Money

Pre-loved original or new dupe? The cost-per-wear maths

Cost per wear is the most quoted number in fashion and the most misused. Add resale value and the answer often flips.

RunwayTwin Journal · 7 November 2026 · 6 min read

The classic formula is simple: price divided by the number of times you wear it. A €600 coat worn 120 times costs €5 a wear; a €90 coat worn 20 times costs €4.50. It is useful, and it is missing a line.

The formula with resale

High-street pieces resell for very little; well-known designer pieces bought at a fair second-hand price can resell for much of what you paid. That changes the comparison more than any other variable.

A worked example

Illustrative numbers, not a price guide: a new high-street leather-look jacket against a pre-loved designer leather jacket, each worn 60 times over three years.

The dupe is still cheaper per wear here. But the gap is €1.50 a wear, not the €530 difference on the price tag, and the original is the thing you actually wanted. Raise the wears to 120 or the resale to €550 and the two meet.

When the pre-loved original wins

• It's a hero piece. The data behind our Dupe Index shows cheap versions do worst on the piece that defines the look.
• The brand holds value second-hand: the classic bags, coats and shoes from a short list of houses.
• You'll wear it often enough for the higher price to spread out, and look after it well enough to resell.
• The design is the point: a signature shape or detail no dupe can legally or practically copy.

When the new dupe wins

• It's a trend you expect to drop within a season.
• It's a supporting piece (belt, simple jewellery, a basic top), where cheap versions get most of the look.
• Authentication risk is high and you can't buy from a platform that authenticates.