Would you honestly pay more for higher quality?

[LadyDimpletonFrisby]

A lot of us say this, but it doesn't seem to be reflected in the current market! Are we outnumbered?

Would you rather a company with rising costs added £10 to £20 to a fabulous quality jumper than lower it's quality to keep the price the same?

It seems to be spreading all over now, even Finisterre are mixing their previously 100% wool with polyester, and the prices were reasonable anyway. I'd rather have the old quality and pay a bit more than go down this route.

I recall that up to about 3 years ago I used to buy cargo trousers at Superdry and they were really good, thick, organic cotton. Now they are the same price, but floppy, badly designed and much thinner. They look awful, so I won't be back. Somebody is still buying this downsized quality stuff I presume, and it still isn't cheap!

There are a selection of brands who have managed to keep up the good work, but the options are getting less and less, now.

Any other good brands who have crept down in quality lately?
I think with many of them, their target market was specifically looking for higher quality stuff, so it seems nonsensical.
I am glad that polyester is being recycled, etc, and ethical/environmentally friendly solutions do need to be found, but with a lot of these brands it just feels desperate.

I think brands start strong with good quality, and then get greedy and start to water it down once they have a solid customer base.

I agree on Superdry - I used to love their hoodies and now the quality is shit. I actually go to Vinted for them now and try and buy the older ones.

Yes, I would and did! Where is the quality of production, cloth / fabric, longevity, the way the item washes and wears? Too much clothing fails to last and I am sure over purchasing is due to trying to find an item of clothing that does what it says on the tin, so to speak!

What I will not pay for is a fancy brand, items cut where patterns don't match on seams, are tiered supposedly for style and really to maximise the cloth cut v items made. As for polyester, even that can and does vary as a material. Recycling is just another marketing ploy.

I paid much more for clothing decades ago and I never asked for more, or for clothing to be priced lower, but I do want clothing that fits, doesn't look like a bag of rag, wears well so that it lasts. I had pure new wool jumpers, trousers, jackets as a norm in the 80s / 90s, leather shoes that lasted and were repairable, bags that didn't go sticky due to plastic finish on the leather breaking down. I also had far less, but better and I hold onto items of quality now, fearing I might not see their like again.

I do. Have started buying staples from Community Clothing. Also paid £170 for a Janelle coat from Seasalt. See it as an investment as I intend to use it for wintery dog walks for years to come.

I also buy off Vinted a lot. Try to save clothes from landfill for as long as possible.

I’ve said this on here before but upper end high street used to mean natural fabrics like silk, wool, thicker cotton… I’ve got loads of wool jumpers and tailoring, cashmere blend coats, silk tops and dresses from Whistles, Reiss etc. Now everything is twice the price and acrylic or recycled polyester. Disappointing.

They will have done detailed research into the price elasticity

Yes - but I think it's really tempting to buy cheap. Always deals and discounts and the idea things will go if you don't grab them. And people want novelty and newness all the time.

I don't mind paying for natural fabrics, but they are hard to get in mid price range clothes, or even more expensive clothes. I tried on a really lovely coat from Hobbs recently and it's only got 20% wool or something and it's over €300 if I remember correctly. I can't buy things that release microplastics into the water and won't eventually break down at the end of their life though I'll sometimes make an exception for something that would be infrequently worn and not require much washing.

So many places have 98% or 99% natural but with 1 or 2% elastane, which doesn't break down and I would imagine makes the fabric difficult to recycle.

Also the carbon footprint of producing and shipping cheaper clothes is the same as the carbon footprint of more expensive ones so the carbon cost per wear of the better stuff is lower.

I buy second hand and get good quality. A wool coat for under a tenner! I think that more people will go for second hand in terms of getting good quality at a good price and I think it will be interesting to see where retail goes as a result.

Yeh, I've had good luck buying wool coats second hand and barely worn. How long can that last though?

I suppose I hadn't thought about what drives it before, it makes me suspect that those who are bothered by it are possibly a minority.

DH is a bit like that, he just see's 'BARGAIN' and get's excited but at the same time he is very minimalist and rarely buys anything frivolous at all. He possibly has the smallest wardrobe in Britain, but when he is forced to replace something he goes cheap.
We are accepting of this difference though and he champions me trying to find the quality stuff for myself.

I am sick of these companies trying to 'brand-splain' to me that their choice to swap 100% wool for polyester is some kind of achievement. No, it isn't. Just make less, and make it better. Your intended market will happily pay for it even if we grumble.
People who are seeking cheaper clothes would not got to shop at Whistles or Finisterre anyway.

Personally yes, I'd pay a reasonable premium for well made classic clothes that I can wear for years eg I have a tweed skirt that's 8 years old, made in Scotland, £80 in the sale then.

I've looked at community clothing but alas nothing seemed to be designed for those of us larger of chest ... please bring back pepperberry bravissimo!!!

I do, as far as possible.

Celtic and Co sweater that still looks new after 4 years. Cost about £120.
Boots from Panama Jack - £175 this year, after my last pair, 7 year old split.
Schoffel coat about £350, on its second zip, 19 years old, still looks good.

It works out less expensive in the long run as long as you stay the same size, and you buy classics. I don't buy polyester at all, and I only have one viscose garment, a 6yo dress for the White Company which looks great, doesn't crease and feels more like a very heavy cotton jersey.

This Xmas I found my dsis wearing an aran sweater I knitted her about 30 years ago. Still looks great. I'm quite proud of it 🤗

I try and save up so I can buy something high quality a couple of times a year. I don't really have the budget to do it all the time so, like many posters, I get round the problem by mostly buying vintage and high end labels second hand. I'm not sure how much longer that's going to work though as I assume that, once the stuff that's currently on the high street finds its way onto the second hand market, then the quality there will tank too. (Arguably it's already started - I've seen Asos and Boohoo at vintage fairs.)

I don't think retailers are necessarily being greedy. From what I can gather, the high street's in pretty poor health and I imagine a lot of them are cutting back on quality to try and survive, presumably because they don't believe customers are able or willing to pay more,

Absolutely I would not mind paying extra to keep quality high. Your already accept that a cashmere jumper costs more than a merino costs more than a polyester so I don't think it is really a huge leap mentally, its not like we think all jumpers are the same and should cost £50.