UK Womenswear Market Analysis
The UK womenswear market experienced slow growth in 2024, with a slight increase in consumer spending, largely due to the cost-of-living crisis.
Younger women are shifting towards second-hand clothing, while older women, particularly those aged 35+, continue to favour new purchases. Retailers have relied on discounts, resulting in low garment inflation in March 2025. The women’s apparel market is expected to remain flat this year, with long-term growth projected around 5% in the foreseeable future. Key opportunities lie in premiumisation and targeting affluent older consumers, although external factors like inflation and trade disruptions could affect stability in the womenswear industry.
UK Womenswear Market Consumer Trends
Consumer trends in the UK womenswear market reveal a shift towards value-driven purchases, with younger women increasingly opting for second-hand clothing, particularly those aged 16-24. Despite the growth of online shopping, in-store shopping remains important, especially for women aged 45 and above. There is a growing demand for versatile, high-quality clothing, as women prioritise value over low prices. Technology is playing a significant role, with younger consumers engaging more with AI-driven shopping women apparel market experiences and social media influencers. Additionally, sustainability is influencing buying decisions, with a rising interest in second-hand and circular fashion, leading retailers to adapt by offering both new and pre-loved clothing options in the womenswear in the United Kingdom sector.
Purchasing the UK Womenswear Market Report for 2025 offers valuable insights into evolving consumer behaviours, emerging fashion trends, and future growth projections, empowering retailers to refine strategies and stay competitive in the dynamic women apparel market.
About The Report
The UK Womenswear Market Report for 2025 offers valuable insights into consumer behavior, emerging fashion trends, and market forecasts, focusing on shifts in purchasing habits, the rise of second-hand clothing, and preferences for premium and sustainable fashion. The report also covers the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and technological innovations in shopping. Retailers, fashion brands, and marketers will benefit from this report, helping them understand womenswear market dynamics and make informed decisions to remain competitive in the evolving womenswear industry.
Key Topics Analysed in the Report
- The short-, medium- and long-term impact of the cost-of-living crisis on womenswear purchasing
- What, where and how women are buying their clothes in the last three months
- Most important factors when buying clothes compared to the last 12 months. While price remains key, as women buy more discounted clothing and favour lower priced retailers, they are also placing more importance on clothing versatility and quality
- Female clothing shoppers’ interest in improving the in-store and online shopping experience
- Women’s evolving shopping behaviours for clothing, including shifts in consumer spending habits and prioritisation of other categories
| Report Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Published Date | April 2025 |
| Data Range | 2019-2029 |
| Measurement Metrics | Revenue in £ |
| Country Focus | United Kingdom (UK) |
| Consumer Data | 2,000 internet users aged 16+, January 2025 |
| Number of Pages | 73 |
| Market Segmentation | Outerwear, Underwear, Footwear, Nightwear, Handbags, Costume Jewelry, Other fashion accessories, Watches, Precious Metal Jewelry, Tops/T-shirts, Sweatshirts, Jeans, Trousers, Jumpers/Cardigans, Dresses, Jackets, Sportswear, Skirts, Shorts and Jumpsuits |
| Leading Companies | M&S, Next, John Lewis, Freemans, Abercrombie & Fitch, White Stuff, SHEIN, Temu, Gap, Zara, Urban Outfitters, Seasalt, Stradivarius, H&M, New Look, River Island, Mint Velvet, The White Company, and Saint & Sofia |
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Tamara Sender Ceron. Tamara has over 12 years of expertise in analysing changing consumer behaviour, industry trends and key innovations in fashion retail. She regularly presents to clients and talks to the media to help them understand the latest developments in the fashion market. She has a background in business journalism and a BA (Hons) in French and Spanish.
As the womenswear market softens, retailers need to work harder to stand out and tap into growth opportunities offered by premiumisation and more mature customers.
