Brief

Working with Barley Communications, Barnardo’s wanted to uncover the environmental and financial impact of fast and throwaway fashion. Research revealing the cost of throwaway fashion then powered a campaign to encourage Brits to shop for occasion outfits at second-hand stores to ease the impact on the environment.

The campaign provided a natural call-to-action for Barnado’s to ask people to think ‘pre-loved’ and look for new outfits at their local Barnardo’s store instead of buying new.

Research

Barley Communications and Barnado’s chose Censuswide to undertake this piece of research, surveying 2,000 people aged 16 and over. The results were staggering. It found that Brits were expected to spend £2.7 billion on 50.3 million ‘throwaway outfits’ over the summer.

A quarter of respondents (25%) were embarrassed to wear an outfit to a special occasion more than once, rising to 37% of 16 to 24-year-olds. Meanwhile, over half of consumers (51%) said buying new clothes for a festival or holiday added to the excitement.

Outcome

The research-focused press release received over 200 pieces of coverage, including national pieces The Guardian and Independent and coveted fashion titles such as Harper’s Bazaar. The story was picked up across broadcast, including ITV, Sky News and Jeremy Vine on Five. The majority of the pieces included Barnardo’s quote, calling people to consider shopping at charity and second-hand clothing stores this summer.