Fast Fashion’s Unravelling: How Repair & Preloved Are Reshaping Consumption
Photo by Jonas Kakaroto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-singer-sewing-machine-783590/
The era of cheap, disposable fashion is beginning to fray. As the cost-of-living crisis bites and environmental awareness rises, a quiet revolution is reshaping how people approach their wardrobes. The latest WRAP report, Displacement Rates Untangled, reveals how preloved and repaired clothing is not only disrupting fast fashion but also offering a tangible solution to overconsumption.
According to WRAP’s findings, repairing clothes displaces 82.2% of new sales, while buying second-hand displaces 64.6%. This means that for every five items repaired, four new purchases are avoided - a powerful shift in consumer behaviour. This report provides the first consistent methodology to measure how circular business models are directly reducing demand for new clothing.
The environmental impact of this shift is profound:
Repairing one cotton t-shirt rather than buying new can save over 7.5kg of CO2e - the same carbon footprint as ironing for 25 hours.
Opting for second-hand jeans online can prevent 30kg of CO2e emissions, equivalent to making 600 cups of tea.
With fashion accounting for around 10% of global carbon emissions - more than international flights and maritime shipping combined, these small actions accumulate into significant change.
However, the irony is that those struggling the most financially have long embodied sustainable habits out of necessity. Buying only what’s needed, repairing worn items, and trading second-hand goods have been common practices among those feeling the pinch. In contrast, ultra-fast fashion brands thrive on marketing that fuels overconsumption; pushing shoppers to buy more, not better.
The surge in second-hand shopping, particularly among Gen Z, is already disrupting the status quo. Platforms like Vinted, Depop, eBay, and Vestiaire are booming, while visible mending movements and repair services like SOJO and The Seam are reviving old skills. What was once seen as frugal is now becoming fashionable.
Yet, there’s still a long way to go. Fast fashion giants continue to dominate, offering rock-bottom prices that mask the true cost of production. The challenge now is to shift the narrative - making repair and preloved not just a necessity or a trend, but the default way of shopping.
As Harriet Lamb, CEO of WRAP, puts it: “There’s nothing better than finding a bargain online or in your local charity shop. Our data now quantifies the big environmental savings from preloved and repair. This is great news for shoppers as it shows that introducing a little circular living into your life reduces the price and the environmental cost.”
In a world where less is more, the future of fashion might just lie in the hands of those who consume the least - not by choice, but by instinct.