In this article, we will explore data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey with the goal of gaining a better understanding of apparel spending habbits in the U.S. We will then use this understanding to discuss strategies for working toward a more sustainable fashion industry, which has been called the second dirtiest in the world.^[1]

How much do Americans spend on apparel?

Mouseover a bar on the left to update the pie chart.

In 2014, American households spent an average of $1765 on apparel, footwear, and related products and services—up from an average of $1,700 in 2010.

Footwear spending is distributed in a similar way to other apparel, with one exception: on average approximately $19 more is spent on boys than girls, whereas girls lead by about $21 for other apparel.

What kind of apparel do Americans buy?

2014 saw Americans spend the most money on women's footwear ($169.12), women's sweaters, shirts, tops and vests ($147.21) and men's footwear ($110.57). Nearly 66% of all spending was dedicated to apparel for adults.

Conclusion

Monitor Your Spending

Statistically speaking, women stand to improve the most in terms of sustainability—since 1990, they have consistently spent more money on apparel than any other demographic. However, without more detailed information on quantity (women's apparel could tend to be more expensive than men's, for example) and usage, it is hard to come to any concrete conclusions about who is truly the least sustainable. One thing is nearly certain though: Americans, as a whole, have room for improvement when it comes to fashion sustainability.

One strategy for improving in this regard is to put more emphasis on keeping track of spending: when, what, from where, how much, etc. A simple way to start doing this is by using a spreadsheet to track your purchases. We covered this topic in more detailed on our blog, but here's an overview:

• We use a few statistics—Item Age, Brand Rating, Wear Count and Cost-Per-Wear— to represent our apparel with a single number, which we call a Sustainability Score.
• Each day, we record our outfit(s) in the spreadsheet and the aforementioned statistics automatically update.
• When we purchase, discard or donate an item, we update our inventory.

We don't use very advanced analysis but this is a great starting point for doing so. There are nearly endless possibilities, as you can probably imagine. For example, we could expand the spreadsheet to provide month-by-month or seasonal comparisons of our spending.

What's your Sustainability Score?

Recycle

Footwear comprised the largest share of spending for every demographic. Obiviously, this could be due to the fact that footwear wears out faster than other apparel items. In any case, however, this presents an opportunity for improved sustainability. According to the World Wear Project, "consumers in the U.S. place almost half of their unwanted textiles and clothing in the trash, accounting for almost 5% of the solid waste stream."^[2] This issue is particularly relevant to footwear, as it has been estimated that 300 million people worldwide are in need of shoes.^[3]

So, the next time you're ready to get rid of a pair of shoes, consider donating before disposing!

References

1. Fast Fashion Is the Second Dirtiest Industry in the World, Next to Big Oil
2. Why Recycle Shoes and Clothing?
3. 10 ways you can change the world one pair at a time!