The Fast Fashion Paradox & The Second Hand Solution | eBook

STATE OF THE YOUTH NATION
Gen Z
The fast fashion paradox and
the second hand solution
Originally produced by YouthSight*
SAVANTA.COM
m a k e b e t t e r d e c i s i o n s

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
Who are Gen Z
in 2021?
We describe Gen Z as the generation
of young people born from 1995
onwards.
As of today (2022) the oldest are
currently 26 years old.
*This eBook was originally produced
by the YouthSight team - who are
now part of Savanta
1

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
No other research agency
knows more about Gen Z
Our bespoke research is informed by
exclusive tracking data from the UK's
leading Gen Z insight tracker, State of
the Youth Nation.
Fast fashion and second hand shopping
share a common audience in Gen Z.
While it’s no secret that Gen Z are trying
to save the world from climate change,
they are still living their lives in pictures
on social media, using fast fashion as a
status symbol. Second hand shopping
is a sustainable alternative to fast
fashion, providing Gen Z with unique
and affordable pieces.
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in their fields, joined forces to offer big agency benefits, while
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All to help our clients. Make Better Decisions.
2

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
Fashion is disposable
for Gen Z...
According to Viva (2021), a whapping
£2.7 billion is spent each year in the UK
on outfits worn once before being
discarded.
23 % DID YOU KNOW...
2 3 % o f G e n Z b u y
a n i t e m a n d w e a r
i t o n c e b e f o r e
c h u c k i n g i t o u t
Source: Vice, 2020
3

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
Gen Z live their lives in pictures; and fast
fashion allows them to do so
Gen Z have a do it for the ‘gram
mentality. They want to look like they
are living their best lives on social
media –it’s a status symbol.
Fashion is a tool used by Gen Z to
establish social currency.
This has fuelled “wear it once” culture.
Once you’ve posted an outfit on social
media it can’t be posted again because
it’s now too old –the likes and
comments stop rolling in.
Fast fashion enables Gen Z to switch up
their style regularly, cheaply and quickly.
DID YOU KNOW...
I f y o u s e a r c h # O O T D
o n I n s t a g r a m , w h i c h
s t a n d s f o r o u t f i t o f
t h e d a y , i t r e s u l t s i n
4 1 2 m i l l i o n p o s t s .
4

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
It's not surprising that fast
fashion has boomed
According to Pirkani (2021), clothing
production in the UK has doubled
since 2000 and two in five people
have purchased something on a fast
fashion website in the last month.
Online retailers such as Boohoo made
over £1.2 billion in revenue last year
(Statista, 2022).
asos
Nasty
Gal
PRETTY
LITTLE
THING
5

G E N Z U N L I K E L Y C O U P L I N G
And brands are making their
clothes more readily available to
Gen Z in a few ways…
Slashing prices - take Missguided’s infamous
£1 bikini for example -it was a loss-making
promotional item designed to draw Gen Z in.
Flexibility of payment - financial services like
Klarna and Clearpayare available on fast
fashion sites, giving cash-strapped Gen Zthe
option to buy more and pay back over a period
of time or pay later.
Convenience fashion - with many fast fashion
retailers offering next day delivery from as
little as £5.99 a year, Gen Z can have almost
instant access to fashion. This is perfect for
the zero-effort generation.
6

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
But fast fashion
goes against Gen Z's
core values
Despite the popularity of fast fashion,
Gen Z are conscious of its ethical
impact. Backlash against the fast
fashion industry is growing as it
clashes with Gen Z’s high concern for
the environment and the threat of
climate change.
Simply doubling the length of time we
keep our clothes would cut emissions
by 44% (Refinery29, 2020).
Gen Z’s most important
political issues (Top 5)
38 %
24%
22%
21%
18%
C L I M A T E C H A N G E
M E N T A L H E A L T H
H E A L T H C A R E
C O S T O F L I V I N G
C O R O N A V I R U S
Source: State of the Youth Nation, 2022

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
Gen Z are increasingly holding brands
accountable to their ethical values
Many Gen Z want to buy from companies
that align with their ethical beliefs. We see
from our data that it is females in
particular, who would prefer to purchase
from ethical companies despite also
buying from fast fashion companies.
I prefer to only buy products from companies that I
believe are acting ethically FEMALES ONLY
34%
38%
51%
53%
57%
DID YOU KNOW...
42%
o f G e n Z w a n t t o b u y f r o m
l a b e l s t h a t t h e y b e l i e v e
a r e a c t i n g e t h i c a l l y
Source: State of the Youth Nation, 2022
2018
2019 2020 2021 2022
Source: State of the Youth Nation, 2022
8

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
Although Gen Z know they have
options…
54%
of Gen Z feel bad
about buying fast
fashion clothes.
Source: Vice x Snapchat, 2020
54%
of Gen Z say that
money isn’t the issue
–they’re happy to pay
more for ethically
sourced products
Source: State of the Youth Nation, 2022
...they still buy fast fashion

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
So how to square
the circle?
S u s t a i n a b l e
s o l u t i o n s
1

