Say hello to Britain's thriftiest age group

Buy clothes, wear them once or twice, throw them to the back your wardrobe to never be seen again (until months/years later when you come across a pile of long-forgotten items during a clear out). Sounds familiar?

Recent research by the Fashion Retail Academy has revealed that, here in Britain, we are sitting on a crazy £4.1 BILLION worth of unwanted clothing. AKA more than the combined net worth of all of the Kardashian/Jenner clan, twice.

Image credit: Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Despite us Brits sitting on such an insane amount of old clothing, the term ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure’ hasn’t gone amiss to one generation. Fashion Retail Academy has officially honoured the country's youngest demographic with the title of its thriftiest age group.

18-24-year-olds are said to be the most active group when it comes to cashing in on unwanted clothing, shoes, and accessories, using apps like Depop, Vinted, and eBay.

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A post shared by Depop (@depop) on May 4, 2019 at 6:03am PDT

Fashion Retail Academy’s poll showed that 22.8% of this demographic sell their clothing through apps, 11.9% sell to their friends and 13.2% still use the oldie-but-goodie method: the car boot sale.

Although the surge of young ones making money from their once treasured pieces is notable, older generations are not as quick to embrace the trend. When it comes to car-booting it, only 11.4% of 25-34, 6.5% of 35-44, 8.45% of 45-54 and 3.8% of 55+ sell their unwanted clothing this way.

Figures for fashion resale apps are slightly higher: 18.4% of 25-34, 16.8% of 35-44, 14.9% of 45-54, and 9.5% of 55+.

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A post shared by Depop (@depop) on May 2, 2019 at 6:25am PDT

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Fashion resale apps have undoubtedly taken over their traditional counterpart, car boot sales, in the past five years. People using apps to sell their old belongings have increased by a huge 113%, whilst those using car boot sales are down by almost a third.

These figures come as no surprise considering how much easier selling digitally is; it's quicker, less hassle and apps like Depop and Vinted allow for conversation - adding a social media twist to getting rid of old clothing.

Principal of the Fashion Retail Academy, Lee Lucas noted:

“This study highlights the ongoing move to a more digital world, with Britain’s youngest generation leading the way.

“The sheer choice of fashion resale apps like Depop, Vinted, eBay, Facebook Marketplace, and others, demonstrates the strength of demand for simpler ways of converting unwanted items into cash.

"Convenience is king, and we expect the rapid growth of resale apps to accelerate as digital natives come to dominate every economically active demographic.”

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A post shared by Vinted (@vinted) on Oct 18, 2016 at 9:07am PDT

A trend that results in re-homing our once loved garments, making a little extra cash, as well as being kinder to the plant? It’s a big yes from us.

Lead image credit: Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash

Say hello to Britain's thriftiest age group

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