Why is the quality of everything so shit?

[Notcontent]

So tired of this. For example, recently bought sine flannel pyjamas from Hush. They arrived and looked lovely and cosy - great, these will last me for years, I thought... I look after my clothes - wash at low temperature, low spin and air dry. I have washed these 3 or 4 times and the fabric has become really rough and slightly bobbled - they look like I have washed and tumble dried them about 100 times.... Same with a jumper I bought in uniqlo.

This did not happen with clothes I bought 20 years ago. I know it’s the quality of the fabric. Grrr...

Tesco have some incredible quality clothes. They do cotton and linen brilliantly. They currently have some really beautiful 100% cotton blouses for for £16-18. Their cotton tshirts also wash and wear brilliantly. I also find H&M to be very good. You do need to look carefully but their viscose and cotton are excellent.

Agreed. I bought a seasalt coat in the Autumn, light usage over winter because it actually wasn't as warm as I had hoped, put it on in March to find a hole in the hood. It cost £150. My mountain warehouse £34.99 has been worn to death over the last few winters/playgrounds/school run etc etc and it's still going strong. Luckily many shops have extended their returns so it was still within the 6 month window. I sent it back for a full refund.

Not style and beauty but as I sit here eating a Cadbury Easter egg I'm thinking of all the things that this applies to including chocolate!

I have some recent (within the last year) cashmere knitwear from Jigsaw and the quality is pretty good. I used to buy work clothes from Jigsaw back in the 90s and the quality was very good but they seemed to lose their way a bit, and I stopped shopping there. Then I heard last year that their knitwear is pretty good quality these days so I keep a look at for cashmere and silk in their sales.

It's awful, I agree. I never realised how bad is was until I handled some vintage clothing. It was St Michael I think so nothing 'fancy' but the quality and feel of it was so obvious compared to modern brands. It's really rubbish. I have always been a second hand shopper so the one consolation is that I don't often pay much (but replacing like for like is not always so easy)!

@chocolateorangeinhaler

The quality of everything is so shit because consumers drive the price down then won't pay what something is worth to make. So manufacturers outsource to cheap slave labor countries where even children work in factories with zero H&S. Just so someone in the west can buy a new dress for a fiver. If those closes were made here the same dress would be at least 10 times the cost.

I do agree that fast fashion is a plague and urgently needs addressing, but even clothes that cost £££s seem to be declining in quality imo. Since leaving uni I have always tried to invest in some staples that I can mix and match to avoid buying loads but having enough to suit whatever occasion, and I used to know if I bought x from y shop it would be fab quality and last. Now I can go into the same shop and the price has risen but the quality has declined. I guess it's still affected by cheap fashion as maybe they are getting less people buying and need bigger profit margins to stay afloat; but it's not just the demand for cheap clothing.

@Vierty

Tesco have some incredible quality clothes. They do cotton and linen brilliantly. They currently have some really beautiful 100% cotton blouses for for £16-18. Their cotton tshirts also wash and wear brilliantly. I also find H&M to be very good. You do need to look carefully but their viscose and cotton are excellent.

I have loads of H and M jumpers. They are food for the price and last years. I also got a duvet coat from them last year and it’s great for the price. Warm and cosy and functional.

Good

Yes everything is polyester! I usually have a Newlook budget but ordered from a slightly more mid-range shop recently. Same quality but double the price. Doubt very much the workers get paid more.

I got a White Stuff top as a present recently and it is so thin you can see the care label through it. Same experience when I've bought tops from Boden.

Have no idea where to shop now. I hate buying online and not being able to get a feel for the fabrics. And the fashion industry is terrible for the environment so maybe I'll just wear what I already have until it goes in holes.

I just remembered that I actually returned a dress because of bad quality.

H&M, looked lovely to start with, almost disintegrated after the first wash. I called them, told them it’s unacceptable and asked what to do.
They took it back, despite it having been worn and washed, refunded me.

I suppose it’s worth trying.

It’s to make you keep on buying

Doesn’t make sense for them to be long lasting I suppose

Not good for the environment or our pockets

I think everyone needs to learn how to make their own clothes again. Women all used to be able to do this. Then you can choose the fabric and make sure it’s made to fit. Unfortunately I was hopeless at using a sewing machine at school . I can hem and do basic sewing though.

