Disposable fashion

[DonkeyHohtay]

Just saw a piece on the BBC news about the amount of clothing ending up in landfill. Apparently we're all buying 4 times as much clothing as we did 20 years ago, wearing it just a couple of times, and binning it.

AIBU to think this is a bit of an environmental disaster? And what can we do about it??

(Disclaimer - i'm in my mid 40s and don't really follow fashion. I have a skirt in my wardrobe which I bought in 1997. I wear things until they fall to bits, and get a lot of high-quality second hand. I just don't "get" the wear it once and bin it mentality).

I gave some clothes to charity the other week and had a look around the shop whilst there. Some of the items were around £6 or £7 for bog standard high street labels. I just bought a blouse I really love in the River Isand sale for £7. True, that’s the sale, but I could go to Primark and get something new for not much more. There’s a lack of incentive to recycle when buying new and being able to choose exactly what you want costs only a little more.

Fast fashion has got to be related to the massive explosion of social media, which just didn't exist until this generation? You have celebrities wearing outfits which are then replicated inside a week by low-end retailers who make them cheaply so they're affordable to everyone, but inside three weeks another outfit's been replicated and the cycle continues.

One of the young women interviewed on the BBC said she couldn't be photographed for Instagram wearing the same thing twice.

And then you have the papers giving the Royals a hard time for "recycling" the same dress at a different occasion, when it should be "Here's Kate wearing her favourite Alexander McQueen dress and doesn't she look fabulous in it, no need to buy new when you have such an amazing outfit in your wardrobe bla bla bla".

It is a huge problem imo. High street fashion is so cheap now, and it doesn’t last and isn’t fashionable for very long.

Yanbu but unfortunately this is a losing battle. We are destroying the planet faster than the tiny insignificant fraction of people trying to do their bit.

The problem with the disposable fashion argument is that quality is so variable. I bought two £40 dresses in the past year from Next. One is falling to bits after wearing it twice. One is great quality, and I've been wearing it weekly for nearly a year.

Some of the stuff I've had for longest in my wardrobe came from New Look. Some of the worst quality stuff I've ever bought came from Fat Face and cost several times as much. In fact a designer brand coat is the worst quality thing I own.

I certainly don't want to be paying out money for clothes I can't wear. But there is no way I can see to have the slightest confidence in whether clothes are quality or not.

Quality does vary hugely. I volunteer in a charity shop and we see the other end of fast fashion - or at least the stuff people bother to hand in and which hasn't ended up in the bin.

But in general, things from H&M, supermarkets, Primark etc doesn't last in the same way as things from Monsoon, Boden, Hobbs etc.

We can't put out a scraggy old Primark top because people won't buy it. We do recycle clothes, but I'd say that out of all the clothing we get in, only about 25% is actually fit to sell on.

The real difference is the stuff which comes in made in the 80s/90s. The manufacturing quality is SO much higher, even from places like BHS and M&S. I can't see a 2019 shirt from M&S lasting in the same way and turning up in a charity shop in 2040, still fit for sale.

People want cheap clothes

And then you have the papers giving the Royals a hard time for "recycling" the same dress at a different occasion, when it should be "Here's Kate wearing her favourite Alexander McQueen dress and doesn't she look fabulous in it, no need to buy new when you have such an amazing outfit in your wardrobe bla bla bla".

Yet when she wears something new, the headline is ‘Kate Splashes Out On ANOTHER Designer Dress’

I'd agree that higher price doesn't equal good quality. Which is so frustrating. I'd happily buy one good quality item and wear it for years, if I could just find the good quality item in the first place.

Conversely, I once had a skirt from Primark that cost £8 and it served me faithfully for years. It was lined and everything. I couldn't believe how well it lasted.

And I once had a pair of designer trousers that cost me about £100 in a sale, and originally started at about £400 when they were full price. They wore through at the crotch far quicker than any pair of £40 trousers I've ever had from Warehouse. I had thought I'd be wearing them for life

I hate disposable fashion. Even with cheap garments I expect to keep them for a couple of years. The trouble is that many garments are of such low quality that they won’t withstand machine washing more than a couple of times.

I am totally on board with the argument about things not lasting. But much of the problem is that people don't WANT things to last, they want to wear it once or twice, then chuck it. Irrespective of condition.

