How a 400% Surge in Fast Fashion Spending is Killing the Circular Dream
How a 400% Surge in Fast Fashion Spending is Killing the Circular Dream
A new academic study suggests that secondhand fashion is not replacing fast fashion but sitting alongside it, creating a self-reinforcing loop of overconsumption that retailers can
A new academic study suggests that secondhand fashion is not replacing fast fashion but sitting alongside it, creating a self-reinforcing loop of overconsumption that retailers can no longer ignore.
For brands, this raises hard questions about how “circular” resale programs are designed, marketed, and measured. What the new study actually found Researchers from Yale University and Bar Ilan University analysed a nationally representative sample of 1,009 U.S. adults and found a strong positive link between money
spent on secondhand clothes and money spent on new clothes. In other words, the heaviest resale shoppers were also heavy fast-fashion shoppers, rather than replacing new buys with pre-loved pieces.
More than 69% of respondents said they had bought secondhand at least once, and a cluster of 59% reported high consumption in both primary and resale markets, with frequent returns and short garment lifespans.
Younger consumers stood out: 79% of those aged 18 to 24 purchased secondhand clothing compared with 57% of those 65 and older, and 84% of students reported buying secondhand.
Resale, rebound and “moral license” The study links this pattern to the rebound effect: because resale feels cheaper and “greener,” consumers buy more overall and churn through wardrobes faster…
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