Press release for immediate publication:

National study: UK's Most Stolen Fashion Brands Revealed

Adidas and Barbour are the UK's two most stolen fashion brands, accounting for three in ten of all fashion thefts experienced by British adults in the past 12 months.

For the full list, see original study

The nationally representative survey of 2,000 UK adults by fashion discovery website Style Compare revealed a number of fashion theft related trends.

The study found that 17 percent of Britons have had an item of clothing stolen in the past 12 months, with 18-24 year olds the most likely victims.

Topping the list of most stolen brands were Adidas (19 percent of thefts) and Barbour (12 percent) accounting for three in ten of all stolen items of clothing in the UK.

Calvin Klein and Burberry were reported as the most stolen designer brands, collectively accounting for 13% of items stolen, while vintage and unbranded clothes accounted for four percent of thefts.

Among the other brands commonly referenced in the survey were Ralph Lauren, Levi’s, Diesel, Hugo Boss, Moschino, New Era, Superdry and Paul Smith.

Young people are the most likely to have an item of clothing stolen. One in four (25 percent) Britons aged 18-24 said they’d suffered from a fashion theft in the past year.


Men were slightly more likely to have an item of clothing stolen than women - 18 percent said they’d had clothes stolen in the past year, compared to 15 percent of women.

How are clothes being stolen?

Three in ten (31 percent) clothes thefts happened in pubs or clubs, just over a quarter (27 percent) were the result of clothes being borrowed by friends or family and not returned, 17 percent were stolen from a person’s home and ten percent were stolen from a place of work.

Festivals accounted for five percent of thefts, parties accounted for three percent and seven percent of thefts were uncategorised.

Where are clothes being stolen?

The UK’s fashion theft hotspot is Swansea - 32 percent of residents said they’d had an item of clothing stolen in the past 12 months.

London was next highest on the list, with 25% of residents having clothes stolen in the last year. Birmingham (27 percent) Edinburgh (24 percent) and Manchester (21 percent) followed.

The study was commissioned by fashion discovery website Style Compare. Jonny Challenger, founder of Style Compare, says clothing theft can be more traumatic than people might realise.

"It may seem minor, but it can be quite upsetting to have an item of clothing, stolen. It’s especially tough to take when the item is hard to replace, rare or has sentimental value - which of course many clothes can have. It’s worse still if you’re on a tight budget and can’t afford a replacement right away.

"Anecdotally, most thefts described in our study were opportunist and thankfully nonviolent, with people commonly having unattended clothes swiped or taken by mistake while out and about.

"Sewing a name and phone number into the tag could help in cases where someone has accidentally picked up an item of clothing that they’d otherwise be unable to return. But remember not to include your address. You don’t want a stranger in the pub knowing where you live."

He also recommends photographing rare and hard-to-replace clothes and using social media to help secure their return if taken.

"Your best pieces are obviously there to be worn, so I would never recommend not wearing them out for fear of theft. Some simple precautions could help though. Snap your favourite clothes, with close ups of the labels and any distinguishing features. If you’re unlucky enough to have something stolen - or even taken by accident - you can use social media to raise awareness locally to get them returned.”


ENDS

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Notes to editors:


For more information, please contact Sean O’Meara - sean.omeara@essentialcontent.co.uk

About the study

*A national polling company surveyed a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults on behalf of Style Compare, between the 1st of August and 3rd of August 2017.

The polling company used are members of the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research and employ members of the Marketing Research Society. More information about the study available upon request.

About Style Compare

Founded in Nottingham, UK and now based in London, Style Compare is a fashion discovery website featuring products from over 50 retailers, helping consumers shop by size, designer, and price.