Piercing into the Cost Per Wear Method
Keeping my purse in check and flush AF. (Credit: Anonymous. Location: Venue 308)
Everybody is talking about… cost per wear? Really? Okay. That’s awesome.
On Instagram, I had noticed Vestaire’s - luxury brands consigning platform - latest marketing campaign pushing the idea of cost per wear methodology. Their lure is that buying a pre-used luxury brand item may cost the customer less in the long run as the customer would use that piece for longer (than say a new, fast fashion brand look-a-like). Plus, the fashion industry in a plethora of ways is accelerating climate change so this is a pertinent issue.
As a gal who has budgeted her whole life either in flusher moments or other times on more of shoe string budget moments, I love a financial take on fashion. But before I get into breaking down cost per wear, come back in time with me first, fashion friends. Indulge me, kindly. See, I was a busy body kid who was less than an athlete in a small, rural town. Go-go-go and “watch me do this” was my MO. Yes, I was that kid. I had so much mental and body energy I often needed guidance on where to put it all as sports available to me weren’t doing it.
“Go-go-go and “watch me do this” was my MO. Yes, I was that kid.”
In an effort to keep my energy focused and constructive, I used to tally how much the bill would total as a kid shopping for groceries with my Mom. If ever given cash for a birthday, you bet that I would have a little hand written note of the purchases made – Fear Street book: $6.98… pack of grape Hubba Bubba: $0.78… - declining balance in a jar with the remaining funds safely stowed inside. My Mom once let me buy a pair of SAAN store shoes on layaway when I was like 11 so that I could learn a bit about credit. I loved hand-me-downs as it was a hunt for an item I liked for free (thank you older loved ones). And once I found thrifting, I was elated that I could get something for way less than the original price as long as I was cool with accepting that the item had another unknown life before joining mine.
All that to say, the only math that I am confidant at is shopping math. This has served me well as a film costume buyer as we are often given max budgets. Especially when we buy second hand in petty cash and you bet that I’m coming in at $297.00 tax included on a $300.00 max allotment. And no, you can’t buy that one more $2.99 item as you’d go over with GST so don’t even with me.
Cost per wear is simple (not easy): Whatever it cost to be in your life (including price tag, dry clean, and tailoring) divided by the times you wear that item. Typically, I recommend that the goal is to get cost per wear to $2.00 or under.
“Cost per wear is simple (not easy): Whatever it cost to be in your life (including price tag, dry clean, and tailoring) divided by the times you wear that item.”
Let start simple. Anyone else buy a dress or top or whatever from Forever 21 for that themed birthday, bachelorette, party, shower, event? Me too, me too. Let’s say it was $25.00. That doesn’t seem too expensive, right? Turns out, in this method, that’s incorrect or at least only part of the story. Cost per wear asks consumers to consider not only the one-time cost but the lifetime with you cost. So that $25.00 item if you wear once or twice before ditching was really $12.50 to $25.00 to wear. Maybe borrowing something on-theme would have been a more sustainable choice? Or bailing on that party.
If you’re like me, over $100.00 on any clothing item I really have to think about it. That’s my personal icky sticky threshold right now. But say you wanted to buy a wool coat for $120.00 at a consignment store that’s a super flattering silhouette and the colour on you is amazing. You can see yourself wearing for years to come. It’s made from a great, biodegradable fabric that will withstand laundering. Say you have that garment for like 6 years. You’d need to wear that item at least 10 times a year to reach your ideal cost per wear of $2.00. Now keep in mind, if it needs dry cleaning or tailoring, you should account for that cost, too. You may need to add buffer of like $10 a year. Thus, your total cost is more than initially thought (Yes, one should expect to have to mend, adjust, and professional clean an item from time to time). So grand total is really $180.00. To get your revised – and actual – cost per wear to $2.00 over 6 years, you need to wear that coat at least 15 times annually. Super do-able and likely an underestimate of actual wear, right?
In summary, of the two scenarios above the higher ticket priced coat over its lifetime with you is actually a better buy than that near throw away Forever 21 thing-a-ma-jig.
Let’s bang out a few more examples, shall we?
