2026
9
UK Fashion: Diversity and Inclusivity Report 2026
2026-01-21T12:01:26+00:00
REPF4E5FD38_9850_499E_B965_CA1167AAA79D
2195
190546
[{"name":"Clothing and Fashion","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/industries\/fashion"},{"name":"Market Intelligence Reports","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/report-type\/market-intelligence-reports"},{"name":"UK","url":"https:\/\/store.mintel.com\/markets\/uk-market-research"}]
Report
en_GB
Britain's fashion landscape is undergoing a demographic sea change: a rapidly ageing population and unprecedented ethnic diversity now define demand. By 2030, 35% of women will be 55+ while 23%…
UK
Clothing and Fashion
simple

UK Fashion: Diversity and Inclusivity Report 2026

"An ageing and more multi-ethnic Britain are reshaping fashion demand, but the rise of prescription weight-loss drugs threatens progress in size inclusivity."

Tamara Sender Ceron, Associate Director, Fashion Retail

Tamara Sender Ceron, Associate Director, Fashion Retail

Market Intelligence ReportsClothing and FashionUK

UK Fashion Industry – Diversity and Inclusivity Insights

  • Britain’s fashion landscape is undergoing a demographic sea change: a rapidly ageing population and unprecedented ethnic diversity now define demand. By 2030, 35% of women will be 55+ while 23% of today’s 16-24s already identify as non-white.
  • A surprising 10% of UK 18-34s have already used prescription weight-loss drugs, signalling how fast social trends can redraw category boundaries.
  • Industry momentum is therefore split. On the one hand, brands such as Primark are doubling down on extended sizes and adaptive clothing, illustrating the positive commercial impact of inclusive strategies. On the other, US cutbacks to formal DE&I programmes risk creating a talent, innovation and trust deficit that could stall progress. The most immediate industry impact is a visible regression in body-image narratives – fuelled by ‘SkinnyTok’ and celebrity thinness – which threatens to undo years of inclusivity gains.
  • The biggest opportunity lies in building multi-faceted propositions for underserved groups – notably older women and more diverse younger consumers – by marrying adaptive design with identity-based personalisation tools.
  • The biggest threat is that the rise of weight-loss drugs will normalise extreme thinness, prompting retailers to shrink size ranges and alienate loyal plus-size shoppers.

This Report Looks at the Following Areas:

  • Impact of demographic shifts on fashion demand – ageing and multi-ethnic Britain.
  • Rise of prescription weight-loss drugs and the threat to size inclusivity.
  • Economic outlook and its influence on spending by older versus younger shoppers.
  • Consumer scepticism over authenticity of brand DEI efforts.
  • Technology’s role in inclusivity: AI sizing tools and adaptive design innovations.
  • Marketing best practice for challenging regressive beauty standards.

Collapse All

  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • What you need to know
    • Outlook for diversity and inclusivity in fashion
    • Opportunities
    • Silver style renaissance
    • Reframing body ideals
    • Using AI and 3D technology to help with sizing and returns

  2. THE MARKET

    • The economic environment continues to throw up challenges
    • Brits are getting older
    • British society is increasingly diverse
    • Young people are more open about sexual orientation
    • Responding to the jump in obesity among young women
    • Graph 1: prevalence of overweight and obesity, by gender, by age group, 2022
    • The rise of weight loss drugs will have wide-reaching implications
    • Graph 2: interest in weight loss medication, 2023-25
    • Consider the global implications of the US’s DEI setbacks

  3. THE CONSUMER

    • Filling growing gap in market for silver fashionistas
    • Older people feel ignored by fashion brands
    • Supermarkets and department stores can benefit from focusing on older women
    • Graph 3: types of retailers typically shopped at for fashion, 2025
    • Designing menopause-friendly fashion
    • Older people do not feel represented in fashion ads
    • Demand for more older real women in ads
    • Sizing solutions that work
    • Women struggle to find items to fit their size and shape
    • Women want wider range of sizes and fits
    • Snag is a size inclusive disruptor brand
    • AI is being used to solve sizing issues that lead to high returns
    • Weight loss drugs disrupt the fashion landscape
    • Rising use of weight loss drugs impact size inclusivity
    • Rising use of weight loss drugs could hit plus-size specialists
    • Impact of new beauty standards on marketing
    • Opportunities for combined styling and beauty services
    • Championing diversity in advertising
    • Young fashion brands need to cater for different ethnicities
    • Graph 4: frequency of shopping for fashion items for yourself, by generation, 2025
    • Gen Zs want fashion brands to use diverse models
    • Using models/influencers that promote diversity
    • Collaborations with underrepresented groups can drive interest
    • Ensuring diversity and inclusivity efforts are authentic
    • Backing up words with action in an era of green hushing
    • Countering biases amid use of AI models
    • Personalised recommendations based on your identity

  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING

    • More adaptive clothing ranges
    • Adding new inclusive fashion products
    • Collaborating to promote inclusivity in sports
    • Creating more neurodiverse-friendly stores and products
    • Inclusive marketing campaigns
    • Sainsbury’s launches immersive campaign

  5. APPENDIX

    • Report scope
    • The market
    • Census 2021: ethnic group population data
    • The consumer
    • Consumer research questions
    • Consumer research methodology – EMEA
    • Infegy Starscape coverage
    • Abbreviations and terms

Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel

The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:

  • Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
  • Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
  • Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
  • Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.

What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?

Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.

The Four Pillars of Our Research

We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:

  • Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
  • Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
  • Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
  • Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.

Bringing It All Together

Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.

Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.

For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
  • Download today with instant access
  • Multiple formats provided
  • Interactive databook included
Add to cart
Report Brochure Methodology Talk to a Reports Specialist

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more

Trusted by global industry leaders

Amazon logo

Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.

Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.

Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon
Deutsch logo

One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.

We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.

We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.

Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
Bauer Media Group logo

We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.

They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.

Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
VocaLink logo

We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.

As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.

We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.

 

Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
Wincanton logo

When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.

They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.

So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.

Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton

Next Starts Here

Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.

Learn more