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
Many fast fashion and high street
brands are offering responsible options
1. Sustainable lines
These give Gen Z the option to shop responsibly yet
still use the same platforms/shops that they like and
are used to -like ASOS and Zara for example.
2. Recycling incentives
Shops like H&M and Primark have rolled out schemes
to get customers to bring in no-longer-worn clothes
for them to recycle in return for vouchers.
3. Sustainable first
New brands are making sustainability a commitment
to all their clothes, providing ethically sourced and
recyclable products, such as Gen Z athleisure brand
TALA.
11

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
However, the ‘ethical’ attempts of some
brands have backfired with Gen Z
Greenwashing is when a company sells
itself or its products as good for the
environment and eco-friendly, however
once you scratch beneath the surface it
becomes quite clear that this is marketing
spin.
Gen Z’s scepticism of companies has fed
into ‘Cancel Culture’ which is increasingly
holding brands accountable. In fact 40% of
Gen Z have boycotted a brand because
they didn’t agree with their values (State of
the Youth Nation, 2022). So, where does
this leave Gen Z and their shopping
habits?
@DANAHWA
@_AVAZAN_
Some brands need to realise
that no amount of
greenwashing or long-winded
or long-winded social
responsibility mission
statement is going to disguise
the fact they're still selling
badly made, unnecessary
clothes."
Also sustainable fashion is
often just marketed as such!!
Any research into many brands
(H&M 'conscious' etc.) reveals
massive ecological and
humanitarian failures.
Greenwashing at it's finest!"
12

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
Second-hand is a
sustainable solution
Second-hand is an affordable solution
for Gen Z and provides them with
unique pieces.
Sustainable fashion lines are less
affordable than traditional fast
fashion, and may just push Gen Z
back towards fast fashion.
DID YOU KNOW...
O v e r a t h i r d o f
G e n Z s a y
t h e i r t r u s t i n
c o m p a n i e s i s
a t a n a l l t i m e
l o w .
T h i s h a s
i n c r e a s e d
f r o m a q u a r t e r
s i n c e 2 0 1 6 .
Source: State of the
Youth Nation, 2022
Second-hand shopping provides Gen
Z with a middle ground between
trying to be more sustainable yet not
breaking the bank.
It also still allows them to
experiment with their style, having
rare, vintage or one-of-a-kind items.
13

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
In fact, young people have
already begun to drive the
solution forward
They are the driving force of the growth of
second-hand shopping, adopting second-hand
apparel 2.5x faster than other age groups
(Forbes, 2020).
6%
Given the choice, where would you prefer to
shop? Second-hand/charity shops
10%
16%
17%
DID YOU KNOW...
7 % o f G e n Z
c u r r e n t l y b u y m o s t
o f t h e i r b e l o n g i n g s
f r o m
c h a r i t y / s e c o n d -
h a n d s h o p s
Source: State of the Youth Nation 2022
2018 2019 2020
2021
Source: State of the Youth Nation, 2022
14

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
Thanks to innovative platforms, secondhand
clothing has been reinvented
Gone are the days of trawling dusty charity shop for clothes. Apps and online e-tailers
like Depop, Vestiaire and Vinted have overhauled the second-hand image, where cool
clothes are easily accessible.
90 % D E P O P U S E R S U N D E R 2 6 Y O
Source: Depop, 2022
With over 26 million users worldwide, Depop
has won over Gen Z by offering a place to
buy and sell that looks just like Instagram.
It’s not just a marketplace, it’s a community
of creatives, with many sellers able to make
their Depop shop a full-time job.
Vestiaire Collective has established
a platform for the second-hand
luxury market -a win-win for Gen Z,
having access to designer labels
within a sustainable cycle.
DID YOU KNOW...
V e s t i a i r e C o l l e c t i v e ’ s
t r a n s a c t i o n v o l u m e
d o u b l e d i n 2 0 2 0 c o m p a r e d
t o 2 0 1 9 a n d t h e c o m p a n y
i s n o w v a l u e d a t $ 1 . 7 b n
Source: The Crunch, 2021
15

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
What does this tell
us about Gen Z?
Gen Z are paradoxical –they have conflicting
wants and desires. In the short term, they
want easily accessible unique pieces to
wear and gain social status. Yet in the
longer term, they want to help tackle climate
change.
For this generation, everything is about easy
access. Although accessibility to second
hand items has improved using tech, e.g.
Depop, buying a whole outfit is not fast. Fast
fashion platforms on the other hand are
effortless.
16

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
What does this tell
us about Gen Z?
Second hand shopping delivers Gen Z’s
desire for brands and unique stuff. The apps
are usually peer-to-peer, which makes them
relevant and cool. Yet to really make a
change, Gen Z need to reject the wear-itonce
culture which buying second hand
does not address directly.
Gen Z don’t follow the crowd-the popularity
of second hand shopping and its unique
pieces tells us that they don’t want to look
the same as everyone else. They want to
find their own sense of style while at the
same time not standing out too much.
17

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
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1

T H E F A S T F A S H I O N P A R A D O X
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