Global uncertainty, household budgets and trade-offs we make

When budgets force difficult spending decisions, clothing is never just clothing. It’s integral to people feeling prepared, included and able to participate in everyday life.

News fills with images of conflict and instability brings concern for those directly affected. Shock at the scale of suffering. A sense of events unfolding far away.

But global instability eventually arrives in everyday life, not just through headlines, but through household accounting.

Clothing sits in a strange place in spending plans. It is both essential and postponable. A coat can last another winter. School trousers can be worn a little longer. Shoes can be stretched past the point of comfort.

When essential costs rise, families often face difficult trade-offs in household spending. If money must stretch further to cover heating, rent or food, something else has to give.

Survey data in Great Britain has shown adults reporting reductions in spending on clothing and footwear during periods of rising living costs, alongside efforts to prioritise essentials such as food and energy¹.

Unlike food or heating, clothing can appear optional in the short term. But over time, the consequences accumulate. Children grow. Workplaces expect certain standards of appearance. School uniforms need replacing. Shoes wear out. Temperatures dip.

When adequate clothing cannot be afforded, it does not simply affect comfort. Clothing is often a gateway to confidence, belonging and feeling able to take part.

Measures of material deprivation in the UK recognise being unable to afford appropriate clothing as one of the indicators used to understand hardship within households².

As global pressures ripple through the economy, households continue to make difficult decisions about what can wait and what cannot. Clothing can be postponed for a while, repaired, stretched or made to last, but not indefinitely.

Want to read more about the different ways clothing poverty impacts people here in the UK? Browse our comprehensive Insights articles.

References

1. Office for National Statistics, Impact of increased cost of living on adults across Great Britain. Survey analysis of how adults responded to rising living costs, including reductions in spending on clothing and footwear alongside prioritisation of essential costs. Office for National Statistics, 2023.

2. Department for Work and Pensions, Households Below Average Income (HBAI): material deprivation indicators. UK poverty measurement framework including inability to afford appropriate clothing as an indicator used to understand hardship within households. Department for Work and Pensions, 2024.