As London Fashion Week approaches, statistics suggest the average man spends £115 a month on clothes and the average woman £81.
The average UK adult spends over £1000 a year on clothes.
Speaking on whether Christians should follow fashion, Simon Ward, who is a Christian and ran London Fashion Week for 30 years, told Premier: "I normally just give a quick guided tour of the Bible and say 'look, in the beginning God created seasons' - so don't argue about the seasons."
"He created infinite variety - He was the first fashion designer, He ran up leather togs for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and so on. It goes all the way through the Bible, the sort of imagery of fashion. The first Christian in Europe was Lydia who was in the fashion industry in Phillippi so I think the idea that God and the fashion industry have nothing to do with each other ain't right."
But Simon Ward added that it can't be allowed to take over: "Clearly if you're spending the food budget just so you can get the latest pair of jeans that's not good stewardship of your resources."
Describing the conclusions he'd drawn after years of thinking about the fashion industry as a Christian, he said: "For me, I've often asked the question 'if God was boss of this industry, what would his priorities be?' And I think he'd be more in in the justice in the system - are people paid properly for what they're making, the effort they're putting in?
"I think he'd be really interested in the image and identity. A lot of people try to cover things about themselves that they don't like by what they wear and that can lead to all sorts of psychological issues."
He concluded: "Fashion, if it's your servant, can be great, if it's your servant it's a real tyrant."
Listen to the full interview with Simon Ward, speaking to Premier's Cara Bentley here:
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