Tamara Sender Ceron
Associate Director, Fashion Retail
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for the womenswear market
- Fashion needs to turn its attention to older women
- Using premiumisation to drive growth
- Harnessing tech to drive purchasing among young women
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size and forecast
- Market predictions
- Consumer spending on womenswear weakens
- Clothing inflation hit by discounting
- Graph 1: overall CPIH and garment inflation rate, 2024-25
- Women feel pressures of price rises…
- Graph 2: issues impacting consumers over the last two months, by gender, 2025
- What consumers want and why
- Women aged 35+ buy more new clothes…
- Graph 3: purchasing levels of new and second-hand clothes, by age group, 2025
- …while young women buy second-hand clothes
- Renewed interest in visiting stores
- Graph 4: channels used to shop for clothes, 2020-25
- Pureplays grab share among young shoppers
- Graph 5: types of retailers where women bought clothing in the last 12 months, by generation, 2025
- Clothing quality and versatility grows in importance
- Graph 6: change in importance of factors when buying clothing, 2025
- Women want a better trying-on experience in store
- Graph 7: interest in innovations when shopping for clothes in-store, 2025
- Tech advancements can personalise online shopping
- Graph 8: interest in innovations when shopping for clothes online, 2025
- Treat yourself: how new clothes can spark joy during tough times
- Graph 9: attitudes to shopping for clothes, 2025
- Retailer activity
- Womenswear advertising spend sees big decline
- Graph 10: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, 2021-24
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market size
- Consumer spending on womenswear softens to 0.3% growth
- Graph 11: consumer spending on womenswear, 2019-24
- Market forecast
- Womenswear market to remain flat in 2025
- Discounting hits womenswear
- Forecast – note on US trade disruption
- Market drivers
- Tariffs are a new challenge for an already-faltering British economy
- Graph 12: quarterly change in GDP, 2021-24
- Clothing inflation hit by discounting
- Graph 13: overall CPIH and garment inflation rate, 2024-25
- Women feel pressures of price rises…
- Graph 14: issues impacting consumers over the last two months, by gender, 2025
- …making them less confident about their financial situation
- Graph 15: consumer perception of the state of the cost-of-living crisis in the UK, by gender, 2025
- Graph 16: financial confidence over the coming year, by gender, 2025
- Catering to the changing needs of older women
- Graph 17: age structure of the population in mid-2022 and the projected age structure in mid-2032, 2022-32
- Responding to the jump in obesity among young women
- Graph 18: prevalence of overweight and obesity, by gender, by age group, 2022
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What they buy
- Purchasing levels of outerwear and footwear drop in Q1 2025
- Graph 19: fashion items women have purchased in the last three months, 2022-25
- Wide range of on-trend trouser styles
- Graph 20: clothing items women have purchased in the last three months, 2022-25
- Increase in social media posts on trousers
- Women spend less than men per shopping trip
- Graph 21: amount spent on clothing items on last shopping trip, by gender, 2025
- Young women buy more items at lower price points
- Graph 22: number of clothing items purchased on last shopping trip, by gender, 2025
- Who buys
- Women aged 35+ buy more new clothes…
- Graph 23: purchasing levels of new and second-hand clothes, by age group, 2025
- …while young women buy second-hand clothes
- Integrating pre-loved fashion into retail
- Higher earners drive growth in a weaker market
- Graph 24: womenswear purchased for self, by household income, 2025
- Premium ranges with accessible pricing
- How they shop
- Renewed interest in visiting stores
- Graph 25: channels used to shop for clothes, 2020-25
- Reaching women 45+ who love in-store shopping
- Young shop for clothes via their phones
- Engaging with Gen Zs who shop online
- Where they shop
- Supermarkets grow in popularity for fashion
- Graph 26: types of retailers where women bought clothing in the last 12 months, 2021-25
- Supermarkets expand ranges to widen appeal
- Pureplays grab share among young shoppers
- Graph 27: types of retailers where women bought clothing in the last 12 months, by generation, 2025
- SHEIN and Temu aggressively drive clothes sales
- Retailers compete for the spend of older women
- High earners mix and match retailers
- Most important factors influencing purchasing
- Clothing quality and versatility grows in importance
- Graph 28: change in importance of factors when buying clothing, 2025
- Shift in priorities among young
- Graph 29: change in importance of quality when buying clothing, by generation, 2025
- Mango’s premium collection: where quality meets versatility
- Brands need to shout loudly about value for money
- Transparency can be a differentiator
- In-store interest
- Women want a better trying-on experience in store
- Graph 30: interest in innovations when shopping for clothes in-store, 2025
- Driving in-store footfall among under-35s
- Graph 31: interest in innovations when shopping for clothes in-store, by age group, 2025
- Young drawn to innovative fitting rooms
- Redesigning fitting rooms
- Repair services that complement the brand
- Appealing to affluent with personal styling
- Online interest
- Tech advancements can personalise online shopping
- Graph 32: interest in innovations when shopping for clothes online, 2025
- Driving sales among Gen Zs with rapid delivery
- Under-35s keen on using AI for recommendations
- Zalando makes AI assistant more personalised
- Interest in online fit tools
- Using tech to improve fit online
- Attitudes to shopping for clothes
- Treat yourself: how new clothes can spark joy during tough times
- Graph 33: attitudes to shopping for clothes, 2025
- Gen Zs like to treat themselves to clothes most
- Demand for newness
- Under-35s prioritise beauty and leisure over clothes
- Tapping into wellness trends
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RETAILER ACTIVITY
- Key retailer metrics
- SHEIN sees huge growth in customers
- Graph 34: leading womenswear retailers, growth in spend and customer numbers, 2024/25
- Growing womenswear brands
- Graph 35: womenswear brands with highest growth in customers and growth in total spend within cohort, 2024-25
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Womenswear advertising spend sees big decline
- Graph 36: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, 2021-24
- M&S cuts ad spend
- Pureplays maintain ad spend
- Social and digital dominates womenswear ad spend
- Graph 37: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure on women’s fashion, by media type, 2024
- Tesco elevates F&F campaign
- M&S promotes versatility in Spring campaign
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APPENDIX
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market size: underlying data
- Market forecast and prediction intervals (value)
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Generations
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
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