Is your wardrobe bulging with clothes you haven’t worn but still you can’t find anything to wear? Do you look at all those dresses and tops and jackets and think, well…what wasI thinking? Have you been telling porkies to hide the amount you’ve really spent on your passion for fashion?
If the answers are yes, yes and yes… you can at least take heart that you’re not alone.
Pure Profile conducted a case study on behalf of AHM Fashion Exchange to look at the shopping habits of over 1250 Australian women aged between 18 and 65 and they found that that the average woman has an incredible100 itemshanging in her wardrobe that have never been worn.
“It’s not unusual for people to have clothes in their wardrobes they don’t wear – even with tags still on them – but over 100 items as the average is astounding,” says Paula Joye, style guru and AHM Fashion Exchange events advocate.
“If you work out how much money you spend on clothes you haven’t worn it’s frightening.”
Alesha Dettmer, 31, a successful Sydney businesswoman, says she can’t count the clothes she has in her wardrobe, but can account for not wearing a lot of them.
“I have too many clothes to think about or even count. It’s the equivalent of an entire walk-in robe, two chests of draws, plus another two-door built in,” she says.
“I have not worn all of them, some items I have not have worn for over 18 months.”
The average Australian has 104 items in their wardrobe that they never wear, yet a whopping 82 per cent still can’t find something to put on each day.
Almost half of women lie about how much they spend on clothing, which may explain why almost 62 per cent of the population also return their clothes straight after buying them, with buyer’s guilt being a major contributor.
“Yes, I’ve lied about the amount I spend on clothing. I never used to but once you’re married it all changes,” Alesha jokingly admits.
Despite the stereotype of woman re-mortgaging their homes for a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes, you may be surprised to know that men have just as many unworn items of clothing, and are spending more on new clothes each month.
While having too many clothes might clutter your wardrobe and prevent you from wearing your entire collection, it appears shoes are getting overlooked, too.
Research indicates that most Australians have 10 pairs of boots and shoes that they don’t wear and with each item costing an average of $70 each, that’s $700 worth of clean-soled shoes filling our cramped wardrobes.
Even more shockingly, some big-spending Aussies have admitted to having one item of clothing valued up to $1000 that they’ve never even worn.
Before you hit the panic button and head home to de-clutter, consider swapping items you no longer wear instead of hauling them off and repeating the process.
AHM Fashion Exchange is launching a series of clothes exchange days across the nation where you can swap your unworn items for someone else’s, saving yourself money and getting a new wardrobe that you might actually wear.
“The AHM Fashion Exchange events are a great way of re-purposing fashion,” says Paula Joye. “ You exchange unworn items from your wardrobe for pieces you like in another. It’s like raiding your best friend’s wardrobe. Waste less, shop more and look fabulous – all for free.”
Shoppers bring six items of pre-loved clothing in exchange for six tokens that they can then use to purchase other items suiting their current look and style.
AHM Fashion Exchange events kick off in Sydney on Saturday 26 October, followed by Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Adelaide.
Event Schedule
Saturday 26 October: Overseas Passenger Terminal, Sydney.
Clothes drop off: 10am – 12pm
Fashion Exchange: 12pm – 3pm
Sunday 10 November: Lightspace Studios, Brisbane.
Clothes drop off: 10am-12pm
Fashion Exchange: 12pm-3pm
Saturday 16 November: State Theatre, Perth.
Clothes drop off: 10am-12pm
Fashion Exchange: 12pm-3pm
Saturday 23 November: Thousand Pound Bend, Melbourne.
Clothes drop off: 10am-12pm
Fashion Exchange: 12pm-3pm
Saturday 30 November: Queens Theatre, Adelaide.
Clothes drop off: 10am-12pm
Fashion Exchange: 12pm-3pm
Related video: TODAY: Australia’s biggest wardrobe. .
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