More than a quarter of consumers stop buying from a brand when a garment fails, while only 2.3 per cent replace it with the same brand, according to a Samsara Eco report. Consumers are 12 times more likely to leave than replace a failed item with the same brand.

The Circular-Conscious Consumer report surveyed more than 5000 consumers globally, mostly Gen Z, on clothing quality, materials and circularity.

When a garment fails, 27.7 per cent stop buying from the brand, including 15.8 per cent who never return and 11.9 per cent who switch to competitors. Only 5.9 per cent return the item, while more than 64 per cent repair it or continue wearing it. Common issues include thinning or torn fabric, splitting seams and pilling.

Some 89 per cent of respondents expect garments to withstand at least 30 wears. More than half said brands were responsible for product quality, twice the proportion who attributed responsibility to government regulation.

“Durability has always been a question of quality. It’s now a retention question, and in Europe it’s becoming a compliance one – both showing up on the bottom line,” said Lars Kissau, GM Asia at Samsara Eco.

Some 80.5 per cent of respondents said knowing what their clothing is made from was essential. Material information and evidence of performance received a combined 62.6 per cent of first-place votes on factors that build trust, compared with 6.6 per cent for independent certification.

Cost-of-living pressures had influenced clothing purchases for more than 88 per cent of respondents.

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