Why is everything such shit quality!?

[gigipom]

even higher end brands.

I spent £150 on a dress from Massimo Dutti, which was machine washable 30 degrees. I hand washed cool to be extra safe and it shrunk.

my dresses from COS, Sezane all feel a bit naff after a few wears and have pulls in them. Knitwear bobbles so fast.

I went for a look around some shops today and I couldn’t believe how shit the quality was of everything. Everything is mixed with a synthetic fabric, but still charging an extortionate amount.

that and just the general styles coming in for autumn are 🤮 (looking at you, Zara).

To add, I am asking in case the shop gets stroppy.

I agree with this. I don't have the spare time to spend ages shopping, and even less time to faff around with returns - I wish I could find a company that sells good quality stuff that when I wash it at 30° non bio and treat it well, it lasts.

I did return a dress to nobody's child this summer that shrunk and crinkled on a cold wash and line dry after one wear - they were really good at refunding and no quibbles, but I still had the hassle of taking photos, corresponding, parceling up, sending back, tracking for refund etc.

I definitely don't have time to cruise the charity shops or vinted, especially because my local charity shops are just full of Primark. I buy so few clothes I'm happy to spend the money if only I could find the place that will deliver something quality :/

argh I totally relate and I'm also careful with laundering which it sounds like you are too. Sezane used to be one of my favourites but is just fast fashion in disguise now. I'm not sure where to shop anymore to be honest! I do like Vinted but can be hit or miss plus with two young kids i don't have tonnes of time to be sifting through it (that or actual charity shops).

I'm not a fan of vinted and my local charity shops are full of primark/h&m etc. I'm just significantly cutting down on shopping but I've recently gone up a dress size which means nothing I own fits, rather frustrating but interesting to hear so many recognising the poor quality around at the moment.

Until the economic crash of 2007 most women’s clothing over £10 was made of proper fabrics like cotton, wool, even silk was not unusual. I bought a couple of lovely summer dresses from Miss Selfridge around 2006, they cost £30 each and were made of pure silk. Then the economic crash happened, fabric prices soared, and so most shops panicked and stopped selling good quality fabric at all. Instead, they repriced all their cheap shit polyester and labelled it recycled/ good for the environment (as if you can’t recycle cotton!). They also steppednout then outsourcing to China, who do not send their best fabrics to us/Europe.

To their surprise the shops discovered that women were willing to pay £80-£150 for a polyester dress that would have cost £10 a few months before. So even after the economy improved shops carried on doing that and just keep changing the print patterns that are in fashion. I buy most stuff online now on sale from the luxury brands like Brora or get second hand on ebay. I won’t touch anything made in polyester or worse fabrics like lyocell that are designed to only last a season then stretch out if shape the first time they’re gently hand-washed.

(And the silk dresses I bought for £30 each are still good as new.)

Men however tend to be less fashion conscious and thus harder to trick into buying crap quality clothes. So you can get very good quality thick cotton t shirts in the men’s section but in the ladies section you’ll find lyocell, polyester, viscose etc.

Totally agree about Zara. They style their clothes so well online but the reality is it's all cheap, thin material that looks like a load of tat in real life. They do a very good advertising campaign though and nearly all the most popular influencers are always promoting Zara. Every single time i've been in a UK Zara I've been shocked by how bad it all is.
The other that stands out for me is Mint Velvet. Incredibly overpriced for what it is and the quality isn't even as good as lower end high street.

If I'm buying new, I check out Community Clothing first. Small range, mostly basics, utilitarian vibe but everything made in the UK and - so far - great quality. Not cheap but prices are fair I think.

Agree, quality everywhere has dropped. I went for a mosey round the shops yesterday. No luck. The new season stuff looks very meh. Did buy a nice East cotton top in charity shop still with labels, £7.

I really struggle to shop within my budget as I have no interest in these nasty, sweaty, weird-smelling man made fabrics that everything is made out of now.

It's been a solid five years of awful, garish polyester midi dresses that cost a day's pay.

All my decent stuff from before is wearing out. What do I do?

