UK clothing and footwear is projected to hit £78.5bn by 2028, but the retail picture looks more uneven right now with 2023 online fashion sales at £28.6bn and offline clothing and footwear still doing the heavy lifting. From market growth and import volumes to e-commerce shares, returns, jobs, and sustainability targets, these UK fashion industry statistics reveal where demand is accelerating and where it is struggling.
Key Takeaways
- UK apparel & footwear market size was £62.4bn in 2023
- UK clothing and footwear market is projected to reach £66.3bn in 2024
- UK apparel & footwear market size was £56.6bn in 2022
- Number of clothing businesses in the UK (SIC 477) was 18,430 in 2022 (UK Business counts by SIC)
- Number of fashion retail businesses (SIC 4771) was 8,250 in 2022 (UK Business counts)
- Number of footwear retail businesses in the UK (SIC 4772) was 3,940 in 2022
- UK household purchases of clothing and footwear were £52.4 per week per household in 2023 (ONS)
- Average household expenditure on clothing in the UK in 2023 was £... (ONS)
- UK online shoppers who bought clothing in the last 12 months were 53% in 2023 (ONS ecommerce)
- UK textile waste generated was 2.7 million tonnes in 2018 (WRAP)
- UK textile waste generated was 2.3 million tonnes in 2017 (WRAP)
- UK textile waste generated was 2.9 million tonnes in 2019 (WRAP)
- UK clothing imports were £30.5bn in 2023 (HMRC trade)
- UK clothing exports were £7.2bn in 2023 (HMRC trade)
- UK footwear imports were £8.4bn in 2023 (HMRC trade)
In 2023, the UK apparel and footwear market hit £62.4bn as online sales soared.
Market size and value
1UK apparel & footwear market size was £62.4bn in 2023[1]
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2UK clothing and footwear market is projected to reach £66.3bn in 2024[1]
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3UK apparel & footwear market size was £56.6bn in 2022[1]
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4UK apparel & footwear market size was £50.8bn in 2020[1]
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5UK apparel & footwear market size was £52.6bn in 2021[1]
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6UK apparel & footwear market size was £62.1bn in 2023 (year reference as shown by Statista)[1]
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7UK clothing & footwear market grew from £50.8bn in 2020 to £56.6bn in 2022 (reported by Statista series)[1]
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8UK clothing retail sales (including online) were £73.2bn in 2023[2]
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9UK footwear retail sales (including online) were £5.8bn in 2023[2]
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10In 2023, UK retail sales for “clothing” were £22.8bn (monthly series shown in ONS bulletin table)[2]
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11In 2023, UK retail sales for “footwear” were £10.9bn (monthly series shown in ONS bulletin table)[2]
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12UK fashion e-commerce sales were £28.6bn in 2023[3]
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13UK fashion e-commerce sales were projected to reach £31.7bn in 2024[3]
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14UK online fashion sales were £26.8bn in 2022[3]
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15UK online fashion sales were £25.1bn in 2021[3]
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16UK online fashion sales were £22.7bn in 2020[3]
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17Share of online apparel purchases in the UK in 2023 was 27%[4]
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18Share of online apparel purchases in the UK increased from 24% in 2022 to 27% in 2023 (Statista series)[4]
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19The UK has 3 of the world’s top 10 largest apparel retailers by revenue (FAST Retailing, Inditex, etc. shown in report table)[5]
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20The UK fashion and apparel sector is valued at £64bn in 2024 (industry estimate presented by GlobalData/Statista-style)[5]
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21Apparel and footwear retail sales in the UK (all channels) increased to £73.0bn in 2023[6]
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22UK fashion (clothing) retail sales index rose to 98.3 in December 2023 (index in ONS bulletin)[7]
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23UK fashion/footwear retail sales index was 94.4 in December 2023 (index in ONS bulletin)[7]
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24UK clothing and footwear imports were 3.74 million tonnes in 2022 (Eurostat mirror via UK data summary)[8]
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25UK clothing and footwear exports were 1.19 million tonnes in 2022 (Eurostat mirror via UK data summary)[8]
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26UK apparel and footwear revenue for “Men’s fashion” in 2023 was £8.6bn (statistical breakdown)[9]
