Why Clothing is WORSE Now | Old VS New

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There is a growing feeling that clothes today SUCK, even expensive brands today have quality issues reported by shoppers and the used market for these vintage pieces of clothing has gone crazy. So why are old clothes better than new clothes?
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Script: Jaz Papadopoulos
Editor: Sam Askew
Lead Editor: Kirsten Stanley
Project Manager: Lurana McClure Rodríguez
Host: Levi Hildebrand
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[@yurisonovab3892]

An $85 dollar shirt IS expensive. Not because we've been trained to expect clothes to be $20. But because our pay hasn't seen an increase in near 30 years.

[@yurisonovab3892]

For my part, I haven't purchased any clothing in years because everyone around me keeps giving me clothing as gifts.

[@CWCvilleCop]

To be honest, even $20 for a shirt is starting to seem expensive because when I'm in a store, I don't want to pay that much for something that just seems like it will be disposable.

[@forgetfuldullahan5468]

​@@CWCvilleCop exactly. That 20 bucks could have gone to food. I have blankets to keep in, food more valuable then clothe, as food, keeps me alive longer, clothes just let me go outside.

[@dw620]

If you thought $85 for a shirt was expensive, what did you make of the $425 sweaters from the same company at 10:05 ?

[@Juan-os4hs]

40 years ago, Izod (the one with the crocodile 🐊) polo shirts cost $85, about $263 in today's money, versus $20 JCP polo shirts, about $62 in today's money, and the material was thicker and lasted longer. As a matter of fact I outgrew the polo before I wore them out. Today I'm lucky to get 3 to 4 years out of them before just washing them thins out the material.

[@marcmcphee]

I found a 20 year old t shirt and was amazed how much thicker the material is and how much better made it was. Crap today is embarrassing. 😡

[@Desperado070]

But we still keep buying the trash

[@marcmcphee]

@@Desperado070 unfortunately … yup.

[@ReheatedDonut]

I have two 15 year old Nike polycotton "Sports Tee" t-shirts that I still use for the gym... $10 each. And I have also gone through 6-8 other brand polycotton shirts in that time. They have all lost their shape or started to fray or got a bit smelly. I can't find any Nike shirts for sale now that are even similar to these (polycotton, plain colours, small embroidered check on the breast).

[@marcmcphee]

@@ReheatedDonut exactly! The same companies that used to make quality products are now selling garbage. A company (or two) that steps up with quality clothing could make a killing based on the trash that is currently flooding the market.

[@purplepotato8849]

Same, as a millennial who just found an old school t-shirt, I was surprised at how much softer and thicker it was. I'm definitely wearing the heck out of it.

[@auggygobby8233]

A weirdly common practice I've noticed is how men's clothing is often higher quality than women's, their shirts are thicker and usually more cotton than spandex, the plaid shirts thicker and keep you warmer too. Women's clothing but especially shirts are thinner, cheaper, and stretchier than men's and fall apart so much faster even from the same brands!

[@user-rc2yf8kt7i]

Yet another pink tax from corporate misogynists.

[@purplepotato8849]

This!!! Honestly I just buy t-shirts (and anything vaguely gender neutral) from the men's section now. They're usually cheaper too.

[@dragonmammma]

Yep, I buy a lot of men's clothing, including shoes, for this reason.

[@BigFatCone]

And yet women keep paying premium for basic shit. @@user-rc2yf8kt7i

[@kathorsees]

tbh, I think it's just to do with the fact many men and women shop differently. a significant proportion of men don't care about their looks enough to put any effort into it. so they're not going to buy stuff based on how it looks or go shopping often enough for fast fashion to make economical sense. e.g., I don't know how people even find out about trends in clothing. I'm fascinated and perplexed by the fact that some people think about their clothes in terms of "how many times I've worn this". I could never answer that, because I wear stuff until it has holes in it, and after that I wear it at home until it falls apart completely. I feel bad throwing things out even after that, so I cannot understand how a person thinks when they discard something after wearing it just 7 times. I was very surprised when the guy in the video said he has to consider changing up his wardrobe once a season because "people are watching". who is watching?? what are they looking for??? this stuff is entirely incomprehensible to me. I only buy things every 2-3 years, and I hate the experience of being in the mall or looking for stuff online with every fibre of my being. all of this means that the clothing companies really want me to spend more money per purchase - so they make a more expensive product with more material, more stitching, etc. fast fashion just won't make the company any money with people who shop rarely, because it relies on making a lot of cheap sales regularly. if they make cheap stuff for me, they'll just go bankrupt waiting for my next purchase. even planned obsolescence doesn't help much because I'll wear stuff till the bitter end, have no brand loyalty, hard to reach for the marketing team (I only found out about shein through this channel, for example), etc..

