To think that clothes are such poor quality now?

[Pythone]

(And other products too, really!)

I saw this tweet which summed it up: twitter.com/lingerie_addict/status/1494349028296900613?s=24

I've been thinking this for months - the difference between newer things and things I bought pre about 2017 is so stark. E.g. a nightdress from John Lewis which looked nice on the website, but then in real life the material is so thin and is only printed on one side, so the other side is just white with the design sort of showing through. Everything from mid-level shops seems to feel like the "cheapest of the cheap" from a decade or two ago, sometimes even like a fancy dress costume level. Thin fabric, weak construction, terrible finishing, strong chemical smells when you open the bag, and looking bad after a few washes. I bought a dressing gown from M&S and the pockets are just coming away at the sides even without being used.

In the mid-2000s I'd buy cheap things, often as part of a costume for a party or for a one-off outfit, and they'd just end up as part of my regular wardrobe for years. These days it's hard to imagine anything lasting that long, never mind things that weren't really expensive to start with.

Has anyone else noticed this?

The answer sadly is online - Nomads, Masai, Sahara, East, Aspiga, Gudrun Sjoden, Weird Fish and other smaller more ethical companies. I am a bit older, still working full time and need to look reasonable. I like good clothes but don't have much money! And I am not thin! The sales are good and also ebay if you know what fits you. I also cannot bear polyester and never buy it. Wolf and Badger have some nice special occasion stuff if you can catch the sales.

My problem is getting good bras to fit. Need a good supportive back smoothing balcony type. Seems impossible to find. Have given up on good pants!

One of the problems I find is that the more expensive stuff that actually is better quality is mostly aimed at women quite a bit older than me (I'm 34) - which makes sense, as that's generally a demographic that's got more disposable income and is probably more discerning on quality. But I want stuff that's nice and good quality without feeling like I'm dressing like my mum (who has fabulous style, to be clear!)

Its true textiles can theoretically be recycled but I've seen some disturbing articles about how a lot of western clothes exported just end up dumped in developing countries.

Kids clothes are just as bad. I have 2 dc aged 14 and 11. I always used to be able to pass clothes down but more recently some already have holes in before dc1 has outgrown them. Just weekend clothing so not getting much wear.

DP would disagree about men's clothing being better quality.
He frequently complains about trousers that lose their shape after one wear and £70 fat face tops that are wearable for six months. But still has a top from C&A bought last century!

Clothes that we donate to charity but they can't resell generally ends up in level 3 countries ( eg Romania) or level 2 countries (eg Kenya, Nigeria) sold at markets at super cheap prices that the local factories can't compete with. So these countries clothing industries can't thrive and employ local people. I'd rather my clothing went to landfill personally.

We are not - as a nation - prepared to pay for quality, so we get cheap rubbish.

I agree with this and other posters who have said similar. I buy 1-3 items of clothing per year (shoes, dresses, coats, trousers etc - not including tights or underwear or socks etc!) at a cost of £200-£400 each, roughly. Each purchase is carefully considered - the colour and style - in that I know it will suit me and I'll happily wear it for years. These clothes are heavy, thick, fabrics, well-made and do indeed last for years.

I agree with the many PP who said that the mid-range quality that used to be available on the high street does not exist now, because what were the better high street shops have made a long-term misjudgement about where things are headed with consumer preferences and sustainability, and tried to compete with the low cost, rubbish quality brands than use slave labour effectively (not saying other brands don't and higher prices guarantee that! Many do. But at least higher prices mean they can produce stuff as ethically as possible so some higher priced brands do that and have good quality. At Primark level prices, or even M&S, JL, etc these days, it is impossible for clothes to be ethically produced and decent quality.)

So the consumer needs to make a choice about how they stock their wardrobe, as the middle ground is effectively gone. You either buy cheap tat that you'll soon throw away, trash the planet and have crap quality clothes. Or, you stop buying that rubbish and buy only the odd thing that is more expensive but better quality. And if people did that, I bet you it would not be long before mid-range brands improved the quality of their clothes, as soon as they were losing market share. BUT people would have to accept the higher prices than they pay now. There's no other way to balance the equation in terms of working conditions/ natural resources/ quality unfortunately, given where we are.

