AIBU to wonder why there is so much polyester on the high street?

[tulpe]

Had a quick mooch around the shops today. I cannot understand why everything appears to be made of polyester . It's a vile fabric that looks cheap before it's even been worn, makes you sweat, and is generally plain nasty!

What's happened to good old fashioned natural fabrics like cotton?

Polyester is cheaper, to keep cost of items down the retailers are switching to cheaper fabrics and hoping you don't notice.

I don't see how customers can fail to notice. It is generally such appalling quality it stands out a mile away. It's like being stuck back in the 70s!

Polyester doesnt bother me if the item is nice

Same herecyb

Polyester can be OK...but what is going on with Wallis? Everything is polyester.

don't you suffer with static-related issues when you wear it though? As soon as I try an item on, my hair looks like it has been rubbed with a balloon.

Polyester makes me itch. When I was a teenager it used to bring me out in a rash, but the school PE t shirts were made of polyester. My mum and I searched the shops for a plain, red t shirt. Such a thing does not exist apparently .

There have been a few years of bad harvests in the cotton industry which have forced up prices.

100% cotton goes for £4 a metre and up round here. Find yourself a pattern and employ a local seamstress

I really hate polyester. It clings, I get too hot in it, and it looks cheap. I prefer viscose over polyester any day. Sadly cotton is so expensive these days.

it makes my hair go crazy and makes me sweat buckets even though i'm not normally a sweaty person. Also..i manage a charity shop and just about every polyester item that comes in has stained armpits so can't be sold..(ie the really ground in sweat that doesnt wash out)

I've never had static anything in my life

I find cotton stuff too stiff and crunchy, doesnt feel right

I prefer a good old polycotton mix

Unfortunately, people pay more attention to price tags than fabric composition.

I always root around for the care tag on clothes in shops but I rarely see other people doing the same.

I hate polyester. I can just about manage viscose, but mainly in trousers. Sweaty, horrible stuff. Generally anything that isn't a million pounds is synthetic these days though (although I saw some nice 100% cotton vests cheap in Peacocks of all places today).

Frances - I get looks rooting for the care tag in clothes, like I'm totally mad. It matters.

I hate polyester. Peppapigberry and Joe browns are particularly bad. Just because I have big boobs doesn't mean I want to wear artificial fibres.

A couple of years ago I would have said I hate polyester. But now I have two pairs of lined polyester trousers and actually I love them. They're lined, so they don't cling (in fact they hang beautifully and swish), they don't crease, the fabric is nice and heavy so it drapes well. I too always look at the care label and on both these trousers it says dry clean only, but I've found they wash beautifully on a cool wool wash. Both trousers are incredibly cool (I wore one pair on the hottest day of last year and stayed cucumber-y cool). What's not to like?
However, I would say that both these pairs of trousers were quite expensive (though I got both reduced in a sale, one of them Isabella Oliver), both well made and good quality polyester fabric.
Any cheap fabric is going to be nasty -- cheap cotton can be really horrible too.

Stretch cotton jersey

Cottons and poly cottons

Free "grown up" dress pattern

Free cute sundress pattern

Think I might raid the stash and make myself this today although not in those colours

I am very fond of viscose. i have the vague idea that it is made from wood, somehow....

I like it it is flattering in some styles and dries in a minute!

I like viscose with a touch of elastane - really hangs and drapes sell. Much prefer it to most pure cotton, for reasons cybbo says. But not so keen normaly on polyester.

Or even normally.

Polyester makes me sweat like a pig.

I have to say that I have no idea what any of my clothes are made of. Like someone said above, I look at the price tag. I also look whether the item is easily machine washable and if it can go in tumble dryer. If price/washing instructions are unacceptable to me, I won't buy!

I hate polyester.

hate it hate it.

I ALWAYS read the fabric tags

Popped my head in Lipsy today, saw the sea of poly and popped out again. All the females in Towie must get through a lot of deodorant..

I hate polyester. It's the first thing I look for on label, though actually my polyester radar is pretty acute. I find it smells... People smell more fruity in polyester. Viscose is manmade but from wood/ paper no? So doesn't have the smell factor.