In 2024, the French each bought 42 new textile items on average, a record according to the Refashion organization.

The ravages of ultra-fast fashion . New purchases of clothing, shoes, and household linen reached a record high in France in 2024. 3.5 billion new items were purchased, or 10 million per day, according to figures released by the eco-organization Refashion on Tuesday, June 17.

This corresponds to 42 items of clothing per person. A 2.4% increase compared to the previous year, according to this organization, which is tasked by the government with supporting the fashion industry towards a more circular economy. Of these 3.5 billion new items, 2.9 billion are clothing items, 259 million are pairs of shoes, and 362 million are household linen items.

To establish this overview, Refashion analyzed the data required to be provided by the approximately 10,000 brands that sell textiles in France, including Asian platforms such as Shein and Temu.

After the "inflationary pressure" of 2023, household budgets are easing, explaining this recovery in textile and footwear consumption, according to Vanessa Gutierrez, research manager at Refashion. Women's and men's clothing increased by 5% and 3.6% respectively, but the category experiencing the strongest increase is household linen, with a 9.3% increase. This is explained by "the arrival on the market of players with affordable prices," according to the research manager, without naming any brands.

On the other hand, the children's and baby departments each fell by 0.6% and 5.4%, due to the drop in the birth rate and certainly the shift of consumers to second-hand goods in this sector.

The study also reveals that consumers are more likely to favor companies that sell exclusively online , such as Zalando, Shein, etc., which record more than 29.9% of sales in volume, as well as discounters and stockists with more than 10.3% of sales. But "if we excluded these two categories, the market would be relatively stable," Vanessa Gutierrez said.

While large food retailers suffered a 5.1% drop in their textile sales, city-center chains and shopping centers fared better, with sales up 2.8%. Affordable prices were favored, with 71% of items purchased being entry-level.

Furthermore, the research firm Kantar and Refashion also conducted a study on second-hand goods, which will reach more than 63,500 tonnes in 2023, representing 7.1% of the total consumption of textiles and footwear in France. More than a third of French people are customers of second-hand goods, and 4% declare themselves to be exclusive buyers of second-hand items.

The preferred channels for second-hand goods remain purchases between individuals (Vinted, Leboncoin, garage sales and flea markets, etc.), which accounts for almost one in two sales, followed by the social and solidarity economy sector (Red Cross, Emmaüs, etc.) with 33%, then companies selling to individuals (thrift stores, corners in stores, etc.) with 21%.