French consumers set new clothing consumption record in 2025

Paris – French consumers set another record for new textile purchases in 2025, buying 3.6 billion items, or 10 million per day, the eco-organisation Refashion announced in a press release on Wednesday.

Consumers purchased an average of 43 items of clothing per person in 2025, one more than in 2024. They also bought four pairs of shoes and 12 new household linen items. This was revealed by the organisation commissioned by the state to manage textile waste. In 2024 French consumers purchased 3.5 billion items.

Clothing represents the vast majority (82 percent) of new items purchased, which “will be waste tomorrow,” warned Refashion's general director Maud Hardy, as quoted in the press release.

“However, two-thirds of them currently end up incinerated or in landfill,” she specified. Hardy stressed the “urgency” of “finally acquiring the necessary industrial capacity to manage these volumes, starting with a genuine textile recycling industry in France”.

Refashion has produced this overview annually for three years. To do so, the eco-organisation analysed data that the 11,000 brands selling textiles in France must legally provide. This includes Asian platforms such as Shein and Temu.

In detail, the volume of shoes purchased increased sharply (+4 percent), as did everything related to baby products (+5 percent). “A category that was in decline last year is regaining vitality, especially among ‘lower-priced’ players and mass retailers,” the press release noted.

Consumers continue to favour online-only companies (Zalando, Shein, etc.), which recorded a 12 percent growth in sales volume, as well as discounters (+3 percent).

It is these players who are “driving the market upwards,” analysed Refashion.

Out-of-town retail chains and supermarkets that sell textiles are performing well, with growth of 3 percent and 2 percent, respectively. In contrast, city-centre retailers fell by 2 percent and sports specialists by 3 percent.

Price remains a key factor in the purchasing decision, with seven out of 10 products being entry-level at an average price of 8.30 euros. This is “equivalent” to that of second-hand clothing (8.50 euros on average), notes the eco-organisation.

Second-hand fashion is gaining momentum, accounting for more than 65,000 tonnes in 2025. This represents 7.2 percent of the total consumption of textiles and footwear in France and marks an increase of 4.8 percent compared to 2024.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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