What exactly are we buying and why?

Earlier this year, we heard the news that Australians had surpassed US shoppers to become the biggest consumers of fashion in the world. According to the report from The Australia Institute, we’re buying an average of 56 clothing items per year.

If it sounds like a lot, that’s because it is. But when you really break it down, say to an item per week or four items per month, I think many of us would be guilty of consuming at that rate at some time in the past year. I mean, personally, in the past, I’ve bought four or five items in one shopping expedition alone. But with a cost-of-living crisis looming over our heads and local retailers saying times are tough, who exactly is buying at this rate and where exactly are they shopping?

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The ‘average’ Australian

When Sophie Dawson, a 33-year-old engineer and stylist from Melbourne, heard I was looking for people to interview who fit the average mould of purchasing over 50 items per year, she was surprised to find she was right on target. “I thought that I probably shopped less than average, but I looked at the clothing that I’d bought this year and it was about 25 items by July, which would mean I’m exactly on average,” she says, though she adds a caveat. “I think I’ve bought more clothes this year than I would normally because my shape and size have changed, so a few of my existing clothes no longer fit.”

Redeeming Sophie’s consumption habits further is the fact that most of her purchases this year have been secondhand, sourced from op shops, luxury resale sites or consignment stores like Swop and Goodbyes. “Maybe six or seven items are new, and they were from sample sales. I tend to avoid fast fashion.” Instead, Sophie tries to buy from local and sustainable designers where possible. Three of her new tops were from Arnsdorf’s closing sale, one shirt was from Worn for Good (supporting not-for-profit organisation, Dressed for Success) and a handful were from a Skin and Threads sample sale.

Emma Rumble, a 26-year-old arts professional and musician from Melbourne, was also surprised that she fit the profile of the average Australian consumer. She admits to feeling some guilt about her 50-plus clothing purchases per year, even though, like Sophie, most were secondhand. “I feel guilty saying that I definitely fall above the 50-item-per-year average, but win myself back in saying the majority of the clothes I buy are from op shops,” says Emma. “I’ve always loved shopping and fashion, even as a young kid… I get a bit of a rush finding something in an op shop, and love how my wardrobe is made up of really fun and unique pieces.”

She guesses that at least 80 per cent of her wardrobe is pre-loved, with the remainder largely from local designers like Handsom, Kowtow and Alpha60. “I still buy basics from Uniqlo, but I wear them until they’re absolutely dead and then fabric-recycle them. I’m also conscious of buying natural materials, steering clear of polyesters, acrylics, etc.”

It goes without saying that both Emma and Sophie sit on the ‘good’ end of the spectrum. While still buying a lot of clothing, shopping secondhand means their environmental impact is significantly less than Australians who may be buying at similar rates from fast fashion brands. Even their new purchases are decidedly more feel-good. Most are from small-scale, local designers who show a commitment to environmental sustainability and traceability of their garments. Plus, these purchases ensure our diverse industry flourishes.

As for the secondhand clothing they buy, data shows a common thread between Emma and Sophie’s shopping habits and the wider Australian population. A nationwide report by RMIT, released just this month, shows that we’re actually buying quite a bit of pre-loved fashion. “Compared to European data, Australians are better at shopping secondhand,” said lead author, Professor Alice Payne, dean of RMIT’s School of Fashion and Textiles. She also confirmed that yes, Australians buy too many clothes.

Both Emma and Sophie have confessed they would like to decrease their consumption. Emma tells me she’d like to utilise her wardrobe more efficiently, so she’s wearing more of the pieces she already owns. Interestingly, Sophie tells me this interview in itself has inspired her to shop less. “Fifty items a year seems like a lot, even if I am on track for that average,” she says. “Now that I have worked that out, I feel like I should stop shopping.”

Why are we buying so many clothes?

Talking to Sophie, it’s interesting to watch her reflect critically, almost philosophically. She asks questions like, “How do we keep things in our wardrobes for longer, and why aren‘t we buying for longevity? Is it inherent in the construction (at every price point) that things don’t last long enough or aren’t affordable to repair? If we add 50 items to our wardrobes every year, what happens to the things we aren’t wearing?” Similarly, Emma starts reflecting on her time working in retail, trying to understand what’s driving this widespread behaviour. “It would (and still does) shock me how many people buy items for single occasions… and how many people would throw out clothes after being worn once for that event.”

