Barnardo’s calling on consumers to think “pre-loved”

A new survey commissioned by charity Barnardo’s has revealed that UK consumers will potentially spend 2.7 billion pounds on fashion this summer, which will only be worn once, and it is urging shoppers to change their shopping habits and to buy secondhand.

Single-use fashion is becoming as big of a concern as single-use plastic and the new poll conducted by Censuswide for the children’s charity has found that Brits spend an average 79.76 pounds on a wedding outfit, nearly 10 million of which are expected to only be worn only once, meaning they are potentially forking out nearly 800 million pounds on single-use wedding outfits alone.

But by far the biggest indulgence is outfits for holidays, added Barnado’s with Brits spend over 700 million pounds on 11 million outfits brought purely for the holiday and they will never be worn again, and the charity has launched a campaign to encourage shoppers to shop resale.

But with more than half (51 percent) of people adding that buying new clothes for a festival or holiday adds to the excitement of the build-up, Barnardo’s have launched a special in-store booklet with tips on finding and styling occasion wear from its stores along with a short film with tips from sustainable fashion experts Paloma in Disguise, and Jade from NotBuyinNew.

Buying new is not only costly to purses and the planet, adds the charity, but according to the research you are also more likely to see someone else in the same outfit - as 26 percent of people polled have turned up to a special occasion in the same outfit as another guest. Barnardo’s are suggesting consumers turn to charity shops to find a unique and beautiful vintage piece instead.

Barnardo’s chief executive Javed Khan said in a statement: “Choosing to buy pre-loved clothes for a special occasion from a Barnardo’s shop means you don’t have to worry about bumping into someone wearing the same outfit.

“It is also kinder to the environment and your wallet, getting more wear out of clothes which might otherwise only be worn once and end up in landfill.”

Other stats from the survey include 25 percent of people stating that they would be embarrassed to wear an outfit to a special occasion such as a wedding more than once, this rises to 37 percent of young people aged 16-24.

It’s not all bad news, however, as 55 percent of people would like to get more use out of the clothes they buy to reduce their impact on the environment, and four in ten (40 percent) have worn a second hand item to a wedding, while 46 percent of people think you get good value for money by shopping second hand and a further 45 percent believe it’s more affordable than buying new, and 28 percent added that they can find designer bargains they wouldn’t have been able to afford at full price.