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Original poster

Did anyone see Stacey Dooley's programme last night? And are you all really happy with having so many clothes

75 replies

Helpmepleasenow48 · 09/10/2018 11:41

Because we have caused this....
www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/14/techno-fest-in-ship-graveyard-aims-to-revive-vanished-aral-sea

OP posts:
Floisme · 09/10/2018 16:52

I’m very interested in this and I’ve posted on the slow fashion thread but I’m not happy with the message that this is solely for the consumer to fix.

The quality on the high street is so poor now that ‘buying quality clothes that last’ is nothing but a joke. There are threads about it on here all the time. Wages have stagnated so many people are trapped in a cycle of buying shit that needs replacing after one season. Try telling them they should buy less but buy better and they will tell you to fuck right off and I don’t blame them.

I’m a big second hand shopper myself but it’s time consuming and I’m not sure I could have done it when I had caring responsibilities.

So sure let’s talk about what we can all do but let’s not ignore the bigger picture please.

donajimena · 09/10/2018 16:57

I had a miserable time shopping for clothes this summer. Everything was cold shoulder, off the shoulder and polyester. I haven't watched the programme yet but although I know cotton didn't get off scot free at least cotton and wool break down.
I would like to see the back of man made fibres.
I do have a lot of clothes but I do tend to buy classic looking items so I wear them year in year out.

XingMing · 09/10/2018 17:05

Flo knows we share a weakness for lovely clothes, but I'd contend it's not the people who buy a few good things (new or second hand) that are the problem; my wardrobe (admittedly extensive) has been assembled over 70 years as there are a fair few heirlooms in it. But unless you are only buying very high-end clothing, not much is going to last like those garments given the pile it high, instant gratification/cheap thrills approach of most retailers, aided and abetted by the media.

Mercurial123 · 09/10/2018 17:17

I like how the Guardian's fashion column "What I wore this week" will now feature clothes in Jess' wardrobe rather than showing a completely new outfit. She's written a thoughtful article in Saturday's weekend supplement.

These T-shirts look to be a lot more ethical than the high street had anyone bought anything?

thecottonstory.co.uk/

Floisme · 09/10/2018 17:19

As always Xing puts it so much more elegantly than I do Grin

We are guilty of making some poor choices but we are also being played.

XingMing · 09/10/2018 17:27

Too kind!

thedevilinablackdress · 09/10/2018 17:30

Absolutely agree @Floisme

So many threads on S&B these days asking where to get half decent clothes in natural fibres at reasonable price on the high street... answers on the back of a postage stamp

friendlyflicka · 09/10/2018 17:38

For once, as a clothes addict, I feel reasonably virtuous. All my clothes are second hand natural fibres designer stuff. And I don't change from year to year massively, just add some new old stuff, and either sell or donate to charity shop.

Beauty products are a different story though. Thoroughly consumerist.

AnnabelleLecter · 09/10/2018 17:47

I watched a snippet of the program and made a mental note to watch it in full.
I have accumulated a wardrobe or two of lovely clothes. I have enough. I'm going to try just buying basics new (replacements) plus other items from charity shops from now on.
I would like to say I will completely stop shopping but I'd be lying

hammeringinmyhead · 09/10/2018 18:55

All the men at my workplace have a shoulder bag. Canvas or leather. I'd look a bit of a div with a briefcase in an office where we all wear jeans and trainers. Also, a Pot Noodle won't go in a briefcase but it will go in a Le Pliage shoulder bag! Grin

ArrivisteRevolt · 09/10/2018 19:07

AA Gill wrote an amazing article about fur and why we should all be wearing it. He argued that it was low impact and very long and hard wearing.

His principal argument was that cotton was criminally ruining the environment, while man made fibres never decomposed and create perma-rubbish.

ChiaraRimini · 09/10/2018 19:39

Charity shops/eBay etc is the answer.
Even my teen boys love a good chazzer bargain. From our local CS, DS2 kitted himself out with smart trousers, jackets shirts and ties for 6th form, DS1 is wearing a Che Guavara T-shirt from there today and I get all my dresses for work (Phase 8, Monsoon etc) there too. DD gets lots of hand me downs from friends supplemented with a few things from the CS.
Shoes, swimming cozzies and underwear are new but very little else is in our house!

ChiaraRimini · 09/10/2018 19:42

I also don't chuck stuff out for the hell of it. I have a long camel M&S winter coat that is 15+ years old and I still wear!

SuburbanRhonda · 09/10/2018 19:50

I would guess my wardrobe is 90% charity shop / jumble sale clothes and accessories and has been since I was 16.

We have a great selection of charity shops in my town. I do realise, though, that someone has to buy it new first for me to have it secondhand. But if I couldn’t buy another item, new or secondhand, for two years, I wouldn’t be too concerned.

It would be different if I worked in an environment where I had to wear a suit and smart clothes, though.

frugalkitty · 09/10/2018 19:59

I can't wear anything with wool in it, which makes buying good quality winter clothes tricky.

