A style coach is urging people not to splash out on drunken online shopping sprees – after it was revealed Brits are hoarding an eye-watering £9.2 BILLION-worth of unworn clothing.
Style and confidence coach Samantha Harman is urging fashion fans to shun the temptations of online shopping after having a tipple as they may end up with more than a hangover to contend with.
Shopaholics trying to keep up with fast fashion celeb trends, disposable income and shopping when emotional or drunk is all fuelling the nation’s hoarding habits.
Despite three in ten (29%) cleaning out their homes once a month, the average Brit hoards £173.42 worth of unworn clothes in their wardrobe – amounting to £9.2 billion in unused outfits.
The survey, conducted by Hammonds Fitted Furniture, investigated how likely we are to hang onto possessions and their cleaning habits.
According to the survey of 2,000, Brits aren’t very keen on keeping hold of their possessions, as nearly three in ten (29%) state that they clear out of their homes as often as once a month.
A dedicated 5% of those surveyed said they go through their items every week, equating to 2.6 million UK adults across the country.
More than one in five (22%) said that they clear out their possessions every six months, while almost one in six (14%) just do this once a year.
Meanwhile just 16% said that they go through their belongings less than once a year, while 3% admitted they’ve never had a clear out before.
However that doesn’t mean we want to part with all our items, even the ones we don’t seem to use, with the majority (84%) admitting to holding onto unworn clothes.
Despite frequently culling our homes of unwanted possessions, the average Brit has £173.82 worth of unworn clothes at home, with 50% claiming to have £150 of unworn garments they refuse to part with.
The study found that younger generations were more likely to clear out their homes often – which style coach Samantha linked to social media fuelling fashion consumption and trend cycles.
A quarter of 25-34-year-olds claim to purge their spaces at least once a week, with a further fifth stating that they do this once a fortnight.
Despite frequently getting rid of items, the average 25-34-year-old, has £145 worth of unused garments sitting in their wardrobe.
Of those quizzed, 18-24-year-olds were found to have £189 worth of unworn clothes in their home, even though almost one in five reportedly do a clear out at least once a week.
Samantha, aka The Style Editor, said: “Shopping when you don’t feel good isn’t a good idea.
“We call it retail therapy and what happens is we feel emotional or we think ‘it’s me not the clothes’ and the way to fix it is to buy more stuff.
“Shops spend a lot of money on making us want to buy stuff online and it’s so easy now to be scrolling through your social media and to think ‘ooh that looks really good’, press a couple of buttons and before you know it you’ve bought it.
“Just try and avoid shopping when you’ve had a drink would be my advice.
“Social media has really fuelled fashion consumption and the trend cycle. You can see something on a celebrity now and then within days you’ve got the piece replicated by a fast fashion brand.
“People say ‘Gen Z are really good at sustainability’ I think there are almost two camps. This group and some who consume a lot of fashion.”
Certified KonMari Consultant and Professional Organiser, Mimi Bogelund from The Organised Home & Life, part of the Spark Joy Collective, said: “Having a good clear out is well known to have huge positive effects on your mental and physical health.
“Knowing where to find things avoids frustration and helps time management, as well as cuts visual noise from clutter and makes cleaning so much faster and easier.”
You can find tips for having a clear out here: https://www.hammonds-uk.com/Blog/Spring-cleaning-tips-to-declutter-your-wardrobe
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