Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global fashion industry is worth approximately $1.7 trillion
The fashion industry employs over 75 million people worldwide
Fast fashion accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions
The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing annually
The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater
85% of textiles go to the dump each year
The average lifespan of a fast fashion piece is about 5 wears
Synthetic fibers like polyester are found in 60% of garments
Clothing production has doubled since 2000
The fashion industry contributed 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2018
The global ethical fashion market was valued at $6.35 billion in 2019
Women account for 80% of garment workers globally
Only 2% of fashion workers are paid a living wage
Consumer Behavior & Trends
- The average lifespan of a fast fashion piece is about 5 wears
- 64% of consumers consider sustainability when making fashion purchases
- The average American buys 68 garments a year
- The secondhand market is projected to double by 2027, reaching $82 billion
- Online fashion sales account for 29.5% of global fashion retail sales
- The average return rate for online apparel shopping is around 30%
- The resale fashion market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail
- The average consumer wears a garment just 7 times before discarding it
- 80 billion pieces of clothing are consumed annually
- Footwear sales account for about 24% of the global fashion market
- 38% of shoppers expect same-day delivery for fashion items
- The global market for plus-size fashion is expected to reach $696.7 billion by 2027
- 1 in 3 young women consider garments “old” after one or two wears
- Sustainable fashion search terms grew by 37% in 2020
- The average EU citizen consumes 26 kg of textiles annually
- 52% of consumers in the U.S. say sustainability influences their purchase decisions
- 50% of slow fashion consumers are willing to pay more for sustainably produced items
- The wearable tech fashion market is expected to reach $87 billion by 2023
- 9 out of 10 Gen Z shoppers believe companies have a responsibility to address environmental issues
- The average fashion show attendee posts 10 pieces of content on social media
- 31% of global consumers are switching brands in search of more sustainable products
- 79% of consumers are changing their purchasing preferences based on social responsibility
- TikTok influences 25% of millennials' fashion purchases
- Subscription fashion services have grown 5x faster than other retail sectors since 2018
- Over 40% of Gen Z purchases are influenced by social media trends
- 27% of fashion returns are due to sizing issues
- Approximately 63% of fashion consumers want brands to show transparency in sourcing materials
- Gen Z accounts for 40% of global consumers and significantly influences fashion trends
Interpretation
In a world where fast fashion lasts five wears, 80 billion garments are consumed annually, and Gen Z demands sustainability with a side of same-day delivery, it's clear the fashion industry is sprinting in platform heels toward a future where ethics, tech, and trends must finally walk the same runway.
Corporate Strategy & Investment
- Brands release up to 24 collections a year in fast fashion
- The average fashion week show costs $200,000-$1 million to produce
- Supply chain traceability is a top priority for 67% of fashion executives
- Luxury brands have increased their digital marketing budgets by over 30% post-2020
- Fashion brands dropped 17% of collaborations in 2021 versus 2020
- The global lab-grown leather market could reach $3 billion by 2027
- The average time to market for a fast fashion brand is 2 weeks
- The AI in fashion market is projected to reach $4.4 billion in 2027
- Over 40% of fashion firms plan to increase investment in circular fashion by 2025
Interpretation
As the fashion industry twirls between lightning-fast trends, million-dollar runways, and AI-powered sustainability pledges, it’s clear that style is no longer just about what you wear—but how ethically, digitally, and rapidly you can deliver it.
Economic Impact
- The global fashion industry is worth approximately $1.7 trillion
- The global ethical fashion market was valued at $6.35 billion in 2019
- The luxury fashion market globally was valued at $107.9 billion in 2020
- Over 60% of fashion executives expect conditions for the fashion industry to worsen in 2023
- The fashion industry is the third-largest manufacturing sector in the world
- The U.S. fashion apparel market was worth $406 billion in 2022
- The average price of a fashion item returned is $50
- Fashion’s waste is valued at around $500 billion annually
- More than 25% of textiles were produced for the fashion industry in 2020
Interpretation
The fashion industry may be worth trillions and dazzle in luxury, but behind the runway lies a $500 billion heap of waste, a $50 price tag for regret, and an ethical market still trying to tailor a conscience onto an empire racing toward a reckoning.
Employment & Labor Practices
- The fashion industry employs over 75 million people worldwide
- Women account for 80% of garment workers globally
- Only 2% of fashion workers are paid a living wage
- The average fashion designer in the U.S. earns $75,810 annually
- The U.S. fashion industry employs nearly 4 million people
- Nearly 40% of fashion brands don’t know their supply chain beyond Tier 1
- The demand for fashion stylists has increased by 22% in the last 5 years
- 70% of human trafficking victims work in the fashion industry supply chain
- Textile workers in developing countries can make as little as $3 per day
Interpretation
Behind the catwalk glamour and six-figure designer salaries lies a fashion industry stitched together by the invisible hands of underpaid women, murky supply chains, and labor exploitation that’s anything but in style.
Environmental Impact
- Fast fashion accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions
- The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing annually
- The fashion industry is responsible for 20% of global wastewater
- 85% of textiles go to the dump each year
- Synthetic fibers like polyester are found in 60% of garments
- Clothing production has doubled since 2000
- The fashion industry contributed 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse gases in 2018
- 92 million tons of textile waste is created annually
- Fashion is the second-largest consumer of the world’s water supply
- It takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt
- Fashion generates more than 92 million tons of waste and 79 trillion liters of water annually
- Only 12% of clothing materials are recycled
- Cotton production uses up 24% of the world’s insecticides
- Polyester takes up to 200 years to decompose
- Synthetics represent over 65% of all fiber production
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- Circular fashion could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 39%
- An estimated 500,000 tons of microfibers are released into the ocean annually
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
- 70% of fashion industry emissions come from upstream activities such as materials production and processing
- Renting apparel can reduce carbon emissions by 67%
- 9% of greenhouse gas emissions come from apparel and footwear industries combined
Interpretation
Fast fashion may dress us up in the short term, but behind its glittering seams lies a threadbare truth: we're hemorrhaging water, choking the planet with waste, and spinning polyester dreams destined to haunt landfills for centuries—unless we restitch the industry with sustainability as its new couture.
