Are you spending over the odds on clothing?

Are you one of those people who buys a new outfit and rarely - if ever - wears it again?

If so, you could be wasting good money.

New figures from Oxfam show that on average, items of clothing in the UK are worn for less than five days.

That means they spend more than 99% of their lifetime languishing in people’s wardrobes.

And that’s not counting the items of clothing that don’t get worn at all.

Oxfam estimates there are 1.6bn items of unused clothing in the UK’s homes - and that if all these were reused and worn, they could clothe the whole population of Manchester for 450 years.

That’s an alarming figure and one that looks set to go even higher.

In fact, Oxfam believes the fashion industry is on track to produce 138bn items of unworn clothing every year by 2050.

Not only is this hugely damaging for the planet, it’s also terrible for our wallets.

After all, what’s the point in spending massive sums of money on items you barely use?

How much do Brits spend on clothing?

Britons are spending well above the European average on fashion. 

According to NIQ-GfK research, the average person in Europe spends around £670 per year on clothing and shoes.

But the figure is even higher in the UK - £860 per person, in fact.

And that puts us fourth in the European rankings behind Luxembourg, Switzerland and Norway.

Brits want to spend less on clothes to manage living costs

Despite these figures, the tide might be starting to turn.

Figures from consumer firm Maru show that 77% of UK adults plan to cut back on fashion spending this year to help manage household budgets.

As Stephen Brockway, chief research officer at Maru, explains: “UK citizens are increasingly seeking methods to reduce their expenditures as heightened costs put pressure on household budgets and diminish purchasing power. 

“A notable trend is the intent to save on clothing costs.”

How can I cut costs on clothes?

Clothes occupy two spaces in our household spending - an essential on the one hand and a luxury on the other.

But unlike with most essential expenses, you can dramatically cut costs in one simple way – buy second hand.

This month is Second Hand September - an annual campaign by Oxfam encouraging shoppers to avoid buying new clothes for the entire month.

You might be surprised by just how many great bargains are out there, with items that are as good as new there to be snapped up for knock-down prices.

So if you want to create a stylish wardrobe for less, where do you start looking?

Charity shops

Charity shops are great places to bag bargain clothes, from high street brands to designer labels - and support worthy causes at the same time.

Pre-loved sections at retailers

Several major retailers have embraced the growing popularity of second-hand clothes by adding sections full of pre-loved items in-store.

Primark, for example, has its Wornwell section in select stores.

Online marketplaces

Platforms like Vinted, Facebook Marketplace and eBay let you buy second-hand clothes without even having to leave the house, so they’re well worth checking out if you fancy a bargain.

We’ve put together some handy tips on buying and selling on these platforms to help you get started.