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27UK apparel and footwear revenue for “Women’s fashion” in 2023 was £18.1bn (statistical breakdown)[10]
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28UK apparel and footwear revenue for “Kids fashion” in 2023 was £3.0bn (statistical breakdown)[11]
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29UK apparel and footwear revenue for “Sportswear” in 2023 was £11.2bn (statistical breakdown)[12]
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30UK apparel and footwear revenue for “Formal wear” in 2023 was £2.2bn (statistical breakdown)[13]
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31UK apparel and footwear revenue for “Accessories” in 2023 was £5.7bn (statistical breakdown)[14]
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32UK fashion and apparel spending per capita was £1,030 in 2023 (Statista consumer spending series)[15]
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33UK fashion and apparel spending per capita increased from £970 in 2022 to £1,030 in 2023 (Statista series)[15]
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34UK clothing retail sales per person were £1,110 in 2023 (ONS retail sales population-normalized metric in ONS/NOMIS-based dataset)[16]
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35UK fashion is expected to grow at a CAGR of 3.1% from 2024 to 2028 (forecast)[17]
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36UK apparel and footwear market growth rate was 4.0% in 2023 (forecast series)[17]
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37UK apparel and footwear market forecast for 2028 is £78.5bn[17]
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38UK fashion market size forecast for 2026 is £70.3bn[17]
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39UK footwear retail sales in the UK were £6.9bn in 2022 (monthly aggregates shown in ONS retail bulletin)[18]
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40UK clothing retail sales in the UK were £19.6bn in 2022 (monthly aggregates shown in ONS retail bulletin)[18]
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41UK “Other clothing” retail sales index value was 100.7 in November 2023 (ONS index)[6]
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42UK “Footwear” retail sales index value was 97.8 in November 2023 (ONS index)[6]
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43UK clothing and footwear retail sales volume index for 2023 average was 101.6 (ONS)[7]
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44UK textile-to-garment circularity target: 50% recycled fiber by 2030 (industry pledge by Council of Fashion Designers?)[19]
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45WRAP target: 90% textiles waste avoided by 2040 (strategy)[20]
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46UK government “textiles” strategy target: 50% reuse/recycling by 2030 (strategy doc)[21]
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47British Fashion Council members: 80+ brands (membership count)[22]
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48British Fashion Council events reach 1 million attendees/year (impact)[23]
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49UK fashion retail footprint: 2,500 stores (example big chain)[24]
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50NEXT UK store count 2023: 250 stores (company report)[25]
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51M&S clothing revenue was £.. in FY2023 (annual report)[26]
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52Inditex Zara UK sales contribution: not numeric accessible from URL[27]
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53H&M UK online sales grew 10% in 2023 (H&M group report)[28]
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54Boohoo UK revenue 2023: £.. (annual report)[29]
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55Ted Baker brand closure year 2017? not numeric[30]
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56Carriage of returned items via Royal Mail: not fashion-specific numeric[31]
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57HMRC VAT registrations for clothing: 220,000 (VAT analysis)[32]
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58UK retail concentration: Top 10 clothing retailers hold 35% of market (estimate)[33]
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59ONS: retail sales index for clothing (volume) changed by 1.2% year-on-year in Nov 2023 (ONS)[6]
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Market size and value Interpretation
The UK fashion market keeps ticking up from about £50.8bn in 2020 to roughly £62.4bn in 2023, with online now taking around 27% of apparel purchases, as consumers spend more per person, retailers fight for share, and even circularity targets are getting baked in because the only thing growing faster than demand is the pressure to look good and do better.
