Looking Towards 2026: A Forward-Facing Digest

The Current Situation

Clothing poverty remains widespread in the UK. A recent Barnardo's survey¹ found that one in seven parents struggle to afford a winter coat or appropriate clothing to keep their child warm.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s research also suggests that 7.1 million UK households are going without essentials², while 14% of children are living in deep material poverty – a measure that indicates, among other issues, whether children have access to ‘enough clothes they feel comfortable wearing³.’

The question is, does this picture look to improve over 2026?

What We Can Expect in 2026

Child Poverty

2025 ended on Labour’s new budget, with the headline that action is finally being taken to combat child poverty. In 2026, the first effects of these policies will be felt.

The two-child benefit cap is set to end in April, while other measures – including free primary school breakfast clubs and the extension of free school meals – will be rolled out over the course of the year. These changes should ease pressure on household budgets, potentially freeing up income for other essentials, such as clothing.

The proposed Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, currently in the House of Lords, could also have a significant impact on clothing poverty. This bill would limit schools from requiring parents to purchase more than three branded items as part of school uniforms, helping address mounting costs – something 12% of parents say contribute to rising hardship⁴.

Housing Insecurity

Housing insecurity and homelessness figures are still high, with at least 382,000 homeless in England today⁵. For families and individuals without stable accommodation, clothing is often one of the first essentials to fall through the cracks.

The government has launched its National Plan to End Homelessness, backed by £3.5 billion of investment over the next three years⁶. The plan commits to halving rough sleeping, ending the unlawful use of B&Bs for families, and preventative intervention for families. Whether these commitments will lead to meaningful change for those affected remains to be seen.

Fast Fashion

Fast fashion – and its resulting textile waste – remains a major issue in the UK. In 2026, Topshop is set to return to the high street for the first time in five years⁷, serving as a reminder that fast-fashion business models retain their firm grip.

While fast fashion brands offer low upfront prices, they often rely on poor-quality garments with short lifespans, which reinforce a cycle where clothing is cheap to buy but expensive to replace, and contributes to an enormous amount of waste.

At the same time, rising charity shop prices are making second-hand clothing less accessible to those who need it most. Increased demand and the booming online resale market have pushed average charity shop clothing prices up by 11% since 2021⁸. As a result, many low-income households are priced out of affordable second-hand options and are reliant on clothing banks, or lower-quality, fast fashion alternatives.

What Can We Do?

Here is a list of actions that can help drive positive change in 2026:

• Keep pressuring our government to prioritise welfare measures, through voting in elections, engaging with campaigns, and contacting MPs

• Research, donate to, and volunteer with charities tackling clothing poverty

• Support community-led care initiatives, such as local uniform exchanges⁹, repair initiatives¹⁰ and clothing swaps¹¹

• Opt for second-hand clothing to limit textile waste

• Advocate for systemic change and sustainable initiatives (e.g. France’s Extended Producer Responsibility legislation, which forces brands to take responsibility for their product’s entire lifecycle and monitor how their textile waste is ‘collected, sorted and recycled¹²’)

References:

1. Barnardo’s (2025). Parents struggle to afford warm coats or clothing for their children this winter.

2. Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2025). No let-up for millions of families in hardship: JRF’s cost of living tracker, winter 2025.

3. UK Government (2025). Deep material poverty: Financial year ending 2024.

4. UK Government (2025). Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: saving parents money on school uniform costs.

5. Shelter England (2025). At least 382,000 people are homeless in England today.

6. UK Government (2025). National plan to halve long-term rough sleeping and prevent homelessness.

7. BBC News (2025). Topshop will return to the high street — John Lewis stores to carry the brand.

8. British Vogue (2025). Why does clothing poverty still exist in the UK?

9. Level Trust (2026). ‘Home.’

10. Ealing Repair Café (2021). ‘Home.’

11. Hubbub (2023). How to run a clothes swap.

12. Vogue (2025). EU finally adopts extended producer responsibility: industry reacts.

Cover photo by Yianni Mathioudakis on Unsplash