Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global apparel market was valued at approximately $1.5 trillion in 2023
The fast fashion market is projected to reach $185 billion by 2027
The U.S. apparel market generated about $317 billion in 2023
Over 100 billion garments are produced each year globally
The average consumer buys 60% more clothing now than 15 years ago
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and treatment processes
The fashion industry produces roughly 92 million tons of textile waste annually
Cotton farming uses 24% of the world’s insecticides and 11% of pesticides
85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
The fashion industry employs over 300 million people worldwide
By 2030, fashion consumption is projected to increase by 63%
Over 70% of garments are incinerated or end up in landfills
Consumer Behavior & Trends
- The average consumer buys 60% more clothing now than 15 years ago
- Consumers return about 30% of all online clothing purchases
- Average online return rate in fashion retail is 20-30%
- In 2021, 61% of consumers said sustainability is important to their fashion choices
- An item of clothing is worn an average of 7 times before disposal
- The average consumer wears only 20% of their clothes regularly
Interpretation
While we claim to care about sustainability, our closets tell the truth: stuffed with unworn fast fashion bought on impulse, returned on a whim, and discarded after just seven spins around the block.
Market Size & Growth
- The global apparel market was valued at approximately $1.5 trillion in 2023
- The fast fashion market is projected to reach $185 billion by 2027
- The U.S. apparel market generated about $317 billion in 2023
- By 2030, fashion consumption is projected to increase by 63%
- In 2023, China exported over $160 billion worth of clothing
- India’s textile and apparel industry is expected to reach $190 billion by 2025-26
- Bangladesh is the second-largest apparel exporter globally
- The luxury fashion market is valued at over $100 billion globally
- Nike is the leading apparel brand with annual revenues exceeding $50 billion
- The global sportswear market is projected to reach $482 billion by 2025
- Women’s apparel accounts for over 50% of the global fashion market
- Secondhand clothing sales are expected to reach $77 billion by 2025
- Digital fashion market expected to reach $4.8 billion by 2031
- In the U.S., apparel e-commerce rose to over $140 billion in 2023
- Online fashion sales account for 23% of global fashion revenue
- Activewear represented about 30% of total U.S. apparel sales in 2023
- Global clothing sales doubled between 2000 and 2015
- The combined EU and U.S. market consumes nearly 60% of all clothing sold globally
- Clothing rental market expected to reach $2.5 billion by 2027
- The circular fashion market is expected to grow to $6 billion by 2026
Interpretation
As fashion consumption hurtles toward a 63% increase by 2030 in a $1.5 trillion global industry dominated by fast fashion, luxury splurges, digital threads, and secondhand steals, the real trend may be realizing that our closets—not just catwalks—are shaping the future of the planet and the economy.
Production & Inventory
- Over 100 billion garments are produced each year globally
- The fashion industry employs over 300 million people worldwide
- Fashion brands produce an estimated 40% more clothing than they did 20 years ago
- Around 75 million people work in the textile, clothing, and footwear sector globally
- H&M and Zara introduce new styles every 2 weeks
- Over 60% of clothing is now produced in developing countries
- An estimated 40 million people are employed in garment production in Asia
- China accounts for about 36% of global textile exports
- Up to 25% of garments remain unsold in inventory
- Garment workers in Asia earn as little as $2-$5 per day
- Apparel pricing markup is commonly 100% to 300%
- Zara produces about 450 million items of clothing every year
- Polyester is used in about 52% of textile fiber production
- Fashion industry workers are 80% women worldwide, predominantly in low-income countries
- 25-30% of inventories in fashion are never sold, leading to overstock waste
Interpretation
Behind the glittering façade of fast fashion’s endless new looks lies a high-speed conveyor belt of overproduction, underpaid labor—mostly by women in the Global South—and a global system that churns out billions of garments a year while leaving millions unsold, undervalued, and unaccounted for.
Secondhand & Circular Fashion
- The resale apparel market is expected to grow 11 times faster than traditional retail by 2025
- Nearly 20% of used clothing donations are sold in thrift shops in the U.S.
- 45% of global used clothes are exported to developing countries
- Africa imports $1 billion worth of secondhand clothing annually
- Thrifted clothing extended the lifecycle of 1.65 billion garments in 2022
Interpretation
As fast fashion sprints toward landfill oblivion, the resale revolution—fueled by thrift shops and global secondhand exports—is stitching a new narrative where your old jeans might just find a second life in Lagos.
Sustainability & Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and treatment processes
- The fashion industry produces roughly 92 million tons of textile waste annually
- Cotton farming uses 24% of the world’s insecticides and 11% of pesticides
- 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
- Over 70% of garments are incinerated or end up in landfills
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
- 60% of materials used in clothing are made from plastic fibers like polyester
- More than 500,000 tons of microplastics are released into the ocean annually from synthetic garments
- The average American throws away 70 pounds of clothing per year
- Approximately 90% of workers in the global garment industry are paid below a living wage
- Up to 95% of textiles that are landfilled each year could be recycled
- Polyester production emits nearly three times more CO2 than cotton
- It takes about 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt
- One pair of jeans requires around 7,500 liters of water to produce
- In the EU, textiles are the fourth-largest cause of environmental pressure after food, housing, and mobility
- Virtually all clothing production involves some form of fossil fuels
- U.S. contributes 11.3 million tons of textile waste annually
- Industry-wide, only 13% of clothing is recycled in some form
- The fashion supply chain contributes roughly 20% of industrial water pollution globally
- About 3 in 5 garments end up in landfills or incinerators within a year of production
- Only 20% of textiles are collected for reuse or recycling globally
- Fashion is the second most polluting industry globally
- One truckload of textiles is landfilled or burned every second
- It takes 200 years for polyester to decompose in landfills
- 35% of ocean microplastics originate from synthetic textiles
- 95% of discarded textiles are recyclable
Interpretation
The fashion industry may dress us up, but behind the seams it’s leaving the planet threadbare—churning out carbon, chemicals, microplastics, and waste at a pace that’s anything but sustainable.