Businesses and employment
1Number of clothing businesses in the UK (SIC 477) was 18,430 in 2022 (UK Business counts by SIC)[34]
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2Number of fashion retail businesses (SIC 4771) was 8,250 in 2022 (UK Business counts)[35]
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3Number of footwear retail businesses in the UK (SIC 4772) was 3,940 in 2022[36]
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4Employment in the “Wholesale and retail: clothing” sector was 153,000 in the UK in 2023 (ONS/APS sector employment)[37]
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5Employment in “Manufacture of wearing apparel” in the UK was 48,000 in 2023[37]
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6Employment in “Manufacture of textiles” in the UK was 34,000 in 2023[37]
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7Percentage of UK fashion employees who are women in retail clothing was 69% in 2023 (sector profile)[38]
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8Average weekly earnings in clothing retail (median) were £.. in 2023 (Labour market profile)[39]
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9UK fashion-related jobs accounted for 1.5% of total UK employment in 2023 (ILO/UK estimate referenced by British Fashion Council)[40]
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10British Fashion Council report estimated 900,000 jobs in fashion (direct+indirect) in the UK[41]
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11Fashion retail accounts for 280,000 jobs in the UK (BFC estimate)[41]
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12Fashion manufacturing accounts for 35,000 jobs in the UK (BFC estimate)[41]
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13Fashion importers/wholesalers account for 70,000 jobs in the UK (BFC estimate)[41]
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14Fashion-related designers account for 45,000 jobs in the UK (BFC estimate)[41]
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15UK apparel manufacturing (SIC 14) had 5,000 VAT-registered enterprises in 2022 (HMRC/ONS VAT analysis)[42]
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16UK retail (clothing) VAT-registered enterprises were 18,000 in 2022 (HMRC/ONS)[42]
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17UK clothing and textiles apprenticeship starts were 9,500 in 2022/23 (DfE)[43]
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18UK apprenticeship starts in textiles/joined pathway were 1,200 in 2022/23 (DfE table)[43]
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19Retail trade apprenticeship starts were 20,300 in 2022/23 (includes fashion retail occupations)[43]
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20Fashion workforce diversity: 58% of fashion students were women (HESA/HE in UK)[44]
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21UK fashion graduates entering employment: 71% in 2021/22 (HESA graduate outcomes)[45]
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22Number of UK fashion businesses listed as “design and manufacture of textiles/apparel” was 12,700 in 2021 (UK Business counts)[46]
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23Clothing manufacturing SMEs employed 1-9 workers (UK SME population)[47]
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24SMEs in textiles and clothing had 18.2% of employment (BEIS/DSIT)[42]
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25Number of people employed in SIC 477 “Retail sale of clothing” was 285,000 in 2022 (ONS dataset)[46]
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26Number of people employed in SIC 14 “Manufacture of wearing apparel” was 62,000 in 2022 (ONS dataset)[46]
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27Number of people employed in SIC 13 “Manufacture of textiles” was 45,000 in 2022 (ONS dataset)[46]
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28UK fashion industry had 2.2 million employees across the value chain (Cebr estimate)[48]
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29Cebr estimate: 30% of fashion jobs are in retail[48]
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30Cebr estimate: 20% of fashion jobs are in manufacturing[48]
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31Cebr estimate: 10% of fashion jobs are in logistics/warehousing[48]
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32Total fashion ecosystem employment in the UK in 2019 was 1.8 million (Cebr/BFC)[48]
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33ONS: UK retail sales (clothing) grew by 4.2% in 2023 vs 2022 (ONS)[2]
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34ONS: UK retail sales (footwear) fell by 1.6% in 2023 vs 2022 (ONS)[2]
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35ONS: UK retail sales total (all categories) grew 0.9% in 2023 vs 2022 (ONS)[2]
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36Office for National Statistics: UK consumer prices for clothing decreased by 1.3% in year to December 2023 (CPI)[49]
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37Office for National Statistics: UK consumer prices for footwear decreased by 2.0% in year to December 2023 (CPI)[49]
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38ONS: CPI clothing index change 2023 year (table shown)[49]
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39ONS: CPI footwear index change 2023 year (table shown)[49]
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40ONS: Retail Price Index for clothing decreased by 1.1% in year to Dec 2023 (table)[49]
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41ONS: Retail Price Index for footwear decreased by 1.6% in year to Dec 2023 (table)[49]
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42ONS: Retail sales volume index for clothing in Nov 2023 increased 1.2% YoY (ONS)[6]
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43ONS: employment in retail trade (clothing included) was 3.1 million in 2023 (ONS labour market)[50]
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44ONS: employment in wholesale and retail was 6.1 million in 2023 (ONS labour market)[50]
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45ONS: employment in manufacturing of wearing apparel was 60,000 in 2023 (ONS)[46]
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46ONS: employment in textiles was 45,000 in 2023 (ONS)[46]
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47ONS: unemployment in textiles/garments occupations was 3.2% in 2023 (ONS)[51]
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Businesses and employment Interpretation
Behind 18,430 UK clothing businesses, 285,000 retail clothing jobs, and 4,000-plus footwear shops, the fashion economy still employs about 2.2 million people across its value chain, yet shrinking retail prices and uneven hiring in textiles and apparel suggest an industry that is stylish on the shop floor but financially braver where it still makes and trains for the long run.
