Faced with inflation and multiple crises, more and more people are becoming more imaginative to counter the decline in their purchasing power. One of the latest methods was presented by PointTuesday November 28, 2023. Appointed “wardrobing” or “returned carry”it consists to wear an item of clothing with its label before returning it a few days later, and getting a refund. Simply hide the label well when the garment is worn and ensure that it is not stained or damaged before returning it. Thanks to the brands’ return policies, it is very easy to get a refund, especially if the employee making the return is not careful. This process is therefore a way to wear expensive clothes without spending a cent. According to Le Point, “a significant number of French people, mostly young people, would indulge in it regularly”.
An ultimately unecological method
This practice would allow “wardrobers” to regularly change their wardrobe and always be at the forefront of fashion. An unrivaled opportunity to live beyond one’s means and an important challenge for these generations, accustomed to being represented, particularly on social networks. But if the method is “increasingly common” according to Point, it is no less ethically questionable. First, because this mode of consumption represents fraud which consists of abusing consumer rights, in a sector that is already particularly fragile, as evidenced by the disappearance of numerous brands in recent years. Then because clothing returns, if made on online sites, have an impact on the environment. Especially if the brands are located on the other side of the globe. The giant Asos, for example, estimated that 12% of its carbon emissions came from returned goods.according to information shared by Le Figaro. If the phenomenon has the consequence of limiting overconsumption, brands do not see it the same way. This is why they have thought about new methods to constrain fraudsters. According to Point, “certain brands have decided to place a clearly visible label on the front of the garmentto prevent fraudulent returns”. Enough to complicate wardrobing, unless the visible label becomes a trend…