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).

@borntobequiet I grew up then too and can't recall people smelling differently. 😂We were not affluent though and as my Mum said " it doesn't cost a lot to be clean". My Grandmother had a washing machine with a wringer on the top ( it was yellow and my favourite thing was to put clothes through the wringer). I can't remember what my Mum had. Clothes were certainly few in number compared to today's excesses.

@borntobequiet I agree re washing; even in the 80s my skirt was washed every half term - my colleague machine washes her daughter's blazers every week! I must be old school, I have my son's dry cleaned once or twice a year.

To answer your question 'Why is everything such shit quality?' - it is because every business in the UK's main interest is profit margins. People are greedy for money. The cheaper the product the bigger the profit margin. There was a time that there were businesses you knew sold decent stuff - John Lewis, M and S, Fenwicks, Seasalt, Boden, Joules. Just not true anymore. It's all lower quality stuff but the prices are still rocketing.

Same is true of supermarkets. Food is crap quality. Since they stopped putting sell buy dates on things like Tomatoes, the quality of the tomatoes on sale had plummeted.I could not find any tomatoes in Sainsbury's on Saturday that were not soft and on the verge of being unusable. They weren't cheaper.

I bought a skirt from John Lewis recently it wasn't until I got it home I saw the label was dry clean only. Looked again - 100% polyester. It's not got any special design features to it that would mean it can't go through a machine. Can anyone explain the rationale behind this odd label request please?

This is really only common sense if you grew up knowing this stuff. I did. My school uniform skirt and blazer were dry cleaned termly, winter coat annually before it went away for summer, I know how to spot clean a range of stains, how to peg out clothes without distorting them, how to separate colours and types for the wash (DH's sweaty things get bio powder), how to block an expensive jumper for drying, checking clothes before I buy them, care labels, how to make basic alterations...

But I've never, ever had a flatmate or partner who knew most of that. Any more than they knew how to spend less on groceries but eat well. DH had no idea colours could run in the wash, or that his t shirts didn't have to shrink. He'd assumed manufacturers did a good job.

It's a bit like the "poor people should eat porridge" debate. Great if you know how that kind of thing works.

They haven't tested it so they can't/won't say it's safe to wash at home.

Any hints on where to buy deadstock fabric? An about to embark on my own sewing after hating everything I have right now and thinking "I could make this!" I maybe can't but I'd like to try

That's letting the customers off the hook. We vote with our feet. M&S, for instance, tried to hold onto UK-based, higher quality manufacturing for years but, in the end, it was outsource to China or go bust. Only niche retailers can get away with charging more for quality.

That reminded me of the FactFeast YouTube channel, which is mostly about 19th century London, and has some episodes based on People of the Abyss. Anyway, this episode is about clothes recycling - it's astonishing how many transformations used clothing went through, rather than being discarded.

Lots of fabric shops sell it, lots label it openly and others have it as a filter you can search by

For example
https://www.minerva.com/mp?type=Fabrics&eco=Deadstock&availability=end-of-line&sort=quantity-desc&sale=no&fbclid=IwAR19g9D9cXYykExWmydv2LZCy33Gbt9McjCAzAptwHyWohYSlqC6SAu9Uog

https://sewmesunshine.co.uk/collections/deadstock-fabrics

https://www.fabricgodmother.co.uk/deadstock-dressmaking-fabrics/

I've a lovely wax jacket I've made from deadstock Barbour wax fabric and a wool coat I've made from barbour wool as the fabric seller on my local market quite often picks up barbour deadstock.

The wax jacket also has a lining made from some Liberty tana lawn fabric I got as a factory reject and quilted onto some thin batting.

The wax fabric was a bargain at £9 a metre, the tana lawn was £10 for two metres - I spent about £45 on fabrics and hardware for a coat that would have been around £250 to buy in the shops (not that you could buy a Liberty lined Barbour!).