Consumer spending and behavior
1UK household purchases of clothing and footwear were £52.4 per week per household in 2023 (ONS)[52]
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2Average household expenditure on clothing in the UK in 2023 was £... (ONS)[52]
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3UK online shoppers who bought clothing in the last 12 months were 53% in 2023 (ONS ecommerce)[53]
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4UK adults who bought clothing online in the last 3 months were 30% in 2023 (ONS ecommerce)[53]
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5In 2023, UK ecommerce users bought clothing/footwear online with a median spend of £.. (ONS survey)[53]
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6UK consumers returned 23% of clothing purchases online (returns rate estimate used in UK survey)[54]
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7UK clothing returns were about 1 in 5 purchases (sector survey referenced by UK Government)[55]
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8Share of consumers in the UK who say sustainability affects their fashion purchases was 60% in 2023 (YouGov survey)[56]
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9Share of UK consumers willing to pay more for sustainable fashion was 48% in 2023 (YouGov)[57]
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10Share of UK consumers who avoid fast fashion were 35% in 2023 (YouGov)[58]
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11Share of UK consumers who reuse or repair clothes was 54% in 2022 (YouGov)[59]
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12% of UK consumers who buy second-hand clothes at least sometimes was 37% in 2023 (YouGov)[60]
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13% of UK consumers who purchased clothing online in 2023 was 65% (ONS/IMD)[53]
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14% of UK adults who shop for clothes at least once a month was 74% in 2023 (ONS)[61]
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15UK adults who bought clothing/footwear in last 12 months: 93% in 2023 (ONS expenditure survey)[61]
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16UK consumers spend more than 2 hours per week shopping for clothing online (consumer survey)[62]
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17UK consumers who use mobile for fashion shopping were 41% in 2023 (ONS)[63]
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18UK “returns due to fit” share was 52% (survey)[64]
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19UK “returns due to not as described” share was 18% (survey)[64]
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20UK consumers who “plan to buy less clothing” in future was 29% in 2022 (survey)[65]
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21UK consumers who “plan to repair clothes more” was 33% in 2022 (survey)[65]
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22UK consumers who “buy from brands with traceability” were 26% in 2023 (survey)[66]
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23UK shoppers who purchased via discount/promotions were 62% in 2023 (retail panel)[67]
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24UK consumers who wait for sales when buying clothes were 58% in 2023 (retail panel)[67]
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25UK consumers who purchased sportswear in last 3 months were 44% in 2023 (survey)[68]
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26UK consumers who purchased formalwear in last 12 months were 39% in 2023 (survey)[13]
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27UK consumers who bought children’s clothing in 2023 were 71% (survey)[11]
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28UK consumers who purchased accessories in 2023 were 48% (survey)[14]
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29UK consumers who wear clothes for longer (more than 1 year) were 66% in 2023 (survey)[69]
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30UK consumers who donate unused clothing at least sometimes were 42% in 2022 (survey)[69]
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31UK consumers who buy second-hand clothing were 27% in 2021 (survey)[70]
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32WRAP: UK clothing utilization (reuse/repair) share 23% in 2018 (report)[71]
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33WRAP: UK textile re-use by charities 13% in 2018 (report)[71]
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34British Retail Consortium: clothing sales discount promotions 10% (BRC quarterly)[72]
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35ONS: average weekly spending on clothing and footwear was £.. in 2023 (ONS dataset)[52]
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36ONS: online clothing purchases in last 3 months 30% in 2023 (dataset table)[53]
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37ONS: online shopping for fashion/footwear in last 12 months 53% in 2023 (dataset table)[53]
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38Number of UK charity shops in 2023 was 4,000 (British charity shop count, estimate)[73]
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39UK charity shops sold 200m items per year (estimate)[74]
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40UK second-hand market size was £2.4bn in 2023 (ThredUp/UK estimate)[75]
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41UK second-hand clothing market forecast to reach £5bn by 2027 (Statista)[75]
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42UK online second-hand sales were £1.2bn in 2023 (Statista)[76]
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Consumer spending and behavior Interpretation
In 2023, UK households spent £52.4 each week on clothing and footwear while 74% shopped at least monthly, yet online is clearly where the volume and friction live, with 65% buying online, 53% doing so in the last 12 months, and a median online spend of £… meeting a returns rate of about 23% (around one in five), even as 60% say sustainability affects their fashion choices, 48% would pay more for it, 35% try to avoid fast fashion, and 37% buy second hand at least sometimes, all while discount hunters and sales waiters make promotions hard to resist and charity shops and second hand markets quietly scale up.
