Science Museum
CLOTHES COST
Leggings are the item women get the least value for money from, a study revealed yesterday (Fri).
Despite being one of the cheapest items in a lady's wardrobe, leggings are worn just a handful of times before they are thrown away.
The average pair of leggings are used just 68 times before they are discarded after 12 months.
And with the typical woman spending #9.97 on a pair of the wardrobe staples, that means a pair of leggings works out as 15p for each time it is worn.
But in comparison, the average pair of jeans is worn a whopping 428 times before being thrown away after three years.
With an average cost of #40.20 on the denim trousers, that works out at just 9p for each time they come out of the wardrobe.
The study of 3,000 women was commissioned by the Science Museum to launch its Trash Fashion: designing out waste' exhibition.
Dominique Driver, Trash Fashion Exhibition Manager, said: ''The fact that leggings have the highest cost per wear is indicative of the throw-away fashion culture in Britain today, which is causing more than a million tonnes of textiles to end up in landfill each year.
''There are easy alternatives to throwing out unwanted clothes.
''Until the high-tech ways of producing fashionable garments with minimal waste hit the high street, turning old clothes into new is not only sustainable but also a great pastime.''
Tim Cooper, Professor of Sustainable Design and Consumption at Nottingham Trent University, added: ''As a nation we buy and throw away goods far too often.
''The fashion industry needs to stop making cheaply produced clothes that, though superficially attractive, are often poor value because they quickly fade, lose their shape, tear or come unstitched.
''We also need to see a big shift in attitude: consumers shouldn't feel pressurised into throwing away clothes that have only been worn a few times.
''Although many people donate unwanted clothing to charity, far fewer are willing to purchase second hand items.
''The result is that a vast amount of usable clothing has to be shipped abroad, while almost two thirds of clothing waste ends up in landfill sites.''
Researchers also revealed that the average t-shirt or top costing #17.18 will be worn a total of 218 times over its two-and-a-half year lifetime - working out as 8p per wear.
And jumpers which cost an average of #25.12 will be worn 228 times before being replaced after three years and three months.
That means a cost of 11p for each time it is worn.
Trousers will be worn 176 times, giving it a value of 14p for each wear, while bras come out of the drawer 162 times, working out at 11p a time.
A #55.05 coat or jacket worn 575 times works out as 10p for each time it is donned, and pants worn 100 times cost an average of 7p per wear.
The survey also found that while the majority of women (62 per cent) throw out old clothes because they are worn out or damaged, 50 per cent get rid of them because they no longer fit.
Another 55 per cent have a regular clear out of their wardrobe and throw out anything they haven't worn for a while, even if it still fits them.
Almost a quarter of women admitted to binning clothes after wearing them just a handful of times because they didn't want people to see them in the same outfits too many times.
But 77 per cent of kind-hearted Brits give their unwanted clothes to charity and 37 per cent hand them over to friends or family.
Twenty-nine per cent take it to a clothes recycling bank, while 30 per cent just throw them into the bin.
Almost a third even try to replace their cash by selling them on websites such as eBay.
