Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global fast fashion market was valued at approximately $91 billion in 2021
The fast fashion market is projected to grow to $138.7 billion by 2026
Zara's parent company Inditext generated over $33.3 billion in revenue in 2022
H&M's net sales increased to $22.5 billion in 2022
Shein was valued at $100 billion in 2022
1 in 3 young women in the UK consider clothing worn once or twice to be old
The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing per year
The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions
60% of all textiles used globally are made from plastic
The fast fashion industry produces over 92 million tons of waste annually
Only 15% of clothing is donated or recycled in the United States
The average number of fashion seasons per year has increased from 2 to up to 52
Fashion accounts for 20% of global wastewater
Consumer Behavior and Trends
- 1 in 3 young women in the UK consider clothing worn once or twice to be old
- The average number of fashion seasons per year has increased from 2 to up to 52
- Shein reportedly adds 2,000 to 10,000 new styles to its website daily
- Fast fashion companies like Boohoo release over 500 new products weekly
- Consumers keep clothing items about half as long as they did 15 years ago
- On average, garments are worn only seven times before being discarded
- The average number of garments purchased per year has increased by 60% since 2000
- In 2021, UK consumers spent £3.5 billion on 180 million items worn only once
- The average UK shopper spends £1,000 on fashion annually
- 40% of clothing purchased in some countries is never worn
- Most fast fashion brands launch a new collection every 2 weeks
- The average American buys one new piece of clothing every 5.5 days
- One in three garments in UK wardrobes is unworn for at least a year
- The cost of returns from fashion e-commerce was estimated at $550 billion in 2020
- Over 80% of garment workers globally are women between 18–35 years old
- 77% of EU consumers say they would rather repair their clothes than buy new
Interpretation
Fast fashion has turned closets into revolving doors, where clothes have shorter lifespans than leftovers and style updates faster than a news cycle—at an environmental and human cost that rarely makes the label.
Leading Brands and Financial Performance
- Zara's parent company Inditext generated over $33.3 billion in revenue in 2022
- H&M's net sales increased to $22.5 billion in 2022
- Shein was valued at $100 billion in 2022
- Online sales account for over 70% of Shein's revenues
- Shein made over $15 billion in revenue in 2021
Interpretation
Fast fashion’s cash-churning giants—Zara, H&M, and Shein—prove that in a world hooked on cheap threads and lightning-fast trends, style sells fast and ethics trail slowly behind.
Market Size and Growth
- The global fast fashion market was valued at approximately $91 billion in 2021
- The fast fashion market is projected to grow to $138.7 billion by 2026
- The global secondhand apparel market is expected to double to $77 billion by 2025, partly due to fast fashion backlash
- Clothing production doubled between 2000 and 2015
- Annual global clothing production exceeds 100 billion garments
- The US imports about $125 billion worth of apparel annually
- The T-shirt market alone is projected to reach $40 billion by 2025
- The global denim jeans market is expected to exceed $87 billion by 2027
- 1 in 6 people work in the global fashion industry
- Online fast fashion is projected to grow 10.7% annually through 2030
- One in five people globally works in textile and garment-related jobs
Interpretation
As the fast fashion empire races toward a $138.7 billion future, churning out over 100 billion garments a year and fueling both an online boom and a secondhand rebellion, it's clear we're dressing for excess in an industry where every fifth person stitches, sells, or ships the fabric of our throwaway culture.
Resale and Circular Fashion
- The resale market is growing 11 times faster than traditional retail
Interpretation
As fast fashion races to keep up with trends, the resale market is lapping it—proving that yesterday’s outfits are today’s most profitable comeback.
Sustainability and Environmental Impact
- The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothing per year
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions
- 60% of all textiles used globally are made from plastic
- The fast fashion industry produces over 92 million tons of waste annually
- Only 15% of clothing is donated or recycled in the United States
- Fashion accounts for 20% of global wastewater
- The fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water annually
- 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year
- The fashion industry uses 1.5 trillion liters of water annually for dyeing alone
- One cotton shirt takes about 2,700 liters of water to produce
- Fast fashion contributes to approximately 35% of all microplastics in the ocean
- Over 300 million barrels of oil are used every year to make synthetic textiles
- The EU plans to require fast fashion retailers to ensure clothing lasts at least 30 washes
- Only 1% of clothing is recycled into new clothing
- 75% of fast fashion ends up in landfills or is incinerated
- Fast fashion contributes to the loss of about $500 billion annually due to underuse and lack of recycling
- Low-wage garment workers make as little as $3 per day
- 97% of apparel sold in the U.S. is imported
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- Nearly 70 million barrels of oil are used each year to produce polyester
- Polyester takes over 200 years to decompose
- Fashion accounts for 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Garment workers in Bangladesh earn as little as $96 a month
- 80 billion garments are produced globally each year
- In 2020, 85% of discarded textiles in the U.S. ended up in landfills or burned
- Returns from online fast fashion purchases often end up in landfills due to cost of processing
- Fast fashion production releases 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent annually
- Landfills receive 13 million tons of clothes mostly from fast fashion annually
- Textile waste is expected to increase by 60% between 2015 and 2030
- Approximately 70% of fast fashion's climate impact comes from upstream production
- Fashion brands discard about 30% of manufactured clothing before it even reaches stores
- H&M burned 12 tons of unsold clothing in Denmark in one year
- Approximately 10,000 liters of water are needed to produce 1 kg of cotton
- The dyeing process in textiles generates 20% of the world's industrial water pollution
- 52% of fast fashion is made from polyester
- Microfibers from synthetic clothing account for 35% of primary microplastics in oceans
- Up to 95% of clothing thrown away could be reused or recycled
- Clothing production emits more carbon than aviation and maritime shipping combined
- Every second, the equivalent of one garbage truck of textiles is landfilled or burned
- Fashion’s waste problem could reach 148 million tons by 2030
Interpretation
Fast fashion may dress us in the latest trends, but behind the seams it’s a toxic cocktail of oil, water, waste, and exploitation—costing the planet billions while we skip the laundry and shop for another $5 tee.