Fashion Is Ours

We're On Top


Sarah Karmali for Marie Claire UK

Now I know that the British woman isn't usually associated with living fashion every day of her life, but according to new Mintel reports it would surprise you how fashionable we really are. You may think that those Parisian beauties with their effortless chic would outweigh any English girl in her jogging bottoms and t-shirt, and those New Yorkers that insist on wearing heels and bare legs to every occasion thanks to the inspiration of Carrie Bradshaw, or even those sleek Italian luxury femme fatals with their 'I look perfect in anything as long as it's with expensive sunglasses' bodies, are the ones who spend the most on fashion, but it's all changed. According to Mintel, the average Briton is spending £660 a year on fashion, luxury or high street. That's more than double the French average spending of £321 and still more than the Italians who spend £417 a year. What's this I hear about a Recession? Is it really happening with all these British women concentrating on feeling better with more clothes?

Alright, so our £660 per year spending isn't necessarily on anything that's considered in style or fashion, it could have been spend on a really overly expensive American Apparel hoodie because it's more comfortable that it's Primark equivalent, but still, we're spending, and it's on clothes. £21 billion was spent on clothes last year, most likely because we are more tuned to fashion these days. London Fashion week was a buzz for everyone this year, and although it was showing clothes for next season, women still looked at it and thought 'I need more clothes.'

The recession has still had an affect on how much we fork out for fashion, but it's mainly on our attitudes of spending, rather than how much. Women are believing in investment buys: the clothing that you can buy one of and it will last you forever and can be worn with anything and will always be in style. Pretty soon, when we're out of this recession, people will start thinking about buying throw away fashion and buying bright coloured cars to suit the fashion of now, rather than the fashion of the past, present and future.