolio. Over time, this visual cohesion strengthens your brand presence and helps attract more of your ideal clients.
2. It’s a high-value, stress-reducing service for your clients.
   Most clients feel some level of anxiety when deciding what to wear for a photo session. Offering wardrobe options eliminates guesswork and saves them significant time, stress, and money. It’s a convenience they’ll genuinely appreciate—and rave about!
3. It increases the value of your services.
   A client wardrobe positions your brand as high-touch and detail-oriented, which can justify higher pricing and help set your offerings apart in a crowded market.
4. It can make your sessions more inspiring & fulfilling.
   To put it plainly, it’s easier to feel inspired at our sessions when our clients are dressed in a way that aligns with our style and vision. We enjoy the process and the final results more when we’re photographing well-styled clients – and our clients also benefit when we feel inspired and excited to create with them. It’s rewarding all around!

The challenges to consider:

1. It requires a financial investment.
   High-quality pieces are expensive, even secondhand — and trends change quickly. While you can build slowly over time, it’s still a significant and ongoing expense if you want your wardrobe to remain relevant and versatile. It’s also important to offer pieces that accommodate a range of sizing to accommodate the moms we serve and all of their different shapes and stages of motherhood.
2. It adds complexity to your workload.
   Wardrobe appointments, try-ons, washing, steaming, transporting clothing, tracking who’s wearing what — it all takes time. Managing the details well is essential for maintaining a professional experience (and ensuring you don’t lose your beautiful clothing items!), but it does add another layer of work behind the scenes.
3. You need a dedicated space.
   Storing, organizing, and presenting your wardrobe pieces requires space. If you don’t have a studio or designated area, it can quickly become difficult to manage.
4. Not every client will use it.
   Even with a beautifully curated wardrobe, some clients will prefer to wear their own clothing. Others may love the idea but won’t find the right fit. There’s a learning curve involved in figuring out which pieces actually get used, and it’s only by trial and error that we learn which clothing items were worth the investment and which were not.

So… is a client closet right for you?

If you’re considering adding wardrobe options to your business, take time to think through the following questions:

• will your clients be excited about this offering?
• do you feel confident styling your clients and shopping for pieces that will serve them well?
• what does your budget look like, and is it enough to get started?
• are you able to add more hours to your workflow, and will you be able to up your prices to cover this service?

Depending on those answers, it may be clear that it’s a great fit – or that it’s not at all!

If you’re uncertain but would like to try it out, here’s a great way to give it a trial run: start with a soft launch. Curate just a few of your favorite, versatile pieces for women, and offer them to clients who may be interested. If you don’t have a studio space, you can do in-home wardrobe appointments for clients to try them on. (This isn’t sustainable long-term, but works great for a test run.) This soft launch allows you to gauge interest, refine your process, and decide whether it’s something worth expanding.

If you find that offering wardrobe elevates your sessions, simplifies your clients’ planning, and aligns with your brand direction, you can continue building from there.

And if it’s not for you? That’s completely fine! A beautiful, high-end client experience is absolutely possible without a wardrobe. This is simply one option among many. You can offer a wonderful style guide, spend time on the phone with clients giving them guidance, sign up for a monthly styling service, or even partner up with a professional stylist!

The Pros and Cons of a Client Closet

Final Thoughts:

There’s no right or wrong answer—just what’s right for you. Your business should support your life, not complicate it. If a client wardrobe brings you joy and improves your sessions, it may be worth pursuing. If it feels like more than you want to take on, that’s just as valid.

Whatever you decide, let it be intentional and aligned with your goals. You know your clients, your capacity, and your creative vision best.

You’re doing great work — as always, trust yourself!