Sneakers: Nike Store (new, $80.00) vs. Goodwill (thrifted, $22.00)
Say you know you’re going to use the new runners at least 52 times in a year as you run every weekend ($80.00/52=$1.54 per wear) whereas the Goodwill ones don’t have that cushion you need and you wear them a few times before ditching ($22.00/3=$7.33 per wear). Go for the new Nikes.
Gifts: Grandpa buys clothes for Grandkid ($60.00) vs. Grandpa takes Grandkid shopping ($60.00).
Say you have a loved one that gifts your kid a bunch of sports team clothes. And say that your kid doesn’t care about that team. You already know the fashion math isn’t going to be mathing. For it to be a sustainable purchase, kiddo needs to wear that jersey 30 times before they grow out of it to make it make sense. Perhaps encouraging loved ones to let their littles pick out something for themselves that they actually love and wear is a wiser buy?
Let’s now use the Vestaire example of loafer shoes. (So hot right now).
Imagine you want to buy the cool-right-now lug sole versions from a fast fashion house ($70.00). Likely a lower quality petroleum based faux leather substitute as opposed to say an Italian leather, classic sole, that a luxury brand would source (or if animal products are not for you, some luxury brands - shout out Stella McCartney - are producing some amazing high quality non-animal product alternatives.). $150.00 would be a reasonable budget for a pre-loved leather from a mid-to-luxury brand. The fast fashion loafer’s glue will bust apart after what, like 30 wears or less and likely can’t be taken to a cobbler ($70.00/30= $2.33 per wear). The fast fashion shoe is now dead. Whereas the luxury leather one can be repainted and resoled by a cobbler for multiple years, maybe even decades. Let’s run the numbers to be sure: $150.00 cost+$125.00 budget for multiple shoe repairs=$275.00. $275.00/10 years=28 wears per year). Bingo bango. And you’d likely wear it more than 28 times a year if you love them and take care of them, thus bringing cost per wear even lower.
Let’s go even deeper into thinking about more to it. Cost per wear forces we consumers to be super practical money-wise. Totally. But I will say there are some jarring flaws along with all the benefits. Let’s do a Pro and Con list, shall we?
Pros of Cost Per Wear Method:
Slows down the purchasing cycle as one has to really think about an item’s longevity and value fit for the person.
If buying second hand, it reduces the seemingly impossible fast churn of fashion.
Focus on quality made items that will stand the test of time.
In the long run, more budget friendly.
Typically reduces the number of items in a closet as each item has been specially selected and will get well used.
Encourages one to think about the total cost from the perspective of its lifetime with you, not just the upfront, intial cost.
Reduce, reuse, recycle. Gorgeous.
Cons of Cost Per Wear Method:
Often not possible for lower income families.
There’s currently a detrimental lack of size inclusivity in all areas of resale fashion: local consignment, online luxury consignment, thrift, and charity sales. Pretty hard to tell a person to shop more sustainably when they don’t stock their size. We must do better.
Buying more sustainably takes time. A lot of time. Thrifting is way more time intensive – you may not find what you want in a single store. Multiple shopping trips are required for each item on your list whereas popping over to the mall and getting that item today is quite compelling. And online is even more fast if you want to click for convenience. And I loathe to mention what shipping must add to the whole ecosystem.
For those who stay away from fast fashion yet luxury is not for them, where are the mid-priced brands? Local brands? Sustainable options? I find availability for mid-priced items currently tends to be scarce.
Like most things, the cost per wear method depends on who you are and what you need in your life right now. If you’re in a place in your life that you can get beyond a need scenario, then I implore you to consider what you actually want. Also, it doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing situation. Maybe you try it for a category of your life (ex: work, off-duty, buying gifts, etc) or for a period of time. You choose.
“If you’re in a place in your life that you can get beyond a need scenario, then I implore you to consider what you actually want.”
My goal for each of you is to inherently know that you hold the purchasing power in your own ding-dong life. Why not use your power intentionally? Aligning your personal values with your actual behaviour is so admirable to me.
Perhaps cost per wear is something that you can do, starting today?
