Fashion: The New Priorities of Young Consumers The - Première Vision Paris
A NEW STUDY BY PV X INSTITUT FRANÇAIS DE LA MODE
Conducted for the first time in 2019 and repeated in 2024, the IFM – Première Vision study offers a detailed analysis of the perceptions, buying habits and expectations of young adults with regard to sustainable fashion. Discover the findings of the new edition of this study, conducted among 6,000 consumers from five countries: France, the U.K., Germany, Italy and the U.S.
A look at the buying behavior of 18-24 and 25-34 year-olds with regard to sustainable fashion.
At a time when ultra-fast fashion is shaking up the fashion sector, we wanted to do a survey of young consumers to understand their buying habits, particularly those of sustainable fashion. What this study illustrates is that a significant proportion of young people are adopting more sustainable practices, favoring brands that respect both the environment and labor conditions.
Sommaire
- Sustainable Fashion: Consumer Perception
- Understanding the Drivers that Lead to a Purchase
- Consumer Behaviors and Values
- What Young Consumers Expect From Brands
Sustainable Fashion: Consumer Perception
When it comes to determining the sustainability of a product, the choice of materials ranks as the important criterion, regardless of the country surveyed. In Italy, 46.7% of the population even consider it as the main lever for a more responsible fashion industry. The U.K. and the U.S. also exceed 40% on this criterion.
Sustainable fashion is influencing buying habits for the long term.
In 2024, 48.8% of French people bought a sustainable fashion item, versus 41.1% in 2023.
The younger the consumer, the more likely they are to buy eco-friendly products: in France, 58.9% of 18-24 year-olds and 55.1% of 25-34 year-olds have already purchased one. In Germany, 64.9% of 18-24 year-olds have bought a sustainable fashion product during the year, compared with 51.4% of the general population. In the U.K., 65.7% of 18-24 year-olds have done so, versus 47.4% of the general population.
Demand for transparency and good information are among the main expectations for brands. Among those who did not make a sustainable fashion purchase this year, the main reason cited in the U.S. (34.5%) and the U.K. (37.4%) was the lack of information on the subject. In Italy, not knowing where to buy these products is the main reason (33.8%). In France, price is the most frequently cited reason (41.3%).
Understanding the Drivers that Lead to a Purchase
Quality is the top criterion for buying a fashion product for over 30% of Italians, Germans and Americans. For the French and British, on the other hand, price is the most important criterion.
Young consumers are prepared to spend more than their elders on a sustainable fashion item: in France, 18-24 year-olds are prepared to spend €331 on a sustainable shopping basket consisting of jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of sneakers, compared with €208 for the general population. While the findings are identical in all the countries surveyed, the US has the most generous wallet: €347 for 18-24 year-olds versus €313 for the population as a whole.
One in five Americans between the ages of 25 and 34
say they always buy products recommended by fashion influencers.
Consumer Behaviours and Values
For all the populations surveyed, style takes precedence over the desire to convey ethical values through clothing. For Americans (48.4%) and Brits (45.8%), fashion above all represents a way of expressing personality through an informal, relaxed style. For all of the populations surveyed, T-shirts, sweatshirts and shirts are the primary means of asserting singularity.
Even so, the social and inclusive dimension remains high on the list of concerns for young consumers. When 18-24 year-olds in France were asked about the values they wish to promote through their clothes, more than half (52.4%) said they choose brands that promote ethical and inclusive working conditions, compared with 26.3% for the general population and 38.1% for 25-34 year-olds.
For the French, fashion brands need to step up their efforts in three key areas:
- transparency, to communicate clearly and honestly on manufacturing practices, the origin of raw materials and working conditions
- durability, to produce clothing that lasts longer and is of better quality
- cost, to offer more affordable prices without sacrificing on quality and sustainable practices.
What Young Consumers Expect From Brands
Sports brands top the list of favorite brands for both 18-24 and 25-34 year-olds. In first place, Nike scored 37.1 % of the votes of 18-24 year-olds and 30.9% of 25-34 year-olds surveyed in France.
In Italy (61.4%), Germany (62.2%), the U.K. (60.6%) and the U.S. (67.1%), quality is the most important criterion cited when defining preferred brands. In France, it ranks second (54.7%) after price (58.7%).
Among the values that define their favorite brands, almost 30% of French consumers in the 18-24 age bracket cited diversity and inclusion, compared with just 14.8% for the French population in general.
Finally, a majority of young consumers want information about a brand’s history, its suppliers and where its products are made before making a purchase. Italy has the highest proportion: 63.5% of 25-34 year-olds, and even 88.7% of 18-24 year-olds, would like access to this background information.
“Eco-responsible consumption represents a fundamental shift for the fashion industry, as much in the sourcing of materials as in the manufacture and transportation of garments. As followers of this movement, the young generation now expects brands to go further in their social and ethical commitment, with the textile industry still needing to step up its efforts in terms of transparency. At Première Vision, the world leader in upstream fashion, we support all players in achieving these objectives, to help them deploy ever more creative, sustainable and ethical fashion.”
– Florence Rousson, President of the Première Vision Management Board
Content produced in partnership with the Institut français de la mode.