ATLANTA — September 5, 2024 — The relentless pressure to keep up with fast fashion risks taking a serious toll on young people’s mental health. As New York Fashion Week approaches, showcasing the height of consumption culture, the second-hand clothing sector offers a vital solution for mindful shopping and combating the fashion industry’s shocking levels of waste.
According to research from Garson & Shaw, one of the world’s largest second-hand clothing wholesalers, 41 percent of Americans agree that the pressure from the fast fashion industry harms mental health, rising to 50 percent of Gen Z. The same research shows that 10.4 billion wearable clothing items are thrown away in the US every year. Some 65 percent of young people throw away at least one item of wearable clothing every month, compared to 55 percent of Millenials, 36 percent of Gen X and 25 percent of Boomers. The eco-impact of fast fashion is also creating eco-anxiety, with 47 percent of Gen Z stating that they are ‘disgusted’ by the environmental impact of fast fashion.
These alarming figures are revealed in Garson & Shaw’s recent report ‘Promoting the Circular Textile Industry: A call for strategic policy action in the Americas,’. Their research shows that it is the constant pressure to cycle through clothes that’s driving up anxiety amongst young people. Some50 percent of Gen Z have bought fast fashion just to follow a trend or to keep up with friends/colleagues and over a third (34 percent) have not worn a clothing item after posting a picture on social media or being seen in it by friends.
Yet the second-hand clothing sector offers a more mindful and sustainable way to shop and ultimately makes consumers feel better about their fashion choices whilst saving the planet. American consumers said they felt ‘empowered’, ‘good about myself’ and ‘proud’ when buying second-hand clothing compared to buying new clothes.
“The second-hand clothing sector can make young people feel good about buying clothes again,” said Lisa Jepsen CEO of Garson and Shaw. “We can even help boost the US economy through mindful fashion by creating jobs and investment through climate friendly practices.”
The positive environmental impact of the second-hand clothing sector is vast. Garson & Shaw found reducing the need to produce new clothes by reusing existing items, could save around 20 trillion gallons of water over the next decade, which amounts to almost 30 million Olympic swimming pools. If current second-hand usage trends continue, the US will reduce carbon emissions by a remarkable 167 million metric tons from 2023 to 2033, which is equal to removing nearly 40 million gasoline cars from the road for one year or all the cars in California and New York combined.
To that end, Garson & Shaw will launch their #MindfulFashion social media campaign to run throughout the Fall fashion season, with the aim of promoting a shift towards a circular economy in fashion and to drive discussion on mental health and sustainability in the sector.
With the right education, infrastructure and incentives, many of the items thrown away could enter the circular economy, supporting jobs and livelihoods around the world. The sector already employs over 342,000 Americans and last year generated $25.5 billion in annual retail sales, with the potential to increase to $75.5 billion by 2033, creating $8.8bn in annual tax revenues for the US economy.
Posted: September 5, 2024
Source: Garson and Shaw
