To be shocked...clothes prices

[fairisleknit]

Luckily I don't like any of the colours or styles at the moment so wouldn't be buying anyway but I am shocked at the prices of womenswear in Fatface! White stuff prices have also gone sky high and joules pretty pricey too. Can't believe as a middle class shopper(!) with some disposable income that I'm nearly priced out of these stores! What's the future for them?

isthisamistakeornot yes agreed although I doubt whether the current price rises are due to retailers having a bad conscience, I imagine it's down to rising costs of materials, energy etc and still nowhere close to reflecting the true cost of clothes. I hope I don't sound like I'm having a pop because I'm as bad as anyone and worse than some.

I know it's easy to romanticise the past but I used to live near a sewing factory that was used by some prestigious brands, made good clothes and had a reputation for being a decent employer. Girls who had left school with few or no qualifications could make decent money there if they worked hard. It's long gone of course and I guess those women, and possibly their children too, are now in minimum wage jobs and have no option but to buy crappy clothes, probably made in dubious conditions, that come apart after a few wears so you have to keep buying. Once you're in that spiral, it's hard to break out.

I buy second hand as much as I can but let's be honest, it only works while there are still people buying new and getting rid early. If everyone bought second hand the market would collapse.

It's an absolute mess and I can't see any way out of it.

Yes you’re right and I did think after I wrote the post that whilst the increased prices may potentially have some benefit, the retailers aren’t doing it for ethical reasons.

I just have/buy far too many clothes to be honest. I think a lot of us do (not all, obviously). I try to justify it to myself because I’m not bad in other areas e.g. I haven’t been on a plane since 2016, I recycle, I take public transport to work even though it takes longer than driving etc. But I know it’s not an excuse and even when you take the environmental considerations out of the equation, that still leaves the poorly paid workers at the end of the chain.

Well, these shops will just find that their over-priced but poor quality clothes and shoes remain unsold.

That's the bottom line.

I think people these days will only buy what they really need and certainly won't pay ridiculous prices.

I expect that it's linked to energy prices. Shops must spend an absolute fortune on heating with people wandering in and out all day. Then there's fuel costs etc for transportation.

They won't be able to pass it all on to the customer, but they will try to pass some.

I've been shocked at the terrible quality of Boden, Fatface etc recently.

This might not be something you'd be into, but Vinted is amazing in this circumstance.
I haven't noticed clothes being more expensive in shops because I've been buying second hand clothes online from there.
I've had Gant jumpers and Crew Clothing rugby tops and Nike trainers to name just a few in next to new condition often for under £10 with a few pounds extra for delivery (I don't work for them, just very impressed).
Seriously bargainous!
I've been looking at some Russell and Bromley shoes on there because I'd never be able to afford them in the shops.

Yes, Vinted is often cheaper than charity shops in my area, but having said that you don't see Gant jumpers there either.
Mud caked, well used Nike trainers from a local Oxfam can be £15 near me and I don't live in an expensive area.

I have moved to the charity shops in my area. Bought a cashmere Hobbs cardie for less than 10 quid and a wool M and S coat for 20.

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom but I've noticed the quality of second hand clothes also falling. I now regularly see Boohoo, Shein etc in my favourite, very naice charity shop. It's bound to happen as more lower quality stuff from the high street feeds in. Give it another 5 years and I reckon they'll all be full of crap too.

I’ve totally stopped buying clothes. Haven’t really changed size in 25 years so will wear, mend when possible and only when items are completely unwearable throw them out.

I've seen plenty of that in charity shops now. It's a known thing, but I've seen loads of scruffy Primark t-shirts overpriced in BHF and the like.
NB. I'm not saying Primark in itself is 'scruffy', just the condition off them.

I just bought a very nice jumpsuit Saintropez brand from Thrift plus. Brand new with tags for £10.49. You can search for only new clothes. Definitely going to be looking there in future.

It's offputting buying in charity shops when the prices are the same as bought new with a bit of a discount. Some of them are bobbled beyond belief, and suprised they didn't go to the rag collection.

@rookiemere that stuff looks good. Do you mind me asking how long you wait for stuff, just to give a ballpark figure?

Saw a jumper in White Stuff, who I generally love, that was so badly stitched together I'm suprised it made it through. Has something gone wrong with quality control the last couple of years? I'm seeing or noticing it a fair bit recently.

@SpongeBobJudgeyPants I was super impressed- it came in around 2 days <not on commission honest >.

I've not seen anything I like since, but I dip in periodically to check what they've got.

Thanks @rookiemere

I've been noticing how hard it is to find proper woollen jumpers and thick cardigans. There are some lovely ones around from higher-end high street, but £200 for an 80% wool jumper is madness.

I am a fairly competent sewist so make most of my own clothes these days (everything I don't buy from vinted). Very grateful for the skill I've built up as I can now make lovely clothes for the price of fabric and thread, or sometimes I dye bedsheets which have holes in and make things.

The higher price point isn't the issue, because as you've said clothes have been far too cheap for far too long.

The problem is the higher prices aren't reflected in the quality of the fabrics and the garments, and the garment workers are being kept in modern slavey being paid a pittance for their work. The higher prices should produce quality pieces. Instead they produce higher profits for the companies.

Well, after seeing a £75 jumper in Tesco today, this isn't a surprise. It was cashmere to be fair, but if you are looking to spend that much on a jumper, I'm not sure I'd get it from Tesco...

@isthisamistakeornot Ha I have also been justifying clothes purchases with my otherwise small carbon footprint (rarely fly, don't have a car, have a communal heating system, don't eat much meat, use a mooncup, etc etc) but I need to do better with this in 2023.

One thing I do think is happening is people go out or look online for nice new things and then realise the things they already have, which by the nature of being older (even by two years) are better quality, are better than what they see. I'd be devastated if someone took all my clothes and offered me money to buy a whole new wardrobe. In the past retailers could usually persuade people to upgrade especially for Christmas. That truly is a failure of commercialism and that's not a bad thing.

Tons of white Stuff clothes sold at knockdown prices on 'Otrium' everyday. I would never buy anything from white stuff full price.

I am a pretty well paid public sector worker. And haven't been able to afford to shop on the high Street for yonks. For a very long time, I've bought from charity shops, ebay, Facebook marketplace, vinted and car boot sales. If I do ever rarely treat myself to a new item it has to be significantly reduced.

You'd be amazed at what you can find.

I'm trying to reduce my spending overall and use what's in my cupboard. I'm trying to only buy natural fibres now and to be very intentional about what I buy/buy from non fast fashion places.

Every month I put money aside so I can buy on sale at my favourite shops a couple of times a year. I'm not finding too much in charity shops or eBay but keep an eye out.

The other things I'm doing to get more use out of my wardrobe is taking things to be altered and re-dyeing stuff that's faded.

Tons of White Stuff clothes sold at knockdown prices on 'Otrium' everyday. I would never buy anything from white stuff full price.

Me too. I got some great White Stuff skirts for about £12 each - the stock was several years old but actually nicer than what they have in currently.

Yes, me too. Everything is a nasty acrylic or recycled polyester. No wool at all.
That's why I comb charity shops. Not trendy finds but better quality.

Have you seen the price of yarn? If you knit you couldn't make the items for the price in shops most of the time.

I went through a spate of buying cashmere cardis from m and s about 8 -10 years ago and never paid more than £50, albeit discount price.

Luckily I've kept them well snd they've kept well as I couldn't afford them now. And this was in the last decade.