What annoys me is how poorly made things are now. I bought DS1 a decent pair of school shoes, and after eight days wear I had to take them to be re-heeled!

I love charity shop shopping, you never know what you'll find.

yorkshirepud44 · 09/10/2018 21:03

Like sarcelle, I also feel a bit queasy about the volume of clothes I have. I've cut down my shopping to a tiny fraction of the rate it was, and donate clothes to the local charity shop on a weekly basis.

I'm trying to buy so much more mindfully now. I've unsubscribed from all the shop email newsletters so I'm not even tempted to look at sale bargains. That's really helping.

I think I'd just got into the habit of over consuming and needed to break it.

ChiaraRimini · 09/10/2018 22:42

My other observation is that spending more on clothes doesn't seem to guarantee better quality and I wish it did.
I am old enough to remember 20 years ago when M&S was a bit pricy but did really good quality classic workwear, coats and things like lambswool knitwear in basic shapes and a rainbow of colours. Things from there would last forever. There is nowhere that does the equivalent now. It's either crap "fast fashion" or over-priced labels where the quality is not what it used to be.

Uncooperativefingers · 09/10/2018 23:10

I only tuned in about half way through, but the thing that really struck me about the programme was the damage that natural fibres have on the planet.

I've been trying to avoid artificial fibres (although it seems impossible), because of the issue of microplastics, but was horrified at the effect growing cotton has had in Kazakhstan and the amount of water required to make a pair of jeans. (15,000 litres if I remember correctly?). In a world where so many people haven't got access to enough water, I can't get my head around that being acceptable.

And then the river in Indonesia... Angry

Coupled with the fact that even "good quality" clothes don't seem to last very long anymore, it feels like I'm being pushed into a cycle of increasing harm to the planet and some of the less fortunate people in it. And because the industry is so opaque, it so hard to know what are the choices I can make. Buying less is obviously an option, but it's not enough. The reluctance of any retailer (apart from Levi's) to engage was appalling and I was left feeling quite hopeless about the whole thing tbh

7Days · 09/10/2018 23:32

Maybe we should all learn sewing.
Summer tops with sunscreen stains at the neck could bardot-ised, blouses that aren't quite right could have darts in, king size duvet covers could be cut down to fit 2 single beds.

When you think of the time we spend shopping, and trying on, browsing online and returning, we could use that energy and time and the hunt for novelty in cutting down a dh shirt into a woman's one, or similar. A lot of it is about novelty and staving off boredom.

Mind you i don't do it myself. But I might learn.

INeedNewShoes · 09/10/2018 23:41

I didn't see the documentary but I'm already horrified by the situation without watching it.

The shift over the past twenty years to people buying really cheap clothes to only wear them a handful of times is gross. The businesses at the fore of this and the customers who buy into this disposable fashion are equally to blame in my view.

It pisses me off that in order to compete with the newer cheaper shops that places that used to use decent material sewn well have followed suit.

I have clothes I bought at Next, Topshop, Gap, Jane Norman etc. over 15 years ago that are still going strong. Clothes used to be made of good thick material and made to last. I'd love to see a reversal to this.

BusterGonad · 10/10/2018 02:47

I can't believe that people do not carry a handbag/bag. REALLY? couldn't go out without a bag. I need my bits with me, as well as things like plasters, head ache tablets, make up, hand cream, wet wipes or hand San, phone, children's odds and ends. Some people like to be prepared. Not everyone gets up washes their face then leaves the house.

jmfan · 10/10/2018 08:26

I feel slightly sickened by myself on this one. Don’t have that many clothes but way more than I ‘need’. I was thinking about this in relation to some of the Instagrammers I like following. Some have referenced the programne but I simply don’t know how they will square the circle of pushing more and buying less. Which is really the only answer.

TheHoundsofLove · 10/10/2018 08:54

My other observation is that spending more on clothes doesn't seem to guarantee better quality and I wish it did.

I totally agree with this and also mourn the M&S quality of 20 years ago. I still have a black v-neck merino jumper that I bought in 2001 - it has a matching deep v front and back and is beautiful. I've machine-washed it hundreds of times and it is still in good condition. I don't think I'd be able to buy a similar quality jumper from anywhere now!
I really want to buy less items of far better quality, but I really don't know where to go to do this?

thedevilinablackdress · 10/10/2018 09:01

I find M&S men's knitwear to be decent quality. Got an excellent lambswool cardigan last year.

Floisme · 10/10/2018 09:08

This has a lot to do with supply chains being so convoluted that high street retailers seem unable to tell you who actually makes their clothes. It stinks ethically but it’s also had a dreadful effect on quality. It’s a big mess and I’m not even sure if the retailers are doing well out of it.

And yes of course I have more clothes than I need. I also have more books than I need. My husband has more cameras than he needs. There’s a much bigger picture here.