[@xJuliaGrimesx]

Seamstress here! Just an example of simplified shapes: the whole dropped-shoulder „oversized“ look won‘t go away because sewing together circles of fabric is so much faster than properly setting a sleeve. When you drop the shoulder to mid-arm level, you have less waste and shapes zu sew

[@aerialpunk]

I'm not a seamstress but this makes sense. I noticed many shirts and sweaters have this boxy shape I hate, and I figured it's probably cos it's easier to see a square than to try to get some more fitted shape going. I'm so happy any time I find shirts that are more fitted!

[@jools1978]

@@aerialpunk Square shapes also mean less wasted fabric, since you don't have as many weird little curvy bits that wind up as off cuts. Of course they're doing that to save money by not having to buy as much fabric rather than out of concern over throwing the scraps in the landfill.

[@gemfyre855]

Oh my god is that why this has become such a thing? I hate it so much.

[@jrochest4642]

and, of course, they're not bothering to follow the grain when they lay out the pattern, so one part of the shirt will shrink at a different rate and warp the whole thing the first time you wash it. @@jools1978

[@krollpeter]

Grimes? I thought you do music? Serious, yep I am annoyed by these lousy fit of those circle sewn shoulders.

[@KnowingBetter]

Ten years ago, I went to walmart and bought like 20 of those plain colored, Fruit of the Loom tshirts for $5 each. I still wear them, they're not falling apart in the least. I feel like I've cracked the code or something, when the truth is I was just really poor back then.

[@TheModdedwarfare3]

Hi KB :)

[@FutureProofTV]

Yooo there's definitely something to be said about the more clothes you own and USE in your rotation the less frequently you're wearing each individual item = less wear over time. So maybe having purchased a pack of 20 instead of a pack of 5 was key, but materials and quality definitely plays a role here!

[@fabienlarvor8283]

I'd say a bit less than that time, I got a dozen of plain colored Fruit of the Loom as well, and almost all of them failed at the armpit seam. While I probably got a poor batch, I don't think they're extremely durable.

[@MuzikMan2014]

The old Walmart stuff is actually pretty good quality compared to modern stuff

[@caligo2]

yep true. i found one t-shirt that my father wore in early 90s from them and those were supposed to be low-quality!! (which i get stitching isnt perfect) BUT in recent years i couldn't find a shirt ANYWHERE with a similar thickness of material and thread, which at least gives the possibility of mending... i literally couldnt find a tshirt better than 30 years old plain colored fruit of the loom - how is this our reality?

[@-IE_it_yourself]

i always shopped second hand. and im getting worried, because the rich buy literal garbage. and shopping second hand used to be full of nice hand made or at least properly made clothing. and now the second hand market isn't looking good, and soon, clothes wont even last long enough to make it second hand. dont forget, dont compair a 10buck tshirt from the 90's with today, 10bucks back then was like 30bucks today. so it is worth looking local once again.

[@DANIxDANGER]

THAT PART!!! So much Shein and Cider in the thrifts lately 😭

[@caro677]

​@@DANIxDANGER So true! And not for cheap either! I saw some Shein clothes for a lot more then they must have cost originally at my local thrift shops. So frustrating 😅

[@-IE_it_yourself]

get the linen while you still can.

[@miesals]

The min reason why I shop second hand isn't so much about the savings, but to get at least some sense that the garment will hold up. if it looks good second hand then it probably will continue looking good as I use it.

[@-IE_it_yourself]

@@miesals good point!

[@herculesrockefeller8969]

"Everything is average nowadays" - Kaiser Chiefs. When I was a kid ('60s - '70s), you could hand down clothes, because they hardly wore out. This applied to clothes, shoes, belts, etc. Now you can't buy anything that lasts more than two years, and with minimal use. There are some exceptions, but now you have to pay premium rpices for clothes that used to be had everyday items. The amount of clothes that go into landfills are horrifying.

