Are high street clothes getting worse quality?

[FajarVega]

I feel like clothes don’t last the way they used to. Things I buy now seem to lose shape after a few washes. Am I just choosing badly or has anyone else noticed this?

Good point. Same here really. I don't remember buying clothes to lounge around the house in a few decades ago. I always just wore "old" stuff that was getting past it's best after several years, i.e. holes or fading. Now, none of my "decent" stuff lasts long enough to be cascading down to lounging around stuff.

Which means losing half the fun of owning something, doesn’t it?

I think what I meant by saying I rarely encounter poor quality stuff is that I have jumpers bought between say 2015 and Covid that I had hoped would have been downgraded to baking, or curled up on the sofa with Strictly wear - but nope; they still look like new. (Studio Nicholson, and La Fetiche in particular.)

It's been a known issue internationally for years. This video was pretty interesting on how fast fashion has taken over even formerly quality premium brands. They compare how the same brand's products from 20 years ago are much better made and from higher quality materials than the same product today

On some thread about the German state visit they quoted one of the UK royals as wearing a dress from XYZ brand.
I went on the brand's website - very posh, conservative dresses.
Costing £3-4k. And 100% polyester!!!
😫

I’ve recently spent £115 on a merino wool knitted t shirt from the white company that has bobbled and looks awful on its first day of wear!!! 😭😭😭

Wool does bobble where it rubs. Just get a fabric shaver. It’ll get better once the short fibres have bobbled on out.

This! I started noticing this a couple of years ago, the quality of absolutely everything has decreased significantly. Clothes, make up, food, phones, chocolate, cars, homeware, shoes, hair products. Literally everything is shit compared to how it used to be. Even stationery!

!!!!!!!!

I mean, “!!!!!” is about all you can say to that. Imagine being able to spend £4K on a dress and you buy polyester off the rack! I mean, unless it’s going to appreciate in value due to the brand name or something? But then you wouldn’t wear it. Not when you can buy bloody 100% cashmere from Uniqlo and such for under £100!

That’s not a sign of poor quality. Bobbling is what real wool does, you have to look after it by washing it properly and using a fabric shaver. After a few cycles of washing and shaving you’ll find that the pilling stops.

I knit and wear (and wash and repair!) fairisle jumpers and recently said on another thread I’d love to set up a business caring for people’s good quality wool knitwear. It does take time and so many people are not confident doing it.

For four grand you would at least hope that it was ‘premium’ polyester 😏 - I’m not saying its acceptable, don’t come for me!

“Premium polyester offers a smoother, more lustrous finish with better wrinkle resistance and potentially higher density (GSM) than standard or basic polyester which can feel thinner or have a cotton-like texture (spun polyester). The key difference lies in fiber quality, weave, and density: premium uses fine, continuous filaments for a sleek feel, while standard polyester can vary greatly in texture and thickness, impacting look, drape, and durability.”

After a few hours though? It’s so thin and lightweight. It feels that If I de bobble it there will be nothing left.
I only buy wool jumpers now- this is the finest and thinnest one I’ve ever had.

My understanding is that bobbling is what cheaper wool does, made from shorter fibres. In theory better quality wool is from longer fibres and won’t bobble as much. But as everyone here says, that ain’t true no more. I’m looking at you, hush.

I'm in NZ and we wear a lot of merino here. The only garments which I find bobble are those which are quite thick, jerseys and cardigans for instance. Finer garments, even very cheap ones, never bobble.

It’s bobbled where the seat belt on my car has rubbed against it. Is this a thing? 🥴

It's SO shit. I buy from charity shops and Vinted. I miss Monsoon and Oasis circa 2013!

I can't help you there sorry, I don't have a car 😀

Sorry if already mentioned. I noticed some nice patterned jumpers in Next but the quality was awful really fuzzy and bobbly even on the hanger! Not sure if that's the style but at £50 I'd be scared to wash it. My daughter and me are trying a no spend on new clothes year. We both have a lot of clothes but love trawling the vintage and charity shops for better quality items.

Those nice patterned, but awful fuzzy bobbly jumper will be 60% off come the New Year. I do wonder how many people actually buy this stuff at full price because you just wouldn't, would you?

M&S used to be better quality, but it was also very dated. It was where everyone’s grandma shopped, but no young people wanted to be seen dead. They were really struggling, so they decided to emulate Zara, and transform into a fast fashion brand. Everything produced cheaply at lightening speed to keep up with the latest trends.

To be fair, it’s been working for them. They’ve completely turned themselves around, and womenswear has been booming since they followed this model. Unfortunately, it’s what most shoppers want. Fast, cheap and trendy - to be worn for a season and then thrown into landfill.

There was quite a nice cardigan in Next with trees on but it was £46 for a manmade type mix, it's £22 in the sale so I will probably get it tomorrow when my sale slot is as the pattern is quite nice.

I search on Vinted for items with the St Michael label as it’s usually the quality that marks is known for. I also buy Uniqlo and Hobbs