Squeezed Young Shoppers Worry They Can’t Afford To Dress More Sustainably Anymore

• New research commissioned by Primark shows that over one third of all UK shoppers worry that the cost-of-living crisis will prevent them from making more sustainable choices, rising to almost half (45%) amongst 18–34-year-olds

• At the same time, UK consumers are focusing on wardrobe staples to beat the budget squeeze, with 45% prioritising buying the essentials, rising to 54% among 45–54-year-olds.

• In response and as part of its mission to help make more sustainable fashion affordable for everyone, Primark is bringing all its lowest priced t-shirts under its Primark Cares label*

• All the cotton in its menswear and kidswear lowest price t-shirts, will also come from Primark’s Sustainable Cotton Programme, the largest of its kind of any single fashion retailer

• Primark has also teamed up with Instagram stylist Laura Byrnes for some inspiration around how to build a more sustainable capsule wardrobe on a budget by mixing in everyday wardrobe basics to create looks that will last

New research commissioned by Primark shows that UK consumers are facing a crisis of conscience, with more than one third (35%) saying they are worried the cost-of-living crisis will prevent them from shopping more sustainably. This rises to 45% amongst 18-34-year-olds.

While more than double the amount of 18-34-year-olds (33%) than 35-54-year-olds (14%) say they prioritise sustainability over style when building their wardrobe, nearly half (46%) of those young people who care most about shopping sustainably don’t know where to find these options or how to style them (35%).

This younger age group are savvier than the previous generation of 35-54-year-olds at using hacks to dress more consciously on a budget. This includes building a capsule wardrobe (31% vs 23%) and swapping and selling clothes (41% vs 23%).

In response, Primark is working with fashion influencer Laura Byrnes to raise awareness of its Primark Cares label and inspire people to build a more sustainable capsule wardrobe for less, by styling up its Primark Cares essentials with the items they have in their closets already.

About Primark Cares essentials

The new research shows that UK consumers are focusing on wardrobe essentials to beat the budget squeeze, with nearly half (45%) prioritising essentials, rising to 54% among 45–54-year-olds.

So, as part of its commitment to make more sustainable fashion more affordable for everyone through its Primark Cares strategy, from this month, Primark is bringing all its lowest priced t-shirts in its A/W essentials range under the Primark Cares label. This means they are made with recycled or more sustainably sourced materials. Moving forward, all the cotton in the lowest price t-shirts from its menswear and kidswear ranges will come from Primark’s Sustainable Cotton Programme, the largest of its kind of any fashion retailer.

Almost 40% of Primark clothing is already made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials, and the fashion retailer has committed to make that 100% of its clothing by 2030. In the meantime, Primark has been working to increase the number of essentials under its Primark Cares label over the last few years, with the availability of Primark Cares t-shirts across all departments growing by nearly 50% from SS21 to SS22. Primark Cares leisurewear and underwear increased by nearly a quarter during the same period, with Primark Cares socks and hosiery growing by nearly 20%.

The fashion retailer has also launched a new product fibres glossary to help customers make more informed choices by showing them what’s behind the labels in their clothes.

Primark has also committed that 100% of the cotton in its clothes will be recycled, organic or sourced from Primark’s Sustainable Cotton Programme by 2027. 27% of the cotton in Primark’s clothing is sourced from its Sustainable Cotton Programme already, an increase of 13% from the launch of the Primark Cares strategy in September 2021.

Top tips from Laura Byrnes for styling up Primark Cares essentials with the items you have in your wardrobe already

This A/W, Primark is teaming up with popular lifestyle and fashion influencer Laura Byrnes to inspire people to build an affordable and more sustainable capsule wardrobe, by styling up Primark’s Primark Cares essentials and mixing in everyday wardrobe basics to create looks that will last.

Laura said:

“This research shows it can be hard to know where to start when trying to build a more sustainable wardrobe, especially when budgets are tighter. Don’t worry, my tips show that you can mix and match affordable and more sustainable wardrobe essentials to build a look which is unique to you. They also show that you can open your wardrobe and put outfits together easily by mixing and matching these more sustainable essentials with what you’ve already got, ready to feel great in your outfit choices!”

Looking for inspiration? Here are five tips from Laura to get you started:

1. DO A WARDROBE CLEAR OUT AND GET ORGANISED: try all your clothes and check they still fit and work for you. Organise into categories (including essentials). Anything that can’t be repaired, reused or perhaps no longer fit, Primark will take off your hands and prevent them going to landfill through their Textile Takeback scheme instore.

2. NAILING THE ESSENTIALS: Essentials or basics, whatever you call them, are those items that are timeless and something you’ll want to wear for years to come, so using this as a base is key.

3. YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE BASIC: You can add in colour and print to your essentials, it’s a fun way to add your personality to your wardrobe! Choose essentials in colours that work well with what you’ve already got.

4. LOVE LAYERING: This is a great way to use what you’ve already got to change up your outfits. This is also a great tip for transitioning your wardrobe to A/W as it gets colder.

5. HAVE FUN: Style is all about expressing yourself and wearing what you love! When you’ve created outfits you love, take a photo, store in an ‘outfits’ folder and when you don’t know what to wear, revisit these to give you some inspiration! Remember, it’s not all about buying more, it’s buying a few new essentials to mix and match with what you already have.

Laura will be sharing her tips on building an affordable and more sustainable capsule wardrobe this A/W with her followers. These will also feature on Primark’s channels.

Lynne Walker, Director of Primark Cares, said:

“We know not everyone can afford or wants to, pay more for more sustainable clothes – nor should they have to. Now more than ever, customers shouldn't have to choose between affordability and sustainability. That’s why nearly 40 per cent of our clothing is already made from recycled or more sustainably sourced materials and why we’re bringing all our basic t-shirts under our Primark Cares label – and growing our Primark Cares essentials. And it’s also why we’re delighted to be working with trusted voices like Laura Byrnes to inspire our customers to make more sustainable choices at prices they can afford.”

*This excludes any t-shirts on special offer or part of a discount promotion.