Also fully appreciate that many people buy the cheap crap because they have no other option. Living standards are plummeting and I fear that will continue. It's the old adage about how the poor man spends more on 10 pairs of boots than the rich man pays for one decent one that lasts. But there are people in the middle who could make different choices on quality vs quantity and that would impact the decisions of the brands who decide what clothes to have made in the first place.

Agree. Bought a long sleeve t-shirt from M&S and after one wash it is now has 3/4 sleeve. Annoying and while I’ll still wear it under other layers it isn’t what I wanted.

@Acidburn

Fashion designer here. The reason for this is because everything has come up in price - fabrics, trims, shipping, labour, etc. But the retailers don't want to raise prices (or reduce margins), so they cut down on fabrics and design features. Viscose being replaced with polyester. Hems and sleeves becoming more narrow, to reduce fabric consumption. On top of that - retailers don't want to place big orders, say 1000 units of the same dress, they just want 300 units. But the factories don't want to entertain those quantities due to various technical reasons, so they charge premium for small orders- premium on cutting, sewing, printing, etc. So that adds even more pressure to pricing structure. So in the end we have shitty product and a shitty price. But people choose to buy tonnes of shitty clothes in Primark, Boohoo and PLT instead of buying less often, less items and better quality, so really we should blame ourselves.

Totally agree. You put it so eloquently.

HootOwl I totally agree.
I buy less but each purchase is carefully considered.
I live in New Zealand and whilst , like UK, there is a lot of rubbish , NZ has great fashion designers, stuff made locally or ethically overseas, It is cheaper than British “ designer” and much better quality.
Juliette Hogan , Kowtow, Yu Mei ( for beautiful bags), Standard Issue ( for knitwear) .

YANBU
Every single t-Shirt I own ends up with tiny pin holes around the belly button area. It isn't belts or buttons, I think it could be cleaning fluid or even simply soap from when I wash my hands, but, no...clothes are utterly shit these days.
Shit fabrics
Shit workmanship
Shit

Exactly. I have boots custom made in Italy, they last years. Have a few pretty much unknown places that I buy knitwear from, only when a style and colour that's perfect for me appears. Sometimes that won't happen for years. Dresses these days would be from Adrianna Papel or The Fold or LK Bennett maybe, depending on occasion/ context. The odd thing from Sezanne sometimes. COS do good basics. But overall I probably spend far less on clothes than many others who buy a much larger quantity, as I don't buy things very often. But over time, you can build up a varied wardrobe this way of stuff that isn't tat.

For the kids obviously there is no "long-term" as they grow so fast so they mainly wear stuff from Sainsbury's and M&S (most of their uniform), which does the job well enough until they grow. But once they are more stable in size 🤣 I'll encourage them to take a similar approach: have fewer but better quality things and take care of them.

Jigsaw also don't seem to have dropped the ball on quality as much as the others, and are good for decent tops and t shirts.

I can't abide the quality of clothes manufactured these days in my price range as a 30 year old lone parent on a small single working income with no financial support. Nothing lasts. It's a false economy because you keep buying again each season.

So recently mainly due to budget I've taken to browsing charity shops, and I have found some amazing good quality buys, proper willy jumpers, robust denim jeans. Band t shirts that are that thick cotton and all sorts of great casual wear.

Luckily the only place I go is work which is casual wear and my house so I don't need to "dress up" ever. I don't date or go out on nights out as I have no childcare or support or the cash to spend ok it. In my wardrobe I have one black dress for funerals it's an original 1950's a line dress, and I have one "posh" tea dress that I wear to the odd family meal or something which has a nice cardigan to go with it.

But yes, finding a decent charity shop has been my saviour for buying casual wear clothes that last.

I hear you @FailureToLurk, I'm also lone parent to small kids with no family help etc and very little opportunity for social life atm. It sucks. 💪

I get the little holes in the belly of my t-shirts, too! Couldn’t figure out what it was, as I don’t wear belts... Never used to happen before. Mostly happens with H&M ones, but even the better ones eventually get them too. I thought that my washing machine was eating them... But it’s always in the same area!

I recently found a good Scandi site, Fashion Fifteen. Got a nice Part Two dress on sale. Wouldn’t have paid what local boutiques were charging for the same style. Which is a shame, as I’d prefer to support local business / enjoy actual shopping. But the mark-up was ridiculous...

Also like &Other Stories & Oliver Bonas.