I still love M&S knickers.. but not the microfibre ones. I still find the cotton and modal ones good quality.
I wish I liked more Fat Face.. quality is always good. Their cotton Bretons wash and wear amazingly.
Hush are always rubbish, Harems look 10 years old so quickly.
I still rate Hobbs..and I still shop at White Co though their prices are ridiculous and the loss of their cotton/wool mixed stuff is heartbreaking. I’m taking a chance on their pure cotton dresses this season though

When you sew your own you realise how much it costs to have good quality items.

A normal jersey day dress can easily cost £70+ with fabric and cotton.

I realise brands will get fabric cheaper due to bulk buying but that £70 doesn't include any labour cost, taxes, shipping, advertising, store or website maintenance costs let alone profit...

I'm going to go against the grain here in some respects - I wear long line vests every day, for some odd reason the best one's I've found are Primark! I still wear ones I bought pre child (2016) that I also wore throughout my pregnancy. Still completely fine!

Their jeans seem to last well and be the most comfy too... Once you have ones that fit!

I have some t shirts from boohoo that have been worn and washed to death yet they haven't changed at all. Then again I also have things that feel so polyester-y I can't bring myself to wear them!!

I got some men's pyjamas for my son from TU recently that seem good quality and have washed well. They go down to a size XS which will fit even a fairly small woman.

I have a top from Sisley I bought in a sale for £20 23 years ago. Long sleeved, thick black stretchy jersey. It doesn't look brand new any more, but the fabric hasn't worn, there's no holes, the stitching is still good.

I would gladly pay £150+ for a replacement - but I have no idea where I would even start with good quality clothes these days.

I tend to shop in TK Maxx or designer outlets. Basically side swerve the high street as I always feel ripped off.
I look for natural fibres only.
Also I like patra silk as they only use natural fibres and quality of dresses is good.

It's an absolute race to the bottom in fabric, design, materials and sewing. You might accidentally find something not rubbish in any shop but it would be a bonus. At some point they realised we would buy any crap as long as it was cheap. The human and environmental impact of fashion should be a scandal way bigger than straws and cotton buds. Also how did luxury items like cashmere and leather become so cheap, it's not by magic. I'm re-reading Lucy Siegel "To Die For" it's enough to put you off buying any new clothes at all!

Did anyone else see the articles on the BBC about Boohoo selling the same items of clothes across the brands they own but at different prices? They claim it is just spreading the stock they gained from buyouts this year across their brands but it's madness you could buy the same coat at £30 difference depending what they had branded it as. Just goes to show that a brand name really doesn't necessarily mean anything when it comes to quality.

I switched to TU knickers in place of M&S and was happy but my last set whichbhas stretch lace, the ends of the elastic are sticking out after 2 wears and washes...

Bobbling seems to plaque me wherever i get jumpers from - even expensive British made pure wool. I am increasingly spot washing clothes to try and make the last longer especially things like jumpers.

I have been rereading Noel Streatfeild books recently - set in the 1930s/40s and mainly families with middle class aspirations but cash flow problems! There are so many mentions of darning, patching, letting hems down as children grow, and dresses being adjusted to fit someone else. It is such a different attitude (but also one which required women to have the time to sit at home doing all the sewing and mending)

@LilyTheMink just looking at the patra website- how does the sizing tend to be ?

I agree op. DH has a Primark T shirt that head lasted 20 years - washes and irons well and hasn't faded wry much at all.

I also recently dig out an old pair of M&S joggers to paint in - they were so much nicer than the ones I'm currently wearing. Lots more fabric and much softer.

I bought my daughter a loads of st Michael dresses from the 70s at a vintage fair and can’t get over the quality. She has been wearing them loads and I have been binging them I. The washing machine over and over and the stay in fabulous condition. The cuts are lovely too.

It’s just the logical result of years of unfettered capitalism. Shareholders expect increased profits every year. There’s only one way of doing that with clothing and that’s by making cheaper and cheaper clothing for the same price to the consumer.

Depressing.

@rookiemere fairly generous. I am a 10 and fine in a small from patra.
Some prints are horrible, but the odd one is lovely.