[@olafsigursons]

There is cloths that last, it's just more expensive and doesn't follow microtrends.

[@FinlayDaG33k]

I got my jacket at an army dump 13 years ago and it still looks good with only some minor wear on the sleeve near the wrist (from getting stuck behind stuff while working on the car). Got a pair of tactical shorts (and matching trousers for the winter) from some company in Slovakia 3 years ago that all still look as the day I bought them. Even my hiking boots have lasted me 4 years (just had to get the outersole and some shoe laces replaced). If you go the utilitarian route (rather than the "fashion" route) and are willing to invest a bit, you'd be surprised how much quality stuff there still is. It just costs a bit more than 5 bucks at the Primark...

[@lynnboartsdye1943]

Shoes are some of the worst right now! A pair of basic runners only lasts a year (and by a year I mean between spring and fall before snow comes and that’s assuming you’re able to afford winter boots for the winter) and they always run you for about $70-80 in store it’s insane!

[@naethanc764]

Was NOT expecting a Kaiser Chefs reference in the comments on this video.

[@CWCvilleCop]

And to add to that, it's hard to find even premium clothes that won't wear out about as quickly, or quicker! You have to physically inspect the clothes yourself just to know if they're even quality. And buying online makes it nearly impossible to tell. There are Chinese jacket makers that use different jackets entirely in their product depictions to make them look quality, and then what you get is sewn badly and the materials are terrible.

[@nataliaivonica3488]

hi, 23 year old (older gen z) here. this is a topic i am REALLY passionate about and i’m glad you touched on the difficulty of finding your personal style without supporting fast fashion. this is something i’ve struggled with during my teen years. i had very little spending money and even “affordable” popular stores were too pricey for me, so at 15 i joined facebook groups to buy, sell and trade clothes in my hometown. after school, i’d meet strangers at subway stations to either get new clothes or to get a little bit of extra cash. a while later, after getting my first job, i started going to thrift stores that charged the absolute least for clothes. i’d go to church basements and spend hours going through piles of clothes, spending the same i’d spend on burger king on a massive bag of new clothes instead. that’s how i found what i liked and what i didn’t, that’s how i learned how to identify 100% cotton jeans by the touch, that’s how i understood that a polyester shirt is hotter and less comfortable than a cotton one. they were my school and my playground. my grandma used to be a seamstress, so she’d help me adjust pants that i liked, crop shirts and turn excess fabric into scrunchies. now, going into a regular clothing store makes me uncomfortable because everything is on display, begging to be bought. there’s no mystery, it doesn’t feel like digging for gold. and my friends always ask me like “how do you shop sustainability without spending so much money? how do you find weird clothes without supporting fast fashion?” and the reality is that it takes A LOT of work and energy. after a foot injury, i started only buying secondhand stuff online because walking, moving, kneeling and trying on clothes took a lot more effort than i was in position to invest. i still haven’t gotten my thrifting groove back after covid, i’m rusty and everything feels like too much work. it’s a shame that younger people aren’t exposed to that reality, since on social media we’re bombarded with ads that shape our relationship to fashion. they say time is money. i didn’t have money, so i invested my time and energy instead. and it did pay off, in my humble opinion.

[@kathorsees]

hi there! 30 year old here, so millennial. thanks for sharing your experiences! it was really interesting for me to read through because I've struggled to understand the topic of fashion all my life. I don't understand how people find out about trends in clothing, why they care about them, how would you even find time for that. I found it ridiculous even when it was a seasonal thing - I can't imagine changing my wardrobe every 3 months. I don't even go shopping once every 3 months. shopping every week sounds like a complete nightmare tbh 😅 I wear stuff until it has massive holes in it and is basically see through (ofc, as soon as there's a hole, it becomes an "at-home-only" piece). sometimes, I get really attached to old clothes - they're comforting, familiar to the touch, etc. E.g., I'm sitting in a sweater right now that I've had since school. I've always thought it looks bad (kind of faux-edgy and consumerist at the same time? the typical teenager fashion for boys in the mid 2000s). but it's not too warm and really durable, so by now, I like it just for the fact that we've been together for so long. but even when I don't get attached to a piece of clothing, I just feel bad throwing anything out, so I just wear stuff till it falls apart. I think the only fashion experience I can relate to is searching for your own style. while it is something I thought and felt, I've still never spent that much time on it. I wanted to find something for me, but I think I landed on metalhead attire as soon as I left school, and once I stopped wearing that, I pretty much wore whatever I bought at the mall once every few years (I'm really stressed at the mall, so I avoid it like the plague. but I don't know if there's any other way to buy clothes in my country - well-urbanized, but decidedly third-world. so people are rich enough for malls to be a thing, but "thrift store in the church basement" is a completely unheard of concept). I don't think my experience is typical for millennials - usually I'm in the minority for most things. but I find it so hard to understand the clothing experience that other people have - the way others think is just unreachable at times, completely perplexing. so I'm really grateful for your post! have a nice day, wherever you are :)