[quote Pythone]@JunkIsland That's interesting about menswear! I generally don't fit into men's clothes (too short and not the right shape!) but for basics like t-shirts to sleep in I might look into getting some. I think there's always been that disparity between men's and women's clothes but I didn't know that they hadn't had an equivalent decline. So I guess now the disparity is even worse.

(Just a vaguely related rant: I'm so envious of men's jumpers! Long sleeves, thick fabric, nice colours! So many women's jumpers seem to hang off the shoulders or have shorter sleeves or be cropped or drape weirdly and sometimes you just want a warm, cosy, jumper-shaped jumper without paying hundreds of pounds for one that still might look bad after one wash!)[/quote]
I bought 2 new jumpers this winter, both from men's depts. I just wanted simple but reasonably thick, 100% wool crew or turtle neck in plain colours. After several hours of searching i gave up entirely women's options - do manufacturers think we don't want to be warm? I'm buggered if i'm paying 30 or 40 pounds for a thin, tacky polyester effort. I found a couple of really warm, 100% wool sweaters in H&M and M&S menswear for the same price. Gentle 30% wool wash with Dreft and they're wearing well

@HootOwl

I hear you *@FailureToLurk*, I'm also lone parent to small kids with no family help etc and very little opportunity for social life atm. It sucks. 💪

@HootOwl sorry to hear that. Suppose in a way, as I have no interest in dating and also am a bit of a social recluse I'm not overly bothered by it luckily. But I can imagine of you were a outgoing person it really would be a struggle 💐

Also I just notice my hilarious typo of "willy jumper" instead of woolly jumper 🤣

Those getting holes on your belly buttons, it's not from driving is it, are you short and need to sit very close to the wheel or is it the seatbelt if you drive a lot?

In the winter as I'm a community support job and I drive all day every day some of my jumpers have bobbled where the seat belt crosses over my waist.

Most of my jumpers & cardigans are from Benetton. They’re all quite old now, not sure that I’d get the same there now. There was a lot of Benetton stuff in TK Maxx a little while ago, but it was the good older stuff. I’ve noticed that they (Benetton) dint really do leather shoes & handbags anymore, either...

• @HootOwl sorry to hear that. Suppose in a way, as I have no interest in dating and also am a bit of a social recluse I'm not overly bothered by it luckily. But I can imagine of you were a outgoing person it really would be a struggle* 💐

Also I just notice my hilarious typo of "willy jumper" instead of woolly jumper 🤣

Hahaa I am a massive introvert and a bit of a hermit and no interest in dating either! Definitely not remotely outgoing. You sound a lot like me.

Loving "willy jumper". Now that sounds like something worthy of investment. 😂😂😂 I didn't even see it until you said! But I make soooo many typos my brain (what is left of it) probably autocorrected it in my head.

I would like to be able to have a bit of freedom to go out running on summer evenings though. Or go out for dinner with friends sometimes. Or just lie in silence on my sofa some evenings. It's soooo hard when you have no respite. Solidarity to you. 👊

@LunaTheCat

HootOwl I totally agree. I buy less but each purchase is carefully considered. I live in New Zealand and whilst , like UK, there is a lot of rubbish , NZ has great fashion designers, stuff made locally or ethically overseas, It is cheaper than British “ designer” and much better quality. Juliette Hogan , Kowtow, Yu Mei ( for beautiful bags), Standard Issue ( for knitwear) .

Jealous of that! I was over there some years ago and the clothes in the shops even then were fantastic quality compared to here, I remember.

"I’m looking at importing from the US - don’t let me down Macy’s!"

I hate to tell you but! Don't get it from there.

@UsernameInTheTown

M&s as example, used to use UK factories and quality, fit and fabric we're excellent and quality. Then they moved production abroad and I all went to shit. This has happened to so many brands. Barbour is another one. Joules, utter cheap dross now, yet still trading on the jolly British 'designed' bullshit. Thankfully I have all the (good quality now 'vintage' clothing I'll need to see me through the next 20-30 years, and only replace hosiery and underwear as required, though Seasalt, Brakeburn and Ebay are the best bet these days.

Yes Seasalt is good

@Whitney168

I nearly always buy knickers from M&S, but the ones I bought last year I swear have more holes than the 20 year old ones that are still in circulation.

Yes the holes underneath the waistbands in mine