Brits to spend £2.7bn on outfits they wear once this summer
'This is wasteful, expensive and unsustainable'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Britons are expected to spend more than £2.7bn this summer on outfits they will wear just once, new research claims.
The survey of 2,000 people, conducted by Censuswide on behalf of children’s charity Barnardo’s, found that summer events such as weddings, barbecues and festivals can fuel fast fashion culture because consumers buy cheap clothes to wear to them and throw them away afterwards.
According to the survey, British shoppers will spend roughly £800m on wedding outfits (the average spend per outfit is £80) that they won’t wear again.
An additional £700m will be spent on single-use holiday clothes, the poll found.
“This is wasteful, expensive and unsustainable, both in terms of the environmental costs of making new outfits and the tonnes of wasted clothes which then end up in landfill,” the charity said in a statement.
The research found that one in four of those surveyed would feel embarrassed wearing an outfit to a special occasion more than once. But the shame surrounding outfit repetition is more prevalent in younger shoppers, with 37 per cent of them saying the same.
Comparatively, just 12 per cent of over-55s said they’d be embarrassed to repeat an outfit at a special event.
In order to combat this, Barnardo’s is encouraging shoppers to invest in pre-loved clothes for special occasions.
Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said: “Choosing to buy pre-loved clothes for a special occasion from a Barnardo’s shop means you don’t have to worry about bumping into someone wearing the same outfit.
“It is also kinder to the environment and your wallet, getting more wear out of clothes which might otherwise only be worn once and end up in landfill.”
The report comes days after Oxfam launched its "Second-hand September” campaign, encouraging people to pledge not to buy any new items of clothing for the duration of the month.
The charity launched the campaign at Glastonbury Festival with a number of celebrity backers, including Johnny Marr and Kylie Minogue, who donated items from their wardrobes to the organisation.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments