Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global fashion industry is valued at approximately $1.7 trillion as of 2023
The global fast fashion market was worth $106.42 billion in 2022
The global online fashion market is projected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2025
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
Every year, the fashion industry produces 92 million tons of textile waste
The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing annually
Clothing production has doubled since 2000
Consumers buy 60% more clothes than they did 15 years ago but keep them for half as long
Fashion accounts for 20% of the world’s wastewater
Polyester is the most widely used fiber in clothing, surpassing cotton
Approximately 60% of all materials used by the fashion industry are made from plastic
Roughly 93 billion cubic meters of water are used by the fashion industry annually
It takes about 2,700 liters of water to produce the cotton needed for one t-shirt
Consumer Behavior and Preferences
- Consumers buy 60% more clothes than they did 15 years ago but keep them for half as long
- Only 14% of major fashion brands have women in executive leadership roles
- 66% of consumers consider sustainability when making a fashion purchase
- The average price of a pair of jeans in the U.S. is $45.32
- The average garment is worn only 7 times before being discarded
- The average American household spends $1,434 annually on clothing
- 42% of Gen Z shoppers say value for money is their top priority in fashion
- 45% of millennials consider fair trade important when shopping for fashion
- 60% of shoppers now say they prefer brands that support sustainability
- 59% of shoppers say personalization influences their fashion buying decisions
- 1 in 3 consumers toss unwanted clothes in the trash rather than recycle or donate
- Secondhand items make up 9% of Gen Z wardrobes on average
- 78% of fashion consumers want brands to educate them on sustainability
- 56% of shoppers believe fashion brands’ sustainability claims are misleading
- Unilever’s research shows 33% of consumers choose brands based on their social/environmental impact
- Some 21% of fashion consumers boycott brands involved in unethical behavior
Interpretation
In a world where the average garment sees fewer outings than a party dress at a pajama convention, shoppers demand sustainable, ethical fashion from brands they don’t trust, led by boards few women sit on—because fast fashion isn’t just what we wear, it’s how quickly we forget the cost.
Digital and Social Media Influence
- 81% of Gen Z buy fashion influenced by social media
- TikTok saw 60 billion fashion-related video views in 2022
Interpretation
With 81% of Gen Z swiping their style cues from social media and TikTok racking up 60 billion fashion views in 2022, it’s clear the runway has gone digital—and everyone's scrolling in the front row.
Market Size and Growth
- The global fashion industry is valued at approximately $1.7 trillion as of 2023
- The global fast fashion market was worth $106.42 billion in 2022
- The global online fashion market is projected to reach $1.2 trillion by 2025
- Polyester is the most widely used fiber in clothing, surpassing cotton
- The luxury fashion industry is projected to reach $369.8 billion by 2025
- The resale clothing market is projected to grow to $350 billion by 2027
- Online sales accounted for 29% of fashion sales globally in 2022
- Asia-Pacific accounts for more than 38% of the global apparel market
- Nike is the world’s most valuable apparel brand, worth $33.18 billion in 2023
- Zara owners Inditext earned $33.6 billion in net sales in 2022
- Digital fashion could become a $50 billion industry by 2030
- Shein was valued at $100 billion in 2022, more than H&M and Zara combined
- The fashion industry’s contribution to global GDP is approximately 2%
- Clothing sales online grew 15% year over year in 2022
- India’s textile and apparel sector is expected to reach $190 billion by 2025-26
- Amazon is the largest fashion retailer in the U.S. as of 2022
- Thrifted fashion is projected to grow 3x faster than the global apparel market overall
- Men’s luxury fashion is growing faster than women’s luxury fashion
Interpretation
In a world where polyester outpaces cotton, Shein eclipses fashion giants, and secondhand style races ahead, the $1.7 trillion fashion industry is proving that digital threads, fast trends, and frugal chic are more than just passing fads—they're a high-stakes battleground where clicks, resale racks, and emerging markets define the couture of capitalism.
Production and Supply Chain
- Clothing production has doubled since 2000
- The fashion industry employs over 75 million people worldwide
- Women make up 80% of the workers in the garment industry
- 1 in 6 people in the world work in a fashion-related job
- 80 billion garments are produced every year worldwide
- 90% of workers in the fashion supply chain are not unionized and lack power
- Over 90% of workers in Bangladesh’s garment factories are women
- Uzbekistan stopped forced cotton labor in 2022 after decades due to global fashion pressure
- 75% of clothing companies don't disclose their supply chain factory list
- Over 50% of fashion executives cite inflation as the top risk in 2023
- The average garment factory worker earns less than $200/month in many countries
Interpretation
Behind the glossy runways and fast-fashion racks lies a global empire stitched together by underpaid women, runaway production, and opaque supply chains—proving that style still too often comes at the cost of substance.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Every year, the fashion industry produces 92 million tons of textile waste
- The average American throws away about 81 pounds of clothing annually
- Fashion accounts for 20% of the world’s wastewater
- Approximately 60% of all materials used by the fashion industry are made from plastic
- Roughly 93 billion cubic meters of water are used by the fashion industry annually
- It takes about 2,700 liters of water to produce the cotton needed for one t-shirt
- Cotton accounts for 24% of global insecticide use and 11% of pesticide use
- 73% of clothing ends up in landfills or is incinerated after use
- Only 12% of the material used for clothing ends up being recycled
- Fashion was the second-largest polluting industry globally, after oil
- 100 billion cubic meters of water are consumed by the fashion industry yearly
- 1.5 trillion liters of water are used annually to dye textiles
- Leather production contributes approximately 130 million metric tons of CO2e emissions
- H&M aims to become 100% circular and climate positive by 2040
- Patagonia commits 1% of annual sales to environmental causes
- Adidas plans to use only recycled polyester in all shoes and apparel by 2024
- Fashion is the second largest consumer of water globally
- Synthetic fibers take up to 200 years to decompose
- 57% of fashion brands are not taking active steps to curb emissions
- Over 40% of global textile production ends up as waste on the cutting room floor
- Fashion brands lose $500 billion annually from lack of recycling and recovery of clothes
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments
- Around 60% of clothes are discarded within a year of production
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- 90% of clothing donated to thrift stores never ends up being sold
- Up to 30% of all clothes produced are never sold
- The average fashion product has a carbon footprint of 14 kg CO₂e
Interpretation
The fashion industry may dress us up, but behind the seams it's undressing the planet—spinning 10% of global carbon emissions, drowning us in waste, guzzling water like a parched supermodel, and sewing up a future where fast fashion leaves our environment threadbare.