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Original poster

Have clothes shot up in price?

47 replies

LillythePinky · 09/02/2024 08:03

I was looking at some basic T shirts etc and they all seem so expensive.

I don't shop at H&M or Primark, because I don't have them nearby.

I'm in the older age group and don't want throw-away fashion, but basics that last at least 2-3 seasons.

But I'm still surprised to find a long sleeved cotton T shirt is close to £30 now compared to £19.99 a couple of years ago.

OP posts:
MuddlerInLaw · 09/02/2024 09:40

You may find this instructive / interesting / helpful:

https://communityclothing.co.uk/pages/our-mission

Our Mission

https://communityclothing.co.uk/pages/our-mission

MuddlerInLaw · 09/02/2024 09:46

And some people find this model innovative:

https://riseandfall.co/

(I’m not sure about their approach, and find the colours disappointing, but they do have a point of view …)

Outofideas79 · 10/02/2024 07:48

I buy everything second hand or in the sale. I can't remember the last time bought anything full price.

Bonbon249 · 10/02/2024 08:31

Try Cotton Traders online - their Base Layer t-shirts are good and quite reasonable. Only drawback is that they're unisex so sleeves are a bit on the long side - I just fold them back.

TiredMummma · 10/02/2024 08:37

I have found supermarkets great

Otherwise try Vinted? Lots of brands new with tags for cheaper

Kazzybingbong · 10/02/2024 08:47

Everything has shot up in price! It’s insane. Try Vinted, brand new stuff for cheap and you’re not contributing to the whole fast fashion thing!

Trainstrike · 10/02/2024 08:49

I use Vinted too, just search new with/without tags and have a look at the items and sellers history. Picked up some replacement trousers for a pair of mine that broke for half the price last week, very pleased!

I've noticed the same thing though, I had a clothes gift card off my parents for Christmas and am struggling to get anything with it without feeling ripped off, and it's not even my money!

tizalinatuna · 10/02/2024 08:52

Second hand all the way for me. Cheaper and environmentally sustainable. I too am shocked by prices. If I do have to buy new, eg for the DC, I go for sales.

Magic123456 · 10/02/2024 08:55

It's ridiculous, some clothes have gone up 25-30%! Retailers and manufacturers taking advantage of the high inflation rate to maximise their profits 🤬

youveturnedupwelldone · 10/02/2024 08:57

I think part of it is that prices have been artificially low for a very long time so the increases feel bigger than they might have done.

What I particularly don't like is the increase in the amount of synthetics around. For instance M&S now everything seems to be a cotton/synthetic mix or 100% synthetic when much more of it would have been just cotton not so many years ago. The impact on the environment is terrible as synthetic fabrics are most plastics that don't biodegrade.

pictoosh · 10/02/2024 08:58

Yes clothes have shot up in price while the quality has diminished. Like many other things.

Sunflower8848 · 10/02/2024 09:04

Yes they’ve deffo got more expensive. I remember around 5 years ago an expensive jumper from Mint Velvet was £69, but now I went to buy one the other day and it was £129! They were very similar jumpers, but a £60 increase…nuts 🤷‍♀️

also just a plain Boden jumper at least £50 or £60….they look like something you’d get from Primark for £14.99…it’s weird.

TheCompactPussycat · 10/02/2024 09:35

I buy most of my clothes from Ebay. You can get decent brand new stuff in the Brand Outlet section if you don't want to wade through the endless listings for crap shipping from China.

BlindurErBóklausMaður · 10/02/2024 09:40

As above.
If we want to buy a t shirt that hasn't been made by a 4 year old in Bangladesh then we have to accept it's going to be more than £2.99
Fast fashion clothes in the UK (and I include H&M and Zara in there as well) have been TOO cheap for years.
Prices are now a real reflection of costs. Same as food. It isn't that food now is extortionate, it's that the UK for many years, sold lots of food under cost.

mitogoshi · 10/02/2024 09:43

Try Sainsbury's for basics, I only have a small local branch but you can order online for free delivery to the store

Supersimkin2 · 10/02/2024 09:46

Zara tees are £2 in sale at the mo. Cotton!

Justfinking · 10/02/2024 10:09

No, if anything too cheap but also very poor quality

Original poster
LillythePinky · 10/02/2024 10:24

LillythePinky · 09/02/2024 08:03

I was looking at some basic T shirts etc and they all seem so expensive.

I don't shop at H&M or Primark, because I don't have them nearby.

I'm in the older age group and don't want throw-away fashion, but basics that last at least 2-3 seasons.

But I'm still surprised to find a long sleeved cotton T shirt is close to £30 now compared to £19.99 a couple of years ago.

It was more an observation rather than asking where to buy cheaper.

I can afford the current prices, but I was making the point that they have outstripped inflation.

OP posts:
madeinmanc · 10/02/2024 10:38

It's true and I agree with previous posters about the amount of synthetics around. I just received an eBay order for a good make of skirt, it's turned out to be a thin synthetic material with no lining, and would not have been that cheap when it was new (70/80 pounds).

Yesterday I even saw some coats with no lining, so that's the direction of travel! Even winter coats are not safe.

I have a lot of clothes and had been planning to get rid of the excess, but even basics from about 6/7 years ago are starting to look like haute couture!

madeinmanc · 10/02/2024 10:40

If we want to buy a t shirt that hasn't been made by a 4 year old in Bangladesh then we have to accept it's going to be more than £2.99

But these increases are for clothes produced in such conditions. We're not paying more because they have been ethically produced, it's the same old factories we're talking about here.

Karinanamore · 10/02/2024 10:50

I run an independent women’s clothing boutique and for us wholesale prices have also increased in the last couple of years.
Not sure what the situation is like for H&M and Primark, but stores like mine aren’t trying to “take advantage of the high inflation rate” as stated by PP, because we’re also having to pay more.
I do make sure the quality of our stock is consistently high though and we also work with manufacturers who insure fair and safe working conditions.

Floisme · 10/02/2024 11:18

I'm guessing that in part, we're paying for all those orders to suppliers that were cancelled in the pandemic.

MidnightMeltdown · 10/02/2024 11:19

Clothes should be a lot more expensive imo. Make people think before purchasing** mountains of crap they don't need just because they're in the mood for something new.

For those that can't or don't want to pay higher prices there are billions of items in the second hand market. We could probably have a worldwide ban on clothes manufacturing for 50 years and they'd still be plenty to go around,

BeckyBoo1224 · 10/02/2024 11:52

M&M direct isn't too badly priced, it's mainly sportswear but there are some nice dresses on there. Otherwise I get the majority of my clothes from vinted as its so much cheaper and more sustainable.

madeinmanc · 10/02/2024 12:00

For sustainability we need to go back to higher standards of manufacturing, though, imo. Linings, better stitching, better materials. Because "vintage" now has lasted because of those higher standards, I can't see these polyester floral rags being around in twenty years' time, or even ten.