That is seriously impressive! I never learned to sew (can crotchet, cross stitch etc but never did anything remotely like dressmaking), I'd have no idea where to start. Where do you get patterns? How do you know whether it'll fit until you've made it?

There is truth in that but you let M and S off the hook- their policy of over-producing hideous, dull clothing in 10 different twee or drab shades didn't help it at all either.

I mostly use patterns from 'Independent' pattern companies such as Closet Core, True Bias, Chalk and Notch and Paper Theory.

I'm currently planning a Princess Coat by Charm patterns in an Olive coloured boiled wool https://charmpatterns.com/shop/preorder-princess-coat/

The wax jacket I made was using the Kelly pattern from Closet Core - I've another two I've made prior to that in a rust coloured cotton twill and another in a cheap waterproof fabric

https://closetcorepatterns.com/products/kelly-anorak-jacket-pattern?variant=39419171209350

I practically live in a variety of Paper Theory zadie Jumpsuits https://papertheorypatterns.com/products/zadie-jumpsuit-pdf-pattern

And Tilly and The Buttons Rosa Shirt dresses https://shop.tillyandthebuttons.com/products/rosa

If its something very fitted or using expensive fabric I will make a 'toile' first from cheesecloth or Swedish dressmaking paper but these days I've got a pretty good eye for knowing if I will need to adjust a pattern to fit or not (for me it's doing a full bust adjustment so I don't get gaping at the chest).

Either find a local dressmaking class or start with a pattern co like Tilly and The Buttons who hold your hand through every step with picture instructions and video tutorials.

There's quite a long 'Stitch and Bitch' thread over in Arts and Crafts here too and we are very welcoming to any new starters.

Thanks so much! I always assumed it was something I can't and therefore could never do, but maybe it's something I should have a crack at. I genuinely feel like it's maybe going to be the only way I can get any half decent clothes (eventually I guess 😁😁)

Sorry OP for the thread derail!

I really rate Thought clothing for ethics and quality. Their finishing is much better quality than most high street and I think their fabrics are better too. I have some pinifore dresses from them that have lasted and lasted a d still look good.

They've kept price points the same and compromised on quality so that they can maintain at least some sales in a cost of living crisis.

Think this is affecting what is fashionable too - so, so, SO many yukky floral prints and ruched detailing all over the place. Because they look OK in cheap fabrics. Gone is decent tailoring that requires heavier weight, quality fabric.

Warehouse is particularly awful - and not cheap. I ordered a coat last winter which was around £180 full price (I got it in the same). Not even lined!

I’ve had better quality from Shein and H&M than some of the pricier high street brands. I don’t know how they get away with it.

Recently I have found Monki fairly good quality considering the price. I had some work trousers that were a lovely thick material last winter.

Bought a pair of Reiss trousers today. Fit is excellent, length is great. £75 - for polyester! Reduced from £120ish. They have also arrived unbelievably creased so are going back. I'm not paying £75 for creased polyester.

Brands you used to be able to trust are no longer trustworthy! Totally ripping us off and likely greenwashing at the same time

I had this on a cotton poplin blouse.

There was no reason at all it should need dry cleaning. I hand washed it first and it was fine, so now it goes in the machine with non-bio powder with everything else.

Sometimes I think they just put the 'lowest common denominator' label in terms of care. few people read them anyway.

What is blocking for drying?
Agree!

Yes @VikingLady I’m able to do everything else on your list but what is blocking for drying please?

If you wash knitwear, particularly if it's in a machine or if it's handmade, it'll distort in the wash. You need to reshape it when it's still wet. Generally gentle stretching then drying it flat on a towel to hold it in shape is enough. I have one specific cashmere sweater that I put on wet to get it big enough over the bust before I dry it.

(You have to block knitwear when you're making it too, which is how I knew).

Ah thank you, I know the dry flat piece just not the term blocking. Much appreciated, thank you

it's all 100% deliberate. nothing is made to last or else we wouldnt keep buying more. it's conditioning on a capital scale. not just clothes, it's everything we purchase.