[@alejandramoreno6625]

Just a thought as baby gen-X, your personal style doesn't have to be expressed through consumer goods.

[@nataliaivonica3488]

@@alejandramoreno6625 it's not a matter of consumer goods, it's a matter of what makes you feel more like yourself. that's why i always opt for quality over brand name! sometimes an early 2000s gap piece has better quality than a current piece by a big name. it's not about being "consumer goods" because everyone has to wear something.

[@BigFatCone]

You'll soon enough realise that no one cares about your personal style, so you stop trying to have one.

[@Sqwivig]

Consider yourself lucky to have enough time and energy to invest in finding that kind of clothing. A vast majority of people simply do not have that luxury. You were also lucky to have a community built around thrifting for clothes. People who live in small rural places often don't have that.

[@cuttwice3905]

The yarns in the fabric are not spun as well. It used to be that yarns were spun to last, not fray. Full Disclosure: I'm a boomer. I inherited a shirt from my grandfather back in 1969. I kept it until I could wear it in 1980. It is finally wearing out. I have thrifted for years. Meantime I make some of the fabrics I use.

[@kalamir93]

You MAKE the fabrics? Like, spining the yarn and weaving the fabric? Wow, that would be the gold standard for me, but I would not have the time or tenacity to do that. Chapeau!

[@seabreeze4559]

How old was this shirt by the time it was done?

[@ToudaHell]

Do you spin cotton too or just the fluffy stuff? Learning to spin wool is on my 'to learn' list. I've crocheted for over a decade. Nothing feels better than real fluff.

[@woltews]

look up ring spun verse air spun thread

[@ToudaHell]

@@woltews I will. I've never heard of both of them. Now I need to know. Thanks

[@Moonstorm98]

Hey guys, lovely video and interesting information But Rayon is not a plastic fiber. It's cellulose material (usually from woodchips) that is dissolved in an acid into a goop and then the goop is extruded into a thin filament and then spun into thread Rayon/Viscose/Modal biodegrades at about the rate of cotton and linen

[@aerialpunk]

Good to know!

[@bretaskinner3143]

True, but Rayon, etc. is often not considered "sustainable" or "green" due to all the processing involved. It just depends on how picky you want to be. I have boxes of rayon/viscose wovens and knits waiting for inspiration and the right pattern ;)

[@MeltedMask]

Rate is similar, because all of them are sugar based fibres, only with slight difference. Downside of synthetic carbohydrate-polymers are manufacturing process. Toxic chemicals and clean water needed to reform plant fibres to more usable flexible form. It is as bad value judment as any plastic (Hydrocarbon polymer) if functional timeframe is short. Cost is just in opposite end of process.

[@nriamond8010]

@@MeltedMask Luckily, there are a few companies like Tencel which use sustainable methods to produce their fibres (I'll write it short like that because it is difficult to express the details in a foreign language). They are MUCH more expensive though.

[@umpoucodetudoealgumacoisa]

The loss of knowledge is something scary. Specially thinking that this is happening in the supposed era of information, with the internet. Very artisanal things like crocheting and knitting might be having a better time surviving because it can be a one person initiative (aside from the making of the materials) but some industry techniques could just be disappearing without us noticing

[@MeltedMask]

Book is as good as brick if nobody reads it. Words are useless if nobody learn them. Or learn from them. I don't Internet fully solved Connection problem. You could much easily 'publish' something today, but it may not reach the right person, or any person in that matter. There is ton of Industrial information that has been lost in time, some has been reinvented and some will be invented again. Or it was Aliens that weave our clothes in past, because how else those pesky monkey ancestors could make pants. 🤪

[@susangrande8142]

There ARE books of clothing industry sewing techniques around; I own a couple of them. They were published in the 1980s or 1990s. You may find them worth buying. 👍 If you’re interested, I’ll tell you their titles, authors, and publishers. I’m sure they’re out of print.

