31% of Brits will dip into their savings to buy clothes

As Age UK launches The Big Bag Challenge, a new survey for the charity reveals the lengths Brits will go to for fashion.

Nearly a third of people will use their savings to buy new clothes, but despite the UK's fixation on fashion, a quarter of the population say they don't wear at least 20% of the items in their wardrobe.

The survey shows woman are the most likely group to sacrifice their savings, with 1 in 3 confessing to using money they had put aside. Men appear less fussy with 33% saying they spend less than £10 a month on clothes.

Women are also the most determined to keep up with the latest trends, with 36% admitting to buying clothes every couple of months and 37% saying they spend between £30-100.

They also can't wait to stock up on this season's must-haves, with a third looking forward to wearing woolly jumpers and a quarter thrilled at the thought of winter boots.

In contrast, 42% of men questioned about their seasonal wardrobe said they think clothes are all the same.

'The nation as a whole could benefit from a good sort out'

Donna Dawson, a leading psychologist, says: ‘Keeping up with fashion is certainly more of a female interest, but regularly buying clothes can soon cause storage problems.

‘An over-crowded wardrobe makes it hard to find what is available, with "perfect" items getting lost in a crush of less-perfect ones.

‘Heaving through hangers and drawers is time-consuming and women could certainly take a tip from the nation's men and save money by being more discerning.

‘However, it seems that the nation as a whole could benefit from a good sort out, liberating the best items and giving people the space control and sense of ease that accompanies a thorough de-cluttering.'

The Big Bag Challenge

The findings have been published to coincide with the launch of Age UK's biggest stock appeal, The Big Bag Challenge, which aims to reach a massive 200,000 bags of goods in 4 weeks to help combat loneliness.

The Big Bag Challenge calls upon people across the country to donate as many bags of quality goods, including clothes, shoes, books, accessories and home wares, as possible to their local Age UK shop.

Hugh Forde, Managing Director for Retail at Age UK, said: ‘We're asking everyone to clear out their clutter and join The Big Bag Challenge and it couldn't be easier.

‘Simply drop a bag of unwanted items to your local shop, which are reliant on the kind donations of the local community to keep the shelves stocked.

‘Only with your support can we continue our work to raise vital funds to support lonely older people both in the local area and across the country and give everyone a chance to love later life. Any bag will do and every bag you fill really does count!'

With around 1 million older people regularly going an entire month without speaking to anyone, loneliness is a massive issue for people in later life.

With Lord Sugar, Christopher Biggins, Lionel Blair and Liz McClarnon all donating items, take part in Age UK's Big Bag Challenge this autumn to help be the difference between someone feeling the desperation of loneliness and having the joy of friendship.

Visit The Big Challenge page for more information