While that may seem shocking, the rise of ‘clothing hauls’ on TikTok (the term has 50 million posts and counting) and the trend of purchasing themed items specifically for destination holidays could help explain this behaviour. Emmy-Lou McKean, Marketing Manager at Universal Group, has noticed these one-off purchasing trends filtering down to the buying habits of her customers at brands like Perfect Stranger (the brand offers on-trend womenswear circling the $100 mark). “One item a week, that new stat, I can definitely vouch for that in what we’re seeing our customer buy,” she says.

“The women’s trend cycle is moving so quickly; so much more quickly than men. But I guess, despite the cost-of-living crisis, Perfect Stranger [customers are] still shopping for occasion wear – that is our bread and butter. I would say she likes to wear something new to special moments in her life. So birthdays, weddings, all of that, she is still coming in every week and going, ‘Okay, I want something new. I’ve seen this [trend online]. What can I get that is similar?’”

With Perfect Stranger’s prices sitting around $100 even for formal and event dresses, that buying behaviour becomes a little easier to understand. As a comparison, if a consumer was instead looking to hire a similar item for a birthday or wedding, they could expect to spend a similar amount, if not more. Emmy-Lou, who has seen Perfect Stranger grow from an ecommerce brand to over 15 Australian brick-and-mortar stores in just a few years, says that new social media-led purchasing habits, like the vacation haul, are reflected in their offering. Now, retailers are stocking winter coats alongside swimwear and sundresses all year ’round to cater to a jet-
setting clientele.

“We’ve definitely seen that as a trend,” says Emmy-Lou. “That customer is that 21 to 26-year-old girl… and we find they haven’t been as impacted [financially]. They don’t have the mortgages. They’re probably living with friends or at home still. We find they are coming in every week, they’re becoming friends with the store team members. They’re coming in when they know the new product is dropping every week to see what they can buy for the weekend.”

It’s tempting to assume this customer – a woman in her early-to-mid-twenties who’s likely on TikTok – is the driving force behind this statistic. But without a demographic breakdown, we can’t say for sure who’s to blame. Working in favour of young Australians, the RMIT report revealed that 18 to 34-year-olds were more likely than older Australians to buy secondhand. At the same time, younger Australians tended to have large collections of unused clothing that were no longer in style. ‘Unused’ is the key word here.

What’s the solution?

In the face of increasing clothing consumption, and the consequences for those countries that bear the brunt of fashion production and waste, France has decided enough is enough. The country has introduced the world’s first ‘fast fashion tax’, adding around $16AUD to every ultra-fast fashion item sold (Shein and Temu fall into this category). If adopting a similar fast fashion tax here in Australia seems drastic, consider this: Those 56 items per year that we’re consuming? They average out to only $13 per item – a far cry from our runners-up, the US ($24) and the UK ($40). It’s an incredibly low price that may have something to do with the recent news that Australians have surpassed over $2 billion Shein and Temu sales this year.

And with local retailers reporting dwindling sales, it’s hard to see how we can ignore drastic measures, like the fast fashion tax, to curb fast fashion spending. Emma agrees. “Companies need to be held accountable for the sheer volume of stock that is brought into Australia each year. I used to work for a huge global fast fashion brand when I was at uni. Most items came in their own singular plastic bag – truly an eye-opening experience.”

Sophie, however, believes that a tax is only one piece of the puzzle, with more needing to be done to prop up the industry at home. “I’m not sure if a fast fashion tax will achieve change, but both consumers and businesses being penalised could help us move away from the fast fashion model. Or at least slow the rate of consumption.” She suggests that tax proceeds could be invested into local technologies to improve traceability of garments, as well as the innovation of renewable materials. “I think [our industry’s] systems need to start incentivising repair, better construction and end-of-life planning.”

One thing is for sure – Australians need to start taking a good, hard look at what we’re buying and who we’re buying from. Will a fast fashion tax deter us from poor-quality $2 tops and push us instead towards slow fashion made by independent Australian designers? Only time, and maybe an additional $16 at the checkout, will tell.

To read more about overconsumption and sustainability, head here.