Why have we stopped buying fashion but keep buying beauty?
Space NK and Sephora's store expansions prove it's not down to cost of living
It was an observation my mum originally made after we’d been in our local Space NK store.
The Reigate location is small but mighty and was pretty full with the usual teens shopping Sol De Janiero, while bored husbands waited for their wives.
“You wouldn’t think there’s a cost of living crisis,” remarked my mum, as we drove home, with a candle and two Charlotte Tilbury foundation sticks in our bag.
This year alone, Space NK has opened new stores in Kingston, Dundrum, Southampton and Sheffield. While Sephora added Manchester, two Newcastle locations and Birmingham.
It’s not going to stop there. In an interview with Retail Navigator, Space NK announced a further 10 stores will be opened in 2025, with Sephora’s CEO stating they plan to open at least 20 stores in the next few years.
This would be quite a feat at the best of times, but in a climate when the high street is quite literally dying, it’s extraordinary and the comparison to their fashion peers is shocking.
Ted Baker closed 11 stores this year. River Island shuttered their Guildford and Leamington locations. In 2023. New Look shut down 19 stores in 2023, with at least 4 also going this year.
The only fashion industry news I see, is bad. ‘ASOS CEO enjoys bumper pay rise despite mounting losses’, ‘Mulberry’s half year losses widen’, ‘H&M issues profit warning after sales miss target’.
Honestly, unless you’re a Primark or an M&S right now, it’s not looking good.
But, the expansion of these beauty megastores, prove that people do have the money, they just don’t want to spend it on fashion and this is where I would love to hear your point of view.
As a plus-size woman, my experience is slightly different, but I am also buying far less clothes than I used to.
There are multiple reasons for this, with the lack of inclusivity being at number one, as always. ASOS is pretty much my only option, but as we discussed on here before, the decline in their quality and styles, meant I made far less orders.
Admittedly, ASOS has drastically improved their Curve section in recent months, so I have to give them praise for that, but that’s when other factors come in.
I’m used to buying less clothes. It feels wasteful to me now to buy an outfit for a dinner, if I have something in my wardrobe that will work.
The focus on the wastage of fast fashion, has genuinely made me rethink how I shop. I don’t just want to buy something that I’ll only wear once. Not just for the planet, but for my bank balance as well.
Not to mention that I don’t always feel I get the best value for my money. ASOS prices have gone up, but the quality of the fabric feels cheaper than ever.
As a white woman, I’ve never been excluded from beauty, the way I have with fashion. It’s why I fell in love with the industry in the first place.
The products sold in Sephora and Space NK aren’t cheap, but a new shade of lip oil is an immediate pick me up, without worrying how it fits.
Unlike clothing, you also finish your products, removing the guilt of wasting your money when you end up selling them on Vinted or bagging them up for the local charity shop.
Yes, beauty overconsumption is an issue, but for now, I want to just pick your brains on why you’ll spend £££ on a Patrick Ta eyeshadow, but can’t justify the same amount on your wardrobe.
I was an avid ASOS Curve/H&M orderer, any new social event i would buy something new. I did a complete clear out last year and i was shocked (and appalled) on the amount of clothes i had , some that i had only worn a couple of times. I now spend so much less money on new clothes, i bought a new jacket the other week and that was the first new item for several months.
I think for me, things shifted after covid. Maybe it was that i was used to attending less social events ? So then i got out of the habit of thinking i needed something new. That and also the decline in actually nice clothes to choose from. I am 35, and i just think investing in beauty/ make up/ skin care is more satisfying so perhaps its an age and maturity thing too!
I raced to the comments lol. It’s because beauty is getting better quality and more innovative, and we can read thorough reviews and we can use it every day. But clothes quality is absolutely terrible, even from what used to be more premium brands. The cuts and designs don’t make anyone look good and neither does how shabby they look after a couple of washes or wears. And if you don’t look good as a reward for buying clothes, you don’t feel good. So why would you spend? Who wants to spend on items that don’t make you think you look good and that you quickly feel you’ve wasted money on after two wears. I think some people aren’t even conscious that that’s what’s made them enjoy clothes shopping less, just subconsciously that reward of properly enjoying an item -having it make you feel smart or stylish or hot or put together -just isn’t there.