[@CuteDevil]

​@@susangrande8142Sure, I would love to read them. You can share the details about books if you don't mind

[@joshuakhaos4451]

This is really what I fear is going to be our ultimate undoing across the world. Especially as the boomers die off, Gen X goes into retirement and Millennials and Gen begin to take over in holding society together. But the knowledge disparrity between Boomers/Gen X and Millennials and Gen Z is vast, Then you factor in the lack of younger demographics and the even worsening knowledge gap with Gen Alpha Kids/teens that exists( I see it with my little sister who's now 14). Ist going to get very very dark and rough over the next 20-40 years. Tech and machines are great and a huge asset to our civilization. But we have to pick up responsibility for keeping all the progress we have achieved going and how to still do things without the convenience of machines and tech doing it for us. Our own laziness will be our undoing more than a low birthrate.

[@metalema6]

They got to a point where the clothes are cheap enough that taking the time to bring them back to the store is not worth it

[@dragonmammma]

As a self-labeled old geezer (age 65), I can attest to the fact that clothing ain't what it used to be. I still wear clothing that I've owned for 40 years that is in better shape than clothing I've bought within a decade. Besides shopping garage sales, my best strategy is to snap up old 100% cotton sheets whenever I find them. I have rudimentary sewing skills, but I can still make something of better quality than the vast majority of what can be bought these days.

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

I remember buying a shirt at 15 that I wore for the next 20 years. Still kept its colors.

[@lindawinks8333]

I am a seamstress. I thrift and upscal as well asuse bed sheets and nobody knows

[@Hremo_158]

Agree! I have sweaters that are Classic styles & are 30 years Old. I also re-dye all my Black items. Have for years.

[@globalfamily8172]

I miss finding quality clothing in stores and wish I kept everything from 20 years ago! Damn those minimalists who encouraged me to declutter!

[@user-rc2yf8kt7i]

Another youtuber made a similar video a few months ago and I was hoping for more content about this because it is SO REAL. especially women's clothing. you can't even PAY for better quality anymore. brands that had reputations for being high quality are now going the thin, cheap, and trashy route but still charging the premium prices. Just another case of greedflation and shrinkflation... thinner fabric is cheaper for them to use. That's why all the shirts in the store are paper-thin and can be ripped with a thumb on accident! (I was so angry... and i am not even some gym rat who benches 40000 lbs. I'm a tiny girl and annihilated a shirt just by snagging my thumb on it. I don't even have long nails!)

[@honeybdream]

Yup even luxury brands are using cheaper materials and charging more, like Channel!

[@aiodensghost8645]

I hate to possibly make you uncomfortable, but honey, buy the men's shirts instead, and modify them as you see fit. Even my sister had this problem, and that's what she ended up doing.

[@user-vx3ut1fg7n]

Generally in the Philippines, when a casual T-shirt gets old or worn out after many uses (and abuses), it simply becomes a house garment or a wiping rag; sometimes housewives use such old shirts as a fabric for patching up or mending another worn out garment that has the same color and style. Usually, most good quality clothes become affordable in malls or department stores in the days or weeks leading to Christmas, New Year's Day, weekend or end-of-the-month sales.😅

[@Xzor]

This is why whenever I find a piece of clothing that I like, it fits well, and the quality is high.... I buy like 10 of them. I rotate them in as they wear out.

[@user-kt5cp7lv5e]

I tried this. They aren't sewn the same. I have tried on EVERY idem on the rack, to find one or two that fit. The number of sewing mistakes is unbelievable. Pulls. tucks, material flaws. etc.

[@purplepotato8849]

Same; I make certain brands my go-to for basics, but the frustrating thing is that sometimes their quality declines over time. I've gone back in-stores after a couple of years to get an item in the exact same size and model, and the current version is just not the same and