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Is Fast Fashion Costing You $6000?

It is so easy to buy clothes these days. Online or in store. Fast Fashion. You can always get a deal. 2 for 1, second item half price, 3rd item free. All designed to entice you just to spend that extra bit more.
Fast fashion, according to Wikipedia, is a contemporary term used by fashion retailers to express that designs move from catwalk quickly to capture current fashion trends. And the emphasis is on optimizing certain aspects of the supply chain for these trends to be designed and manufactured quickly and inexpensively. So you, the mainstream consumer, can buy current clothing styles at a lower price.
But there is a hidden cost of buying more for less and more often. You see, a wardrobe is truly effective when you love and wear everything in it. And wardrobe gaps need to be filled with intent instead of impulse.
It does not matter where you bought it or how much you bought it for, if you don't wear it, it was too expensive.

Is Fast Fashion Costing You $6000?

Be honest, how much of what is in your wardrobe do you wear?

20% , 50%, 80%?

Statistics say that most people only wear 20% of the clothes in their wardrobe, 80% of the time!  So let me make a small calculation for you. Let's say that you have 100 items in your wardrobe with an average price tag of $75 per garment.

100 Garments x 20% = 20 items you wear a lot
80 items you don’t often/never wear x $75 per item = $6,000

You may have more or less than 80 items you never wear and perhaps a higher or lower than $75 average price tag. So do the sums and change the final figure, but the message is clear: impulse shopping could cost you a lot of money.

Fast Fashion

How Much Is Each Fast Fashion Item Really Costing You?

Someone who enjoys their wardrobe, someone who buys what they need and gets to wear it often, will have an average cost per wear of next to nothing per item.

Here is the simple formula:

How much did the item cost you (plus the hidden cost of delivery and dry cleaning) / how many times you wear it.

The real cost happens when you seemingly buy things that seem cheap but you never or very little actually wear.



 

Stylist Tips How To Create A Fast Fashion Wardrobe That Works

  1. Shop in your wardrobe first. Reconnect with all your pieces so you know what you have. If you would like help, wardrobe stylings are one of my most popular sessions. 
  2. Write the gaps down in the notes section of your phone.
  3. Clear out what you don't want.
  4. Repeat this at least every 6 months.
  5. If you are shopping online, then put your purchase to the test when you get it home. And return the item if you don't like it or it does not fit.
  6. When you shop in store, only buy what fits, feels good and looks great. Fast Fashion or Designer.
  7. And finally two tips to save you money. In doubt, don't buy. Even if the sales person says it looks great.
  8. And never buy what you can't afford. It is not worth being in debt for something you don't really need.

Many of my clients have said they saved money sorting out their wardrobe under my watchful eye. Get in touch if you are not in charge of your wardrobe. I look after clients face to face as well as virtually so don't let geography stop you from tapping into the mind of a stylist that has made many people more confident.

 

Angela Barbagallo

About the author

Angela Barbagallo is the founder of Style Angel and a Sydney personal stylist with more than 25 years of experience in personal styling, colour analysis, body shape, personal shopping and wardrobe styling. She helps people understand what suits them so they can dress and shop with greater clarity and confidence.
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