Future consumer spending on fashion: Exploring Post Growth Fashion budget.

Who spends what on what today

If you spend 100+ Euros on clothes, shoes, and fashion accessories every month, then you (and your household) most likely belong to the privileged upper middle class income earners who are wrecking the planet with their fashion shopping habits. It’s not a nice thing to hear, I know, but that’s what the data tells us - the Hot or Cool report Unfit, Unfair, Unfashionable (2022) indicates that it’s the wealthier half, and especially the richest 25% of the income earners in Europe and other countries who are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions from fashion.

Currently, annual per capita spending on clothing and footwear ranges between 1400 USD (USA) to 750 USD (France), according to Statista (2024). These are averages, right, so it means that anyone who spends more than this could be assumed to be in the higher income group.

Let's round it up to 1200 euros per year or 100 euros per month. That should safely place someone into the problematic upper income group.

Who are the consumers? And why this spending is highly problematic?