The little black dress is an enduring staple of the party season. But do you really need new one? Environmental charity Hubbub is encouraging people to go green this December.
Research by Hubbub has found that Britons are set to spend a staggering £2.4bn on new clothing for Christmas parties this year, spending an average of £73.90 per person (men £88.14, women £63.12) on party wear. What’s more, these outfits are set to have less than three wears with one in five people admitting they won’t wear the same thing to more than one party.
When it came to the lovely sparkly dresses on sale this time of year, only 24% know that most party dresses contain plastic. In fact, Hubbub analysed 169 party dresses from 17 different online, high street and designer outlets and found 94% are partially or totally made from plastic/plastic-derived fabrics.
Hubbub suggests four greener options this season are to:
- Rewear, restyle or upcycle an outfit you already own
- Borrow or swap with friends
- Rent from one of the great rental sites available like ByRotation or Hurr
- Buy second-hand from a vintage shop, online reseller or a charity shop
Sarah Divall, Project Co-ordinator at Hubbub said: “Vintage and pre-loved clothing has never been so on trend and it’s only going to get bigger, as people realise the massive environmental impact of the fashion industry. Going green doesn’t mean you can’t dress up. There are so many eco-friendly options out there now, including clothes swaps, renting, pre-loved and charity stores, so you can look stunning and save money without damaging the planet.”
The good news is 16-24s are adopting greener ways to dress, as higher numbers swap with friends (36%) and buy from charity shops (30%) than older generations.