L e T t e r

When continuing my research into the topic of fast fashion consumption, I noticed the juxtaposition of young people’s environmental values and their clothing consumption habits. It seemed to me that while the majority of young people care deeply for the planet, there is a disconnect when it comes to how fashion impacts this. Thoughtful Fashion joins the gaps between environmental values and love of fashion and demonstrates ways to dress well without compromising the planet As the topic of sustainability in fashion gains more attention, the desire for a publication such as Thoughtful Fashion increases and I have great hope for the future of the brand. Thank you so much for reading issue 1, together we can achieve great things as a thoughtful community! :)

Changing fashion isn't hard, its as simple as changing the way we shop. Keeping clothes that already exist in the loop of rewearing and reselling. Restoring the stories, culture, values, designs and the planet starts with us! Fashion is a global language, no matter where or who you are, fashion can silently communicate a thousand words. Its time to unite and let go of a system that's not working, embracing clothes that are kinder to the planet and kinder to the people.

We’ve analysed some research based on Depop’s user behaviour to understand how 2nd hand clothing effects climate change. We’ve chosen to investigate the results from a survey by Depop (November 2022), as Depop has proven to be the most popular reselling site among young people, 90% of its users are under 26 years old!.

The climate of our planet is in a state of serious emergency and the production of clothing is a major contributor to the overall environmental impact of one, seemingly harmless garment. So, a simple solution to reduce the impact of fashion is to reuse what already exists, by replacing shiny new purchases with 2nd hand ones. If one average a piece of clothing was worn twice as much, then the life cycle green house gas emissions of the garment could be 44% lower [Ellen MacArthur Foundation - new textiles economy (2017)]. Reselling clothes gives a chance for their life cycles to be doubled.

As circularity gains momentum in the resale industry, its important to consider whether circular business models are truly slowing down the ‘need for new’, or accidentally fuelling more consumption. By looking into Depop’s displacement rate, we can better understand the environmental impact of purchasing 2nd hand compared to new and give you the best and most factual information.

We’ve taken some key points from Depop’s user behaviour analysis to emphasise the importance of 2nd hand fashion

The research shows:

9 in 10 purchases made on Depop prevent the purchase of a brand new item elsewhere. This is evident in all 3 countries surveyed. 88% in the US, 90% in the UK and 93% in Australia.

On average, Depop users estimate that they wear an item a total of 46 times before it is discarded. This is highest in the UK, and lowest in Australia (UK - 49; US - 45; Australia - 44). This compares to non-Depop users, where other studies estimate that some garments are discarded after just 7 to 10 wears [Ellen MacArthur Foundation - New Textiles Economy (2017)].

When clearing out wardrobes, Depop users had a clear preference for extending the life of a garment - through resale, charity shops and passing items to friends and family.