In 2025, the French once again broke the record for consumption of new clothing, according to Refashion

The French have once again set a record for purchases of new textile products, buying 3.2 billion items (excluding household linen) in 2025, the eco-organisation Refashion revealed on Wednesday in a press release. Specifically, consumers purchased 43 items of clothing- one more than in 2024- 4 pairs of shoes, and 12 new household linen items per person on average in 2025, according to the organisation mandated by the government to manage textile waste. They had purchased a total of 3.5 billion items in 2024.

Clothing accounts for the overwhelming majority (82%) of new items purchased, which “will be tomorrow’s waste,” warned Refashion’s managing director, Maud Hardy, as quoted in the press release. “Yet two-thirds of them currently end up incinerated or sent to landfill,” she noted, emphasising the “urgency” of “finally developing the industrial capacity needed to manage these volumes, starting with a genuine textile recycling industry in France.”

Out-of-town retailers outperform those in city centres

To compile this overview- which it has been producing annually for the past three years- the eco-organisation Refashion analysed data that the 11,000 brands selling textiles in France are required to submit, including Asian platforms such as Shein and Temu.

More specifically, the volume of shoes purchased rose sharply (+4%), as did sales of baby products (+5%), “a category that declined last year but is regaining momentum, particularly among ‘lower-priced’ retailers and mass-market chains,” the press release notes. Consumers continue to favour companies that sell exclusively online (Zalando, Shein, etc.), which recorded a 12% increase in sales volumes, as did discount retailers (+3%). It is these players that “are driving the market upwards,” according to Refashion.

Chains on the outskirts of cities, as well as supermarkets that sell clothing, are faring well, with growth of 3% and 2%, respectively. In contrast, city-centre retailers are down 2%, and sports specialists are down 3%. Price remains a key factor in purchasing decisions, with seven out of 10 products being entry-level items at an average price of €8.30- which is “equivalent” to that of second-hand clothing (€8.50 on average), notes the eco-organisation. The second-hand market is booming and accounts for more than 65,000 tonnes in 2025- 7.2% of total textile and footwear consumption in France- representing a 4.8% increase compared with 2024.

Paris, June 17, 2026 (AFP)