By 2050, the fashion industry is on course to produce 138 billion items of unworn clothes every year – enough to almost reach from the Earth to Mars and back, according to new analysis from Oxfam.

The findings mark the start of Oxfam’s annual Second Hand September campaign fronted this year by actor and advocate Jameela Jamil. 

Oxfam’s research shows that if all 1.6bn unused items of clothes currently owned by the UK population were reused and worn, it would be enough to clothe the entire population of Manchester for approximately eighteen generations, or 450 years.

Further analysis highlights that items of clothing are worn for less than five days on average in the UK — spending 1,500 days, or over 99 per cent of their lifetime, in the wardrobe.

“The amount of unworn clothes in the UK is shocking. Aside from how obviously problematic that excess is for the environment and the world at large, it’s also a shame that most clothes are no longer made, or bought, to last.”

Jameela Jamil

Since it launched in 2019, Oxfam’s Second Hand September has helped encourage people to shop second hand as a sustainable alternative to purchasing new products.

Commenting on the campaign Lorna Fallon, Oxfam’s Retail Director, said: “By buying, wearing and donating second hand you’re reducing the demand for fast fashion and the damage to our planet. Plus, by shopping with Oxfam, you’re also helping to raise vital funds to help tackle poverty and inequality around the world.”

As part of this year’s Second Hand September, on 18 September Oxfam will once again be one of the opening shows at London Fashion Week with a runway show – in partnership with Vinted – featuring the best pre-loved Oxfam clothing styled by Bay Garnett.

“What we wear has power. It says something about what we stand for and the world we want to live in. Oxfam is urging people to make a powerful fashion statement this September by dressing for the world they want to see. Shopping second hand with Oxfam means looking good and doing good,” commented Fallon.

In recent weeks M&S and JoJo Maman Bébé have both announced the launch of resale platforms allowing customers to trade-in used clothing in return for credit.