The German fashion association dares to look into German wardrobes. His conclusion: When shopping, people pay less attention to design and exclusivity than to good fit and comfort.
Cologne – Almost every third person in Germany is a fashion grouch and is not at all interested in clothing trends. This result, which is somewhat sobering for the trend-loving fashion designers, was obtained from a survey of more than 2000 consumers published by the GermanFahshion fashion association.
Unsurprisingly, men (32 percent) were completely disinterested in fashion, which is even more widespread than women (28 percent).
The fit and price of clothing are crucial
For the vast majority of consumers, clothing – as the survey showed – above all has to fit and be comfortable. Good value for money and quality are also important. “Anyone who underestimates these criteria in their collection policy is neglecting the most important selection criteria of almost all consumers,” is how brand researcher Christian Duncker summarized the results of the survey. Fashion trends and exclusivity, on the other hand, play a subordinate role for the majority of consumers.
“Basically, practical, comfortable and timeless styles predominate in German wardrobes,” it says. The very fashionable or unusual models, which are the most discussed among fashionistas, are, however, not very widespread.
Majority buys cheap fashion
Consumers therefore prefer brands from the entry-level as well as the mid-price segment. According to the survey, not even every tenth person in Germany wears predominantly premium brands, and only one percent have mostly luxury brands hanging in their closets.
Noticeable: entry-level brands are much more common in women’s wardrobes than in men. In the survey, the gentlemen of creation turned out to be significantly more brand-oriented than women. Premium brands can be found in their cupboards twice as often as women do.
Despite Corona, according to the survey, chain stores are still the most frequently used points of contact when looking for new outfits, followed by local fashion retailers. However, during the pandemic, online retailers continued to catch up with the “classic” fashion retailers. No wonder, according to the industry association bevh, the online trade in textiles also shone with double-digit growth rates in the third quarter of this year.
Second-hand trade is on the rise
In the pandemic, however, it was not just Internet providers who grew. “In the past two years, there were two winners in terms of the types of trade: online trade and second-hand trade,” says the study. Only around a fifth of consumers still buy used clothing. But the trend is clearly upwards.
After all, even established fashion retailers are now experimenting with selling second-hand clothing. The study “Fashion 2030 – See what will be fashion tomorrow” by the management consultancy KPMG and the Cologne retail research institute EHI believes it is possible that second-hand clothing will achieve a market share of 20 percent in the next ten years. After all, the continued use of textiles is particularly sustainable.
Sustainability is of secondary importance
According to the survey, the issue of sustainability only ranks in the middle when it comes to purchasing decisions by clothing buyers. For most consumers, it is by no means as important as fit or comfort, but it is much more important than getting goods with the latest design. Noticeable: women described the sustainability of the products and their manufacture as important far more often than men.
According to the head of the study, Duncker, however, such statements should be treated with caution. “If you look at the actual behavior of both sexes, women actually buy new items of clothing much more often and also significantly more often from fast fashion providers,” he emphasized. Men buy their clothes, he says, less often, but more expensive and for longer-term use. The question arises as to whether this means that men are actually more sustainable consumers, according to the study. dpa
