The way consumers respond to faulty fashion items they’ve just bought has been revealed in a new report by Austrlaian circular materials company Samsara Eco.
When a garment fails, consumers are 12 times more likely to walk away from the brand than to replace the item with the same brand. And only 5.9 per cent return the item, so the brand rarely hears about it.
The report draws on insights from over 5,000 global circular-conscious, predominantly Gen Z consumers on their expectations for material quality, transparency and circularity.
According to the report, invisible churn is the real cost of garment failure. When a garment lets consumers down, more than 1 in 4 (27.7 per cent) leave the brand, with 15.8 per cent never buying from the brand again and 11.9 per cent switching to a competitor.
While 5.9 per cent of customers return items, the rest are absorbing it, with over 64 per cent either repairing the item or continuing to wear it. Only 2.3 per cent replace it with the same brand.
The quality failures that frustrate respondents the most are material. When garments fall short, consumers are clear on what frustrates them most: fabric thinning or developing holes tops the list (62 per cent), followed by seams splitting or unravelling (55 per cent) and fabric pilling (50 per cent).
Over 80 per cent of respondents say knowing what their clothing is made from is important. But when asked what would most increase their confidence that a garment is genuinely better made, independent certification ranked last of five options at 6.6 per cent.
Material information and evidence of how something holds up over time took 63 per cent of first-place votes between them.
"Circularity means keeping materials in circulation at their highest possible value – not their lowest available use,” Samsara Eco GM Dr Lars Kissau said. “That's why durability matters so much.
“A garment has to last to be worn again, resold, handed on. And when it genuinely can't be worn any longer, it should become clothing again, not something lesser. Downcycling only slows the linear model. It doesn't stop it.”
Dr Lissau added that durability has always been a question of quality. It's now a retention question, and in Europe it's becoming a compliance one – both showing up on the bottom line.
“Durable products can be made from recycled materials – there's no trade-off in quality or performance. That's what unlocks a truly circular textiles industry.”
The report also found that cost of living is changing where people shop, not what they settle for. Over 88 per cent of respondents say the cost of living has influenced how they buy clothes, with 1 in 3 saying cost-of-living pressure has led them to buy less and expect more from each item, while 43 per cent are buying second-hand. 13.9 per cent are choosing cheaper options.
Consumers are also holding brands responsible for quality. Over half of respondents (54 per cent) say quality is the brand’s responsibility, nearly double those who point to government regulation (27 per cent). Just under 9 per cent of respondents put the responsibility on consumers to buy less and better.
A vast majority 89 per cent expect at least 30 wears before an item is done.