How much we spend on clothes every year - and why we go on shopping sprees

The average Brit spends more than £1,000 a year on new clothes every year, new research has revealed.
Women admit they never wear some of their purchases, but buying things makes them feel better.Women admit they never wear some of their purchases, but buying things makes them feel better.
Women admit they never wear some of their purchases, but buying things makes them feel better.

They shop for new gear every two months - but leave a third of it hanging in their wardrobe.

A survey of 2,000 adults in the UK found there are 95 items hanging up in the average woman's wardrobe, although they wear just 43 per cent of them once a week or more.

How much we spend on new clothes every year.How much we spend on new clothes every year.
How much we spend on new clothes every year.
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In fact, women say they NEVER wear six per cent of their clothes, and seven per cent have been worn just once.

Fibre scientist Neil Lant, of fabric care experts Ariel, who commissioned the study, said: "Our results found that women own more items of clothing, but wear fewer of them, than men.

"On average, women own 27 more pieces of clothing than their male counterparts."

The top reasons women cite for regularly donning their most-worn clothes are that they launder well, can go a long time between washes, and give the wearer the most confidence.

How much we spend on new clothes every year.How much we spend on new clothes every year.
How much we spend on new clothes every year.
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The study also found new clothes can have a psychological impact on women, with seven in 10 saying they go shopping purely because they love the 'just-bought' feeling of a new item.

Nearly six out of 10 people keep garments aside for special occasions, and a fifth think the ones they don't wear are too hard to care for due to hand washing or dry cleaning restrictions.

A quarter of women also say that wearing a new item of clothing for the first time helps them feel like themselves.

The research also discovered that eight out of 10 women feel their happiest and most confident when they're wearing new clothes.

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But when clothes aren't new, women often feel lacklustre and dull, which leads to a loss of confidence.

This increases for 18-24-year-old women, with six out of 10 saying they feel average or mediocre when they're not sporting a new outfit.

Louise Redknapp, ambassador for Ariel's Redefine Clean campaign, said: "It's no secret that we all love new clothes. But, we all have our favourite pieces that we want to take care of, so we can wear them again and again.

"Clean isn't just about being stain-free, it's about colours being bright and whites being brilliant, preserving that just bought feeling for longer, so we can have the confidence to take on any challenge.