Trend of Disposable Clothing Among Chinese Tourists: Cheap for Holidays, Yet Sparks Controversy

Holidays for many Chinese tourists are not just about the destination, but also about their appearance while at tourist locations. Affordable Travel-specific clothing, or Disposable Clothing, has become a trend, with many travellers choosing to discard or even resell the outfits they wore once they return home.

This phenomenon first gained traction among Chinese internet users during the summer of 2026. Hashtags related to this trend have recorded 6.8 million views and 135,000 discussions on one major social media platform.

For many travellers, purchasing clothing intended for only one trip is seen as more practical than packing multiple outfits from home. One woman stated she bought five full sets of clothing for a 7-day trip, spending a total of less than 200 Yuan, or approximately IDR 530,000.

Right from the start, she had never planned to keep these clothes after her Holiday ended. The items were selected only to serve her needs during the trip, while also looking good for photographs at every destination.

Disposable clothing designs are typically crafted specifically to appear flattering on camera. Available options are varied, ranging from brightly coloured long skirts, robes, outdoor activity jackets, to traditional cultural clothing matched to the identity of the travel location.

One women's clothing store owner told Chinese local media outlet City Express that his shop stocks a full range of these tourist-specific garments.

Their collection includes beach photography skirts, traditional Hanfu outfits for the Dragon Boat Festival, and exotic style skirts for travellers visiting Xinjiang.

This business has expanded rapidly due to high public demand. The shop owner reports they sell roughly 15,000 individual clothing items every month, with most customers falling within the 18-30 year old age group.

Low pricing is one core reason this trend has been widely adopted. The most popular items are priced between 10-50 Yuan per piece, equivalent to around IDR 26,000 - IDR 133,000; roughly the cost of one simple meal.

Once a trip concludes, the usable lifespan of these clothes generally ends alongside it. Some travellers throw the items away, while others attempt to resell them through secondhand e-commerce platforms.

This practice has received positive feedback from travellers who want to wear unique looks at every destination without spending large amounts of money. However, this trend has also drawn criticism, as extremely short-lived clothing adds to the growing global textile waste crisis.

This issue becomes even more concerning when framed against the scale of the global textile industry. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the world produces approximately 92 million tonnes of textile waste every year.

Global textile production doubled between 2000 and 2015, while the average usable lifespan of textile products fell by 36% over this same period.

The challenge is not limited only to the volume of discarded clothing. Only around 8% of all textile fibres used in 2023 came from recycled sources, while clothing and textile products account for approximately 11% of global plastic waste.

As these cheap, single-use travel garments are almost always manufactured from plastic-based materials, the habit of purchasing clothing for one trip then discarding it risks placing even greater strain on the environment.

The shorter the intended lifespan of a garment, the faster it transitions from a consumer good into waste.

Material quality is also a cause for concern. Low-grade clothing materials raise questions over wearer safety, particularly when consumers are not provided full transparency about How these products are manufactured and processed.

Professor Cai Shangwei, Director of the Cultural Industry Research Centre at Sichuan University, has raised hygiene concerns regarding disposable clothing that re-enters the market via secondhand platforms. He noted this requires proper oversight, as these items have already been worn by a previous user.

Criticism of this trend has also emerged across social media. Many internet users have questioned whether travel experiences should always be tied to producing new, distinct photographs for every location visited.