If you buy synthetic fabrics…

[VillKrill]

…what is the appeal? Is it cost or are there other reasons? I’m getting a bit fed up of seeing pictures of lovely-looking dresses, knitwear, etc, only to find out they’re all/partly made of acrylic, polyester, viscose etc. I personally try and avoid them because a) they make me sweat horribly, b) I don’t think they generally age/wash as well as natural fabrics -or look as good and c) I’m worried about the landfill they create. But they’re so ubiquitous even in higher end brands that I’m clearly in the minority! Am I missing something? Are there advantages to them (other than not being attractive to moths!)?

I hate cotton, it doesn't wick sweat away and stays wet for hours. I saw it was actually banned on a hiking packing list because it stays wet for so long. Cotton kills in the hills.

@MacNTosh

Tencel/modal/lyocel are the same as viscose? Really?

Yes. Tencel can be better, but you need to check that the fabric has been certified by a specific organisation (annoyingly, can’t remember name) as they ensure ‘green’ clothing production.

1 pair of cotton jeans takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce. Clothes made from recycled plastics don’t (more and more places doing this as well).

They also don’t tend to need ironing so much which I love 😂

I'm not keen on synthetic fibres especially rayon / polyester because of the lack of breathability (but have some because of the price point or for fleeces). I am trying to buy more ethically with good cotton initiatives and the like. Jury is out re modal - quite sustainable but uses some chemicals. Lyocell looks interesting but is pretty pricey for a synthetic

Modal is not the same as viscose - it has additional processing I believe.

It’s in the same family though, they all come from wood pulp.

1 pair of cotton jeans takes 1,800 gallons of water to produce. Clothes made from recycled plastics don’t (more and more places doing this as well).

This is true, but cotton decomposes much more easily. The problem with plastic clothing is what you do with it afterwards. It is extremely difficult to turn man made fabrics into new clothing. When you see clothes made from recycled materials, they are not normally made from old clothing fibres, they are made from things like plastic bottles.

I think it's a bit of a con when companies market clothing as 'made from recycled materials'. What they are often doing is taking a recyclable material (e.g. plastic bottles) and turning into something which is non recyclable.

It really depends though, I've got amazing polyester tops that are still vibrant, don't need ironing, drape well and have held their shape. Then I've got polyester that makes me stinky and you have to practically boil to get the smell out.

Cotton Tshirts are lovely and comfy but I bought some from M&S that have not kept their shape at all and faded incredibly quickly. I also just got a H&M jumper in a charity shop that is so so incredibly soft but made of acrylic.

You can't buy natural fibers and expect them to be better quality unfortunately.

I prefer mixed natural with synthetic or good quality synthetic for more fitted stuff as it lasts better & doesn't itch in the way natural often can. For big outerwear type cardigans, I prefer natural wool fibres as they don't need washing as often, don't get a chance to itch & are slightly warmer

I actively prefer to buy things that don't require dry cleaning or ironing.

Cotton is the unethical choice at the moment.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/09/cotton-slave-labor-uyghur-region-china

It’s very difficult to know what to buy in terms of ethical purchasing and it seems to change daily!

I try and buy as much as possible from charity shops and second hand sites but I do still need to purchase new items and I try and be as ethical as I can within my budget.

I do make sure I always recycle clothes.

Most of the cotton clothes I buy now are organic cotton and come from India so fortunately not affected by the Uyghur region issues.

Part of the problem is of course price and what people can afford, combined with the desire for constantly getting new clothes. Shops like Shein have absolutely ethical and environmental credentials but can you say if someone can only afford a £10 dress and not the £65 organic cotton one from a small, ethical company?

Shops like Shein have absolutely ethical and environmental credentials but can you say if someone can only afford a £10 dress and not the £65 organic cotton one from a small, ethical company?

They still have the option to buy second hand. That's what the poor have always done in the past, and now there is an abundance of second hand clothing, with many items barely worn.

When I was a student I didn't have much to spend on clothes, but I would buy good quality second hand over new tat any day.

I read this recently
www.ethicalconsumer.org/fashion-clothing/choosing-most-sustainable-fabric

I too buy a lot of my clothes second hand but hunting them down takes up a lot of my time. It's kind of a hobby which I'm able to indulge because I have few caring responsibilities at the moment, but I couldn't have done it a few years ago. I also wouldn't recommend it as a way of buying basics.

Availability, choice and design. I like cotton and wool but it's incredibly limiting, to only buy clothes in natural fibres. It's hard to get night floaty cotton dresses, other than summer sundresses- and silk is really expensive. I have the money but it's the fear of ruining an expensive dress which puts me off spending a fortune.

I've attached a pic of a polyester dress I bought recently from mango. It's gorgeous, the fabric is lovely and floaty and it looks far more expensive than it is. In silk it would be a fortune.

I have a real mix of things in my wardrobe, cotton, viscose, wool, polyester, tencel. I often see posters on here saying they want 'decent good quality basics in natural fibres'. Whilst there is always a place for that, it would be quite dull for me to dress in basics all the time. I do like playing dress up a bit 😬 and I generally aim to look like Stevie Nicks in 1977 😂 whether its a current trend or not. Fashion to me is fun and I'd be much more limited in choice with just natural fibres.

They still have the option to buy second hand. That's what the poor have always done in the past

I've buy a fair amount 2nd hand. I actually find it problematic financially.

Often the clothes don't last very long. Ive had "waterproof" coats that clearly haven't been taken care of so are useless and a singular second hand cashmere sweate that had moths and took out the whole natural fibres jumper drawer. Theres not much I've bought second hand that works out on a £/use basis better value. If you do find something that works you cant go back and get more than one.

And dont get me started on the number of charity shops pricing primark tops more than they cost new.

Wool coats are good second hand, otherwise I've primark clothes and Marks acrylic jumpers that are over 10 years old and show no sign of dying whereas increasingly I rarely find a charity shop purchase that lasts out the year.