Fast Fashion Consumer Statistics

Generation Z commands 40 percent of total consumer shopping power for fashion

54 percent of Gen Z shoppers have bought second-hand clothing but 72 percent still buy fast fashion

90 percent of Gen Z consumers have made changes to be more sustainable in their daily lives yet drive ultra-fast fashion sales

Millennial consumers are 23 percent more likely to purchase sustainable fashion than Baby Boomers

53 percent of consumers aged 18-24 admit that social media influencers impact their purchasing decisions

Shein was the most downloaded fashion app in the US in 2022 primarily driven by Gen Z

Men engage in sustainable fashion shopping 20 percent less frequently than women

65 percent of Chinese consumers consider themselves environmentally conscious regarding fashion compared to 55 percent of US consumers

1 in 3 Gen Z consumers say they are "addicted" to fast fashion

42 percent of millennials check a brand's sustainability credentials before buying

Women aged 16-24 are the most frequent buyers of fast fashion in the UK

72 percent of Gen Z participants said they would pay more for sustainably produced products

TikTok's #haul tag has over 25 billion views driving youth consumption

80 percent of luxury fashion growth is driven by Millennial and Gen Z consumers helping blur lines with high-street fashion

55 percent of urban Chinese consumers are willing to buy second-hand clothing

46 percent of US consumers are willing to try virtual try-on technology to reduce returns

Households with children spend 30 percent more on apparel annually than those without

52 percent of female consumers in the EU check care labels for material composition

62 percent of Gen Z prefer to buy from sustainable brands compared to 54 percent of Gen X

Only 17 percent of Baby Boomers are willing to pay a premium for sustainable fashion

Global clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2014 while the number of garments purchased per capita increased by about 60 percent

The average consumer buys 60 percent more items of clothing and keeps them for about half as long as they did 15 years ago

Consumers in the United Kingdom order an average of 4.3 online fashion items per month

20 percent of shoppers admit to buying clothes they never wear

Women wear a garment an average of 7 times before throwing it away

The average American family spends $1,700 on clothes annually

40 percent of consumers admit they have purchased clothing just for the purpose of posting it on social media

Fast fashion consumption is projected to rise by 63 percent by 2030

85 percent of consumers have bought clothing in the past 12 months

41 percent of shoppers engage in impulse buying specifically for fashion items

American consumers purchase approximately 68 garments per person per year

One in three young women consider clothes ‘old’ after wearing them once or twice

50 percent of consumer closet space is filled with unworn clothing

During the holiday season, 46 percent of consumers plan to buy clothing as gifts contributing to volume spikes

UK consumers possess an estimated £30 billion worth of unworn clothing

The average wardrobe consists of 148 items

33 percent of consumers buy new clothes every month

48 percent of US consumers shop for clothes online at least once a month

The global apparel market is expected to grow to 2 trillion dollars by 2027 driven by consumption volume

25 percent of consumers would pay more for personalization but often opt for mass-produced fast fashion for speed

The equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned every second

85 percent of all textiles go to the dump each year

Less than 1 percent of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing

The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing every year

60 percent of discarded clothes are made of synthetic fibers that do not decay

30 percent of clothes produced are never sold and often destroyed

Washing clothes releases 500000 tons of microfibers into the ocean each year

50 percent of people throw unwanted clothes directly in the trash rather than donating

Textile waste has increased by 811 percent since 1960

73 percent of the world's clothing eventually ends up in landfills

Only 12 percent of clothing material ends up being recycled in some form mostly as insulation

20 to 25 percent of pledged donations to thrift stores are actually sold while the rest is exported or trashed

Returns generate 5.8 billion pounds of landfill waste annually in the US

Consumers keep items for half as long as they did in the early 2000s accelerating disposal

Extending the life of clothing by just nine months would reduce carbon waste and water footprints by 20 to 30 percent

40 percent of donations to charities are of such poor quality (fast fashion) they are deemed "rags"

16 percent of consumers discard clothes because they "don't like them anymore"

95 percent of textiles destined for landfill could be recycled or reused

Fashion waste is responsible for 4 percent of global solid waste

69 percent of clothes are made of polyester plastics that shed into water systems upon disposal

The global second-hand apparel market will grow 127 percent by 2026

62 percent of consumers say inflation has made them more likely to buy second-hand

The fast fashion market size was valued at $106 billion in 2022

Online sales of fast fashion grew by 21 percent during the pandemic years

58 percent of consumers say price is the primary barrier to purchasing sustainable fashion

The resale market is growing 3 times faster than the primary global apparel market

Clothing prices have decreased by 12 percent globally from 2000 to 2020 due to supply chain efficiencies

25 percent of secondhand revenue is expected to come from brands' own resale shops by 2025

70 percent of online shopping carts are abandoned often due to shipping costs or final price

The cost per wear of clothing has decreased as consumers buy cheaper items

Ultra-fast fashion brands update their inventory daily with thousands of new SKUs to drive economic turnover

46 percent of items in the fast fashion market are sold at a discount

Fast fashion retailers have a profit margin averaging 16 percent compared to 7 percent for traditional retail

35 percent of consumers buy clothing using "Buy Now Pay Later" services

Return rates for e-commerce fashion sit between 30 and 40 percent impacting retail margins

The cost of returns in the US alone reached $816 billion in 2022 across retail heavily led by fashion

Secondhand clothing sales replaced 1 billion purchases of new clothing in 2021

45 percent of fast fashion shoppers say they would shop less if prices increased by 20 percent

Global spending on clothing and footwear is projected to reach $3.3 trillion by 2030

1 in 2 consumers cite "saving money" as the top reason for thrifting over buying new fast fashion

66 percent of global consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable goods

88 percent of consumers want brands to help them be more environmentally friendly

52 percent of consumers believe the fashion industry is not doing enough for the environment

75 percent of consumers view sustainability as an important factor when making a purchase

However only 7 percent of consumers prioritize sustainability as the key purchasing criterion over price and style

60 percent of consumers claim they are interested in clothing repair services to extend garment life

79 percent of consumers say they are changing their purchase preferences based on social responsibility

37 percent of consumers say they don't know how to access sustainable fashion

34 percent of consumers say they have boycotted a brand due to unethical practices

48 percent of consumers feel confused by sustainability terminology used by brands

78 percent of consumers want more transparency about where their clothes are made

57 percent of shoppers say they would change their purchasing habits to reduce negative environmental impact

Trust in fashion brands' sustainability claims has dropped to 21 percent among informed consumers

43 percent of consumers believe manufacturers are most responsible for the environmental impact of clothing not the consumer

67 percent of consumers consider the use of sustainable materials as an important purchasing factor

92 percent of consumers say they want to live more sustainably but only 16 percent are actively changing their behaviors

Consumers estimate they wear their clothes 40 percent more often than they actually do indicating an awareness gap

38 percent of consumers are aware that the fashion industry is a major polluter of water

27 percent of consumers feel "guilty" about buying fast fashion products

80 percent of consumers believe that fashion brands should be required to provide information on their supply chain