Finding clothes that can stand the test of time is becoming increasingly rare. Shirts get worn down quicker, those splurged-on jeans acquire a hole within a year and shoes need to be swapped out consistently to avoid a cracked sole or having a toe popping out through the front.
The production of clothing materials and their use in manufacturing have been declining since the ‘90s. Despite the exorbitant hike in prices, designer and luxury brands attach to their products to attest for their higher quality, even these clothes have not escaped the diminished standard that is plaguing the industry.
The marked-up price tag on a designer bag or belt for many is equivalent to the amount spent on monthly rent. The higher price is intended to reflect the higher quality materials and the more complex manufacturing processes that go into the product.
For many, this idea alone justifies the investment in purchasing a designer item. There is a promise that luxury clothing will last a lifetime and then some. However, many luxury and designer brands have leveraged exclusivity and shifted toward a value-based pricing model.
According to Forbes, value-based pricing models are less about quality and more about the perceived value that an article of clothing from a luxury brand can provide someone with a higher social status and prestige. This allows designer brands to place any kind of price tag on a shirt based on the assumed value the public will put on it instead of the garment’s quality or production.
Trends and the ever-changing nature of what is currently considered stylish are one factor contributing to the diminished quality of overall clothing production. The rise of fast fashion brands like Zara, H&M and the iconic Shein are all shaping the clothing market into a high turnover fashion industry that places less importance on quality and more on sheer quantity.
Fast fashion also contributes to mass waste and environmental harm. According to Business Insider 10 percent of all global carbon emissions are caused by the fast fashion industry.
For these fast fashion brands, designing products that are not specifically made to last but rather to be replaced by trendier products within the month is now the established norm. One that is setting the standard for the entire clothing industry and brands to follow after.
“You see some products and it’s just garbage. It’s just crap,” said Simon Collins, dean of fashion at Parsons The New School for Design in an interview with NPR. “And you sort of fold it up and you think, yeah, you’re going to wear it Saturday night to your party – and then it’s literally going to fall apart.”
Similarly, mass production and cheaper synthetic materials have also taken hold of the clothing industry, offering a cheap and quicker way to produce clothes for companies. High-quality materials like wool and silk are now seldom used or even seen in the global fiber market.
“I do get mad when I see very expensive designer pieces made from poly crepe – it’s like they’re taking the piss out of the customer,” said Clare Press, host of the Wardrobe Crisis podcast, in an interview with The Guardian. “People might say, ‘Well poly is durable,’ but for me it’s just nasty sweaty, plastic – and the only reason to add it to a garment is to save money.”
The clothing industry, especially these designer, high-end fashion houses, needs to turn back to prioritizing quality again. Instead of trying to keep up with the current trends or high turnover production of fast fashion companies.
If quality materials and production can not even be found in luxury labels that establish fashion standards, then it should come as no surprise the public can not find quality anywhere else in the clothing market.
Investing not only in higher-quality materials and manufacturing but also in creating more considerate and timeless articles of clothing, rather than merely trend-driven pieces, would be a good place for luxury companies to start making a change in their standards.
Smaller indie clothing brands have already taken it upon themselves to try to shift the fashion industry in the right direction by investing in their production. Brands like orSlow utilize high-quality, often 100 percent cotton materials to create iconic pieces of clothing that can be passed down through generations and still retain their quality. These indie clothing brands have prices that can match designer prices and sometimes save buyers money, however their products are actually created to last.
Investing in clothing should not be a gamble on whether a luxury label can actually deliver a high-quality item. The clothing industry needs to change so that when a purchase is made, quality and longevity are guaranteed, and not just hoped for.
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