Been reading a lot about this recently. The textile industry is the second most polluting after oil. More than aviation and shipping combined.
I think social media has made it worse, but it really kicked off before that when shopping became a big leisure activity. Constant turnover of fashions and cheap prices keeps us buying.

Totally agree, I have a friend who buys a new dress every time she goes to a party, wedding, event etc.

I have dresses that I have worn for about 10 years, couldn't give a toss if I am seen in them regularly, they look nice that's all that matters.

I agree about the quality. I DO want things to last and actually most friends of mine do too - if you find something you love, you want to keep wearing it.
Sadly I’ve purchased expensive things and they haven’t lasted long at all, so now I buy cheaper things that I KNOW won’t last because it’s better than spending lots on similar quality. It’s part of the problem but I don’t know the answer.
I certainly don’t like having to buy new things because mine have gone shapeless/shrunk etc (which happens a LOT even if you follow the washing instructions to the letter). it’s infuriating to be honest - the amount I’ve had to chuck away (well, recycle but still) because it’s not fit to donate is quite appalling - the quality has definitely dropped but the prices haven’t.

Charity shops are definitely charging more than Primark it’s ridiculous. In fact I have seen second hand Primark stuff in there for more money!
I’m always after quality basics. Years ago M&S was decent but they use cheap material now. I had a pair of M and S knickers from 1994 (!) which I only recently chucked out and I still have several from c2009 yet the ones I buy now barely last a year.

Quality has dropped for a lot of brands because businesses want to maintain the same profit margins but the cost of production has gone up. Many brands are less keen to pass on this cost to the consumer as they want said customer to buy more not less & therefore the quality takes the hit. The customer seems to want this too.

10 years ago you would find high street leather shoes for £35-40 made in Spain or Brazil. That’s not possible these days so production has shifted to Vietnam for example. If you pick up a patent shoe in Kurt Geiger for over £100 it’s very likely to be synthetic as opposed to patent leather.

I agree it's a huge problem, not sure of the solution though. Me and my friends used to buy clothes with our pocket money, but we were all (fortunate enough to be) a similar size, so we would swap clothes and wear them until they wore out. I stopped buying clothes a year or so ago, but I have so many I have sorted them and kept them and I shouldn't need to buy anymore for ages! Charity shops selling stuff for more or less the price it would be new puts me off buying it, and when I've donated stuff it never seems to make it to the rails even though a lot has been brand new with tags. When you can buy a dress for a few quid though it's not surprising people do; and I agree that shopping becomes a social thing often and you buy more than you need just because it's there, internet shopping also makes it far too easy.

I din think the charity shops should be criticised in this scenario. Putting £3.50 on a top when you've got targets to meet probably seems reasonable (even if it was only £2.99 new) Tere will be guides for pricing different brands...but you can't check every single item against it's retail price.
As for the really good stuff donated, a lot of charities now sell via eBay or ship stuff to different stores to sell.

I’m always after quality basics. Years ago M&S was decent but they use cheap material now.

Yes, time was you could always rely on M&S for quality if nothing else, but I bought a top for work there last year and it had a hole in the armpit in no time.

But if items were cheaper they would probably sell more. The ones around here have the same stock in for months, and refuse new donations as, at a guess, they're overloaded with stock that has been there ages and won't shift. Children's clothes which are priced around 50p seem to have a really quick turnaround. I know they would be cheaper new etc as well, but as a charity you are receiving the garment for free, so as long as you are making money does it matter whether it's on adult or children's clothes? When I was at uni one used to have £1 days where everything was a pound, and you'd have to queue to get in- guessing they made a fair bit those days.

I still wear things I bought years and years ago. I won't buy things that seem poor quality though. And plenty of things I bought years ago were bought very cheaply.

So the pyjamas I am currently wearing my mum bought me 25 years ago from John Lewis. They are a bit thinner after being washed lots of times, but are still fine.

Oh we have a giant charity shop near us and almost everything is 50p-£3 apart from furniture etc. Often 2 books for £1. They have a fast turnover as they receive so much they just want rid of it.

I agree OP I’ve seen stuff from the 70s in there (I imagine someone has died and their family have put all their old clothes in there) and it’s outstanding quality. Thick, heavy fabric.

Thing is we are time-poor. Eg both parents working and trying to cram in the gym/hobbies/activities etc. We don’t want to iron. I often don’t have time to put washing away so it sits in the pile. So we want stretch fabrics which are ready to wear and probably become misshapen quicker