I have been consuming less clothing for awhile, but it seems fabric quality is is getting worse and worse even if I don't pay under $20 for a garment. I have something for 2 years and the fabric is so thin I can see through it. I'd love to spend more for better fabric quality - but how do I even find that? Not in any of the stores I've been to in person. It's all very frustrating. I don't want to buy trash.
I feel you. there is a decline in quality for sure in many current brands. here's a reaction from someone at Uniqlo for instance:
"Recently, though, I was out to drinks with friends & met someone who works for Uniqlo. I mentioned my tees, saying something like, “One of the reasons people think you shouldn’t cop mass-market s**t is that they start looking so grody & falling apart so quickly, because they’re made in corner-cutting ways using trash fabrics. But Uniqlo really came through with some soldiers when they made these tees, so props to you guys.”
Without missing a beat, this person replied, “There’s no way the tees we make today would hold up that long.” "
not yet but I assure you it'll come. in the meantime though, feel free to post your asks here directly (you made me think: we just allowed any subscriber to post a new thread in the chat section - so if you're looking for anything, just shoot) 🤗
very interesting and very well documented. I wonder as well if things that are sold through ecommerce could not be just natively less about materials / goods and more about a certain kind of services / intelligence / digital layers around them. It won't solve 100% of the fact that when we shop = we transform input into output therefore 'consume' the planet to some extent but might be worth exploring in terms of business model. It's also a full reconsideration of business models from logistical standpoint, as well as the notion of profits. A lot of questions on which I'm not expert but definitely worth exploring as a citizen. Merci !
I've been trying to not buy anything new for about a year --- big fan of secondhand shopping, been using some fun tools to make it easier like the chrome extension that finds me resale alternatives for the items I'm looking at as I shop bit.ly/Phia
I'm old enough to remember the days when it wasn't as easy to acquire all these clothes, and they were much better quality. Now, it seems like there are so many selections that are poorly made, and it is hard to find anything of quality, even at the higher end stores. I got into a rut of buying too much after I started making a good income, and I think some of it was rooted in feelings of deprivation over the years when I couldn't afford to buy anything. I think some of the fast fashion appeal is to people who don't have as much money to spend, and it is a way to try to keep up with the "haves". I need to keep reading articles like yours, to remind myself of what my core values are (or should be). It has become too easy to push a button and get instant gratification, that doesn't last long and usually disappoints after I've worn the article once or twice before tiring of it. We live in a world where it becomes increasingly difficult to control impulses, and it is especially hard for people who now have access to things they could never have before, and to those who already have addictive tendencies. So true that we often complain about things we want but can't get because we've spent our money on things that we didn't even "need". Thanks for this insightful post.
thanks for this thoughtful comment Amy. and for the kind words, this resonates a lot 🤗
there is one thing I personally realise over time: there are some wonderful 'frictions' in this world. and aiming for 'frictionless' all the time in our lives can become a trap very often. even more if we focus on long-term satisfaction (versus instant gratification as you wrote).
I have been consuming less clothing for awhile, but it seems fabric quality is is getting worse and worse even if I don't pay under $20 for a garment. I have something for 2 years and the fabric is so thin I can see through it. I'd love to spend more for better fabric quality - but how do I even find that? Not in any of the stores I've been to in person. It's all very frustrating. I don't want to buy trash.
I feel you. there is a decline in quality for sure in many current brands. here's a reaction from someone at Uniqlo for instance:
"Recently, though, I was out to drinks with friends & met someone who works for Uniqlo. I mentioned my tees, saying something like, “One of the reasons people think you shouldn’t cop mass-market s**t is that they start looking so grody & falling apart so quickly, because they’re made in corner-cutting ways using trash fabrics. But Uniqlo really came through with some soldiers when they made these tees, so props to you guys.”
Without missing a beat, this person replied, “There’s no way the tees we make today would hold up that long.” "
the whole post is here: https://www.blackbirdspyplane.com/p/the-death-of-thrifting-clothes-have-gotten-worse
and this is exactly because we don't want to buy trash ourselves that we made a 'recommendations' page on our app: https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/objet-objects-you-love/id1637894429?l=en-GB
Is there any way to view the recommendations page on desktop? Thanks so much for your reply :-)
not yet but I assure you it'll come. in the meantime though, feel free to post your asks here directly (you made me think: we just allowed any subscriber to post a new thread in the chat section - so if you're looking for anything, just shoot) 🤗
very interesting and very well documented. I wonder as well if things that are sold through ecommerce could not be just natively less about materials / goods and more about a certain kind of services / intelligence / digital layers around them. It won't solve 100% of the fact that when we shop = we transform input into output therefore 'consume' the planet to some extent but might be worth exploring in terms of business model. It's also a full reconsideration of business models from logistical standpoint, as well as the notion of profits. A lot of questions on which I'm not expert but definitely worth exploring as a citizen. Merci !
I've been trying to not buy anything new for about a year --- big fan of secondhand shopping, been using some fun tools to make it easier like the chrome extension that finds me resale alternatives for the items I'm looking at as I shop bit.ly/Phia
Hope this is helpful for people!
I'm old enough to remember the days when it wasn't as easy to acquire all these clothes, and they were much better quality. Now, it seems like there are so many selections that are poorly made, and it is hard to find anything of quality, even at the higher end stores. I got into a rut of buying too much after I started making a good income, and I think some of it was rooted in feelings of deprivation over the years when I couldn't afford to buy anything. I think some of the fast fashion appeal is to people who don't have as much money to spend, and it is a way to try to keep up with the "haves". I need to keep reading articles like yours, to remind myself of what my core values are (or should be). It has become too easy to push a button and get instant gratification, that doesn't last long and usually disappoints after I've worn the article once or twice before tiring of it. We live in a world where it becomes increasingly difficult to control impulses, and it is especially hard for people who now have access to things they could never have before, and to those who already have addictive tendencies. So true that we often complain about things we want but can't get because we've spent our money on things that we didn't even "need". Thanks for this insightful post.
thanks for this thoughtful comment Amy. and for the kind words, this resonates a lot 🤗
there is one thing I personally realise over time: there are some wonderful 'frictions' in this world. and aiming for 'frictionless' all the time in our lives can become a trap very often. even more if we focus on long-term satisfaction (versus instant gratification as you wrote).