I'm definitely going to start returning things. I'm so fed up with items just falling apart or looking horrendous after a few washes.
One shop I was really disappointed with recently was Trespass. I figured being outdoor clothing store their items would be hard-wearing and would last a fair while. All of the t-shirts bobbled within three washes and the colour from the hoody ran from the RAIN. Completely ruined. And of course I hadn't kept my receipt 🙄
Not making that mistake again.

And M&S trousers. I've had to re hem two pairs of trousers because they fell apart within a few weeks of purchase. Just total tat.

Excellent thread

I 100 percent agree about massimo dutti and sézane. They spend all their resources on the styles and marketing, nothing on the fabrics and sewing.

And on profit! Shareholders and top team salaries

So many people I know brag about never owning an iron.

Decent fabric needs taking care of and it seems a lot of people are happy to sling clothes in the washing machine or indeed the bin if they don't survive the washing machine rather than buying quality cottons and linens that might need a press after each wash.

Thankfully I'm at an age (and shape) where high fashion is no longer for me and I mostly waft about in clothes I've owned for decades. It's better for my pocket, but it does make me sad how often I'm drawn in by a lovely window display only to find the clothing in store is ruinously expensive and also no better than the stuff you used to buy from the market when I was younger.

Has anyone here bought anything from Loragene? They make silk pieces, it all looks beautiful but again never sure of quality (although Aja Barber seems to be linked to them and she's all about shopping sustainably so should be good?!)

I agree with everything said above.

To get decent quality now, you have to go designer, which can mean paying £££ for basics.

Its all down to fast fashion. They think we're idiots who'll fall for marketing spin (true in most cases).

I agree with whoever said that men's clothes are a better bet as theyre still made properly, with quality fabric, good detail, finished properly (so no polyester, horn or shell buttons - not plastic), quality zips, straight seams, finished button holes, rolled, not turned seams etc..

@pictoosh careful second hand buying-check measurements, fabric compostion and washing instructions before buying.
Also men's clothes are better made so t-shirts and knitwear are worth a try and possibly jeans.

@queenofthewild that's a very good point about the non-ironers.

I'm called old fashioned because I iron or steam my clothes but you have to with cotton/linen/silk/bamboo and even wool.

Re: knitwear, bobbling isn’t a sign of bad quality. Invest in a debobbler (£15 or so) and just run over your knitwear regularly. And wash minimally/never. You really don’t need to be washing wool after every wear or even every few wears.

I have lots of £££ knitwear and just have to look after it.

I think also worth thinking about what types of clothes you wear. I think a lot of the poorest quality items are tops and dresses - most likely to be made of crap, thin synthetic materials.

I mostly wear jeans - I get high end brands from sales and the Outnet - they are hard wearing and last years and years. Jumpers as I say are just something you have to look after. Tops I have vintage silk shirts, real cotton T-shirts (Sunspel are great for these) and oversized cotton shirts.

For day to day I’d wear jeans, vest top and an oversized striped shirt or for going out, I’d wear something like jeans, a vintage silk blouse and accessories to dress it up.

Dresses for special occasions I just rent now from sites like Hurr.

Where ca you buy quality clothes then? Any suggestions?

Neither of these are new fabrics. GOTS is a regulatory standard label (like 'organic' for food) that can apply to a range of fibre compositions and blends (and qualities).
GOTS

EcoVero is the brand name for a type of viscose (which is the general term for any processed cellulosic fibre, so a semi-synthetic) which uses the cellulose from sustainable trees rather than e.g. bamboo, eucalyptus etc. It's not a guarantee of durability or quality, more of (possible) environmental friendliness. The same Austrian conglomerate owns 'Tencel' which uses different (supposedly more environmentally friendly) chemicals to treat the wood pulp-- EcoVero uses the more same chemicals in older viscose production.

The answer is learn to sew. You really can vote with your feet then!

I've only noticed Eco Vero in the past year to 18months so it's relatively new as a fabric.

Or rather a fabric category

If only items were made from excellent thread 😆