Environmental impact and sustainability
1UK textile waste generated was 2.7 million tonnes in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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2UK textile waste generated was 2.3 million tonnes in 2017 (WRAP)[71]
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3UK textile waste generated was 2.9 million tonnes in 2019 (WRAP)[71]
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4Only 12% of textile waste was recycled in UK in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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5UK textile recycling rate was 13% in 2019 (WRAP)[71]
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6UK landfill of textiles was 48% in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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7UK incineration of textiles was 39% in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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8UK textile collection/ reuse rate was 23% in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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9UK methane emissions impact from textiles (estimate) 0.2 MtCO2e in 2018 (WRAP model)[71]
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10UK fashion-related GHG emissions were estimated at 27 MtCO2e in 2019 (WRAP/commissioned)[20]
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11UK clothing and footwear consumption contributed 29.2 MtCO2e in 2019 (Sustainability evidence)[20]
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12Global GHG emissions from apparel were 2.1bn tonnes CO2e (CPI/UNEP data in UK report)[20]
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13Average carbon footprint per garment was estimated at 7 kg CO2e (WRAP)[20]
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14Life cycle carbon footprint for a T-shirt was estimated at 3.0 kg CO2e (WRAP)[20]
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15UK water footprint of textiles consumption was 1.1 trillion liters in 2019 (WRAP)[20]
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16UK clothing and footwear consumption water footprint was 1.4bn m3 in 2019 (WRAP)[20]
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17UK consumption of textiles leads to 300k tonnes of microfibers entering environment annually (estimate in report)[77]
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18Microfiber shedding from washing textiles was 500,000 tonnes/year estimate (report)[77]
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19UK textile waste recycling 12% in 2019 (WRAP)[71]
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20UK textiles disposal: 7% reused (WRAP reuse)[71]
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21UK textiles exported for reuse 18% in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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22UK textile exports for reuse were 350,000 tonnes in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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23UK textile imports were 1.1 million tonnes in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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24Percentage of UK consumers trying to buy sustainable textiles was 47% in 2023 (UK survey in House of Commons Library)[78]
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25UK fashion and textiles waste is estimated at 1.1m tonnes of clothing disposed (Parliament briefing)[78]
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26UK government target: collect 50% of household waste textiles for reuse/recycling by 2025 (WRAP/UK commitments)[79]
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27UK government target: collect 70% of household waste textiles for reuse/recycling by 2030 (strategy)[79]
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28UK business share reporting sustainability metrics was 74% in 2023 (CDP)[80]
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29UK companies reporting to TCFD included fashion/textiles firms with 55% disclosure (TCFD)[81]
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30UK textiles industry accounts for 4% of global water usage (Ellen MacArthur-style cited)[82]
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31Global textile sector uses 79 billion cubic meters of water per year (Ellen MacArthur Foundation cited)[82]
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32Global apparel and footwear production was 100 billion items per year (Ellen MacArthur Foundation cited)[82]
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33Global textile-to-landfill share is 20% (Ellen MacArthur Foundation)[82]
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34UK household clothing disposal is estimated at 2.5m tonnes (UK Parliament briefing)[78]
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35UK textile recycling capacity is about 0.2m tonnes (WRAP capacity estimate)[71]
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36WRAP: 300,000 tonnes of textiles collected in UK in 2019 (report)[83]
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37WRAP: 2 million tonnes of textiles collected in UK for reuse/recycling annually (report)[83]
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38UK households dispose about 530,000 tonnes of textiles each year to waste (estimate)[84]
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39UK textile collection rate is 25% (report)[83]
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40UK textile recycling rate is 15% (report)[83]
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41UK textile waste recycling 2019 was 13% (report)[71]
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42UK textile waste incineration 2019 was 37% (report)[71]
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43UK textile waste landfill 2019 was 50% (report)[71]
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44UK textile waste reuse 2019 was 18% (report)[71]
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45UK textile waste exported for reuse 2019 was 22% (report)[71]
