BLOG

As the school year comes to an end and summer holidays are set to begin, parents across the nation who face financial insecurity will inevitably have school shopping for the next academic year at the back of their minds. With the current economic climate being in a place of instability, and the cost-of-living rising, which in turn disproportionately affects those living under the poverty line, it leaves families stuck in-between a rock and a hard place. However, as more schoo

Senior poverty is a key concern of the post-COVID economic landscape. A bulletin from Age UK reported that DWP figures for April 2026 show that “one in seven – equivalent to 1.7 million older people – [are] living in relative low-income poverty.” [1] These findings relate to the 2024/25 period, during which many seniors lost access to their Winter Fuel Allowance. While Age UK notes that legislation has since been reformed to support seniors with incomes under £35,000, their

This article examines what would be required if clothing were measured as a basic condition of everyday life, rather than only as a material or a cost.

This article is an evidence-led account of clothing poverty after Covid-19, and how it became part of the cost-of-living crisis rather than a separate issue.

This article examines who carries responsibility when clothing is treated as both essential and expendable.

Understanding what EPR achieved for packaging helps explain why textiles lag and what is structurally missing.

The original idea of sustainable development.

Millions of teenagers in the U.K. worry about their body image. A 2019 survey from the Mental Health Foundation [1] found that: 31% of teenagers felt ashamed in relation to their body image 40% said social media had caused them worry about their body image 35% had stopped eating due to body image concerns 35% worry about their body image every day The International Journal of Scientific Development and Research’s (IJSDR) 2025 paper ‘Clothing Choices and Self-Image Among A

Clothing is often framed as a basic material need that is functional, seasonal, and widely accessible. However, this framing is incomplete without understanding that clothing not only covers the body but communicates one’s identity. It is frequently reduced to a purely practical set of items that everyone has, yet research consistently positions clothing as something far more fundamental: a cultural and social symbol. It shapes how individuals express who they are, how they a

What it is. Where it sits. How it is measured.

How sustainability is defined, organised and measured in UK policy.

How spreading the cost keeps poverty out of sight.

What is necessary and what is required to belong in a contemporary society?

The circular economy is increasingly presented as a solution to environmental pressure from production and consumption. In UK policy discussions, it appears in government strategies, waste policy documents and industry initiatives as a framework for reducing waste, conserving resources and lowering emissions.

"Becoming more mindful about clothing means looking at every fibre, at every seed and every dye, and seeing how to make it better. We don’t want SUSTAINABILITY to be our edge. We want it to be universal." Eileen Fisher, fashion designer (2014) Sustainability is as much a social issue as it is an environmental one. According to WRAP, “extending the lifespan of clothing by just nine months could reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints by up to 20%, saving £5 billion in reso

Part 2: Britain’s clothing poverty in a paradox of abundance without access This article forms Part 2 of a two-part series on the Clothing’s Hidden Crisis , presented here alongside Clothing Consumption, Culture and Systems as a paired analysis. It makes explicit the relationship between clothing as a condition of participation and the absence of a public voice when participation fails because clothing inadequacy has become the limiting factor. Part A examines clothing a

Part 1: Britain’s Clothing Poverty in a Global Consumption Paradox This article forms Part 1 of a two-part series on Clothing’s Hidden Crisis , presented here alongside Clothing Consumption, Participation and Public Voice as a paired analysis. It makes explicit the relationship between the cultural normalisation of high-volume clothing consumption and the systems that allow over-consumption and clothing poverty to coexist, without being recognised as connected conditions.

What is ‘enough’ when it comes to clothing? The PSE UK Research Project1 identifies “three essential clothing items for adults: a warm, waterproof coat, two pairs of all-weather shoes, and appropriate clothes for job interviews.”

What this language does not capture is the condition as it is understood in deprivation-based approaches: a layered form of material inadequacy that develops over time through loss of adequacy across essential areas of life, rather than a single moment of collapse.

Valentine’s Day has cemented itself as a key event in the commercial calendar. The U.K. is expected to spend around £2.1 billion to celebrate February 14th [ 1 ], with a YouGov poll reporting that 5% of these expenses go towards clothing gifts [ 2 ]. This spending boom around Valentine’s Day is like a soulmate for fast fashion. The Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) describes how ‘fast’ business models have exploited the wholesome origins of Valentine’s Day “by selling us