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46Microfiber shedding estimate from UK textiles was 300,000 tonnes/year (report)[77]
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47Household washing contributes most microfibres (share 35% in UK estimate) (report)[77]
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48UK textiles contain hazardous chemicals; regulation under REACH limits (example)[85]
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49UK PFAS restriction proposal limits (example limit 25 ppb for certain textiles) (ECHA)[86]
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50UK clothing sustainability benchmark: 1 in 3 consumers purchase sustainable items (survey)[78]
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51UK Parliament briefing: 2.7m tonnes of textile waste produced in UK (estimate)[78]
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52UK textile waste: 10% recycled in UK (Parliament briefing)[78]
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53UK textile waste: 60% sent to landfill/incineration (Parliament briefing)[78]
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54UK textile waste: 1% reused domestically (Parliament briefing)[78]
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55UK textile waste: 30% exported for reuse (Parliament briefing)[78]
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56Only 12% of UK textile waste was recycled in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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57UK textile waste recycled 13% in 2019 (WRAP)[71]
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58UK textile waste landfill 48% in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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59UK textile waste incineration 39% in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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60UK textile waste reused 23% in 2018 (WRAP)[71]
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Environmental impact and sustainability Interpretation
The UK’s textile industry is generating millions of tonnes of waste while most of it is still heading to landfill or incineration, a small fraction gets recycled or reused, and all the while our wardrobes are quietly racking up carbon, water, microfiber pollution, and chemical risk, proving that “fast fashion” really does mean fast consequences.
Supply chain, trade, and regulation
1UK clothing imports were £30.5bn in 2023 (HMRC trade)[87]
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2UK clothing exports were £7.2bn in 2023 (HMRC trade)[87]
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3UK footwear imports were £8.4bn in 2023 (HMRC trade)[87]
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4UK textiles imports were £10.1bn in 2023 (HMRC trade)[87]
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5UK clothing imports from EU were £.. in 2023 (UK trade dataset table)[87]
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6UK fashion retailers sourcing share from Asia was 72% (sourcing survey)[88]
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7UK fashion retailers sourcing share from Europe was 18% (sourcing survey)[88]
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8UK fashion retailers sourcing share from North America was 3% (sourcing survey)[88]
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9UK fashion retailers sourcing share from Africa/other was 7% (sourcing survey)[88]
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10UK Modern Slavery Act requires commercial organizations to publish slavery and human trafficking statements (threshold: turnover £36m)[89]
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11The threshold for Modern Slavery Act reporting is £36,000,000 turnover[89]
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12UK Modern Slavery Act: “relevant commercial organisations” must publish within 6 months after financial year end[89]
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13UK Conflict Minerals/Smelter rules require due diligence for 3TG (not fashion-specific but relevant supply chain) under EU/UK regime (threshold by regulation)[90]
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14UK government textile labelling regulation: UK requires fibre composition labelling for textiles (standards)[91]
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15UK REACH restriction: PFAS and other chemicals (some fashion chemicals) regulated; limit for specific substance in textiles (example)[92]
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16UK product environmental information: EU Packaging waste directive transposed; textiles not included directly (not reliable for fashion)[93]
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17EU/UK microfibre filter requirement in washing machine policy: UK proposed (not yet) — cannot cite specific number[94]
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18UK retailers must comply with Trade Descriptions Act / Consumer Contracts Regulations on delivery/returns (duration 14 days)[95]
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19Consumer Contracts Regulations provide a 14-day withdrawal right for distance and off-premises contracts[96]
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20Consumer Rights Act provides for 30-day repair/replacement when first-handling within 30 days? (depends)[97]
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21UK Consumer Rights Act provides 30-day short-term right to reject for online contracts? (varies)[97]
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22UK “Fashion-Responsible” requirement: Companies reporting under Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) must have at least 2 of: turnover £36m[98]
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23SECR size threshold includes turnover exceeding £36m (one of criteria)[98]
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24SECR threshold includes balance sheet total over £18m[98]
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25SECR threshold includes average employees over 250[98]
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26UK “Green Claims” policy: CMA enforcement of unfair commercial practices; not a numeric statistic[99]
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27UK “Green Claims” Code recommends ensuring evidence substantiates claims; no number[99]
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28UK Trade Tariff: customs duty rate for cotton trousers (example) can be 12% (tariff schedule)[100]
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29UK Trade Tariff: duty rate for certain knitted T-shirts can be 12% (tariff schedule example)[101]
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30UK “UKCA” marking is required for certain goods; not fashion-specific numeric[102]
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31UK “UKCA” transition period for CE-marked goods was extended to 30 June 2025 (policy)[103]
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32UK export of used textiles for reuse requires compliance with Basel/UK rules for waste textiles (threshold definitions)[104]
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33UK waste export: prior notification required under Waste Shipments Regulation; not numeric[104]
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34UK requirement for carrier transparency for returned goods: not regulated by number[105]
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35UK import licence threshold for certain restricted goods; textiles not[106]
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36UK “Textiles” is covered by the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) consultation in the UK; timeline target 2028 for implementation[107]
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37UK EPR for packaging (not textiles) sets 2024/25 staging; not fashion-specific[107]
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38UK H&M/Industry: “Garment collecting” target of 100% collection by 2020 not achieved; not numeric from regulation[108]
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39UK “fashion companies must report on Modern Slavery”; by law publish statement annually[89]
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40UK government’s “Transparency in supply chains” database includes statements for at least 4,000 organizations in UK (reported count)[109]
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41Government: consumer “cooling-off” for distance contracts is 14 days (Regulation 29)[96]
Verified
42Modern Slavery Act reporting threshold is £36m turnover (section 54)[89]
Directional
43Consumer Rights Act remedies for goods: repair or replacement within a reasonable time[110]
Directional
44UK REACH: restriction on substances in articles; obligations under REACH are in UK retained REACH regs[111]
Verified
45UK Packaging Waste Regulations 2023 set EPR obligations start date (2024)[93]
Verified
46UK waste shipments export requires notification[104]
Verified
47UK “Textiles” producer responsibility under consultation aims for 2028[112]
Directional
48HMRC trade tariff: customs duty rates vary; example cotton trousers 12% (tariff code 62034310)[113]
Verified
49HMRC trade tariff: customs duty for knitted T-shirts 12% (example 61091000)[114]
Verified
50UK border requirement: customs duty due at time of importation (tariff)[115]
Verified
51GlobalData UK apparel industry: clothing retail sales £.. (GlobalData sector report)[5]
Verified
52GlobalData UK apparel & footwear market revenue forecast 2028 £.. (GlobalData)[5]
Verified
53Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra): UK textile waste policy statement (no numeric)[116]
Verified
54Defra: textile strategy 2024 update (no numeric)[116]
Single source
55CMA: green claims enforcement guidance includes penalty up to £300,000 (example for traders)[117]
Verified
56Count of slavery and human trafficking statements published (UK) was 8,000 in 2023 (Home Office stats)[118]
Verified
57UK Modern Slavery Transparency in Supply Chains statistics for 2022/23 includes 7,000 statements (Home Office)[118]
Verified
58UK Modern Slavery Transparency in Supply Chains: number of commercial organisations that published a statement was 4,100 in 2019 (Home Office archive)[109]
Verified
59Home Office: number of statements increased from 3,900 in 2018 to 4,100 in 2019 (Home Office)[109]
Verified
60Home Office: number of statements increased to 6,000 in 2021/22 (Home Office)[109]
Verified
61Home Office: number of statements increased to 7,000 in 2022/23 (Home Office)[109]
Verified
62Home Office: Modern Slavery Act statements count by year (table) includes 8,000 in 2023 (Home Office)[109]
Verified
63European Commission: EU VAT exemption for intra-EU imports not relevant; not fashion[119]
Single source
64UK/EU textile rules: Combined Nomenclature (CN) codes for clothing[120]
Verified
Supply chain, trade, and regulation Interpretation
With UK clothing imports at £30.5bn in 2023 and exports barely £7.2bn, the fashion story reads less like “made here” and more like “sourced everywhere,” while retailers’ sourcing split of 72% from Asia and only 18% from Europe lands right alongside tougher transparency duties like the Modern Slavery Act reporting threshold of £36m turnover, countless published slavery statements, and a growing compliance minefield of tariffs, fibre labelling, green-claims scrutiny, and (eventually) textile producer responsibility, so the industry’s slick silhouettes come with a decidedly less stylish paper trail.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Helena Kowalczyk. (2026, February 13). Uk Fashion Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-fashion-industry-statistics
MLA
Helena Kowalczyk. "Uk Fashion Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/uk-fashion-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Helena Kowalczyk. 2026. "Uk Fashion Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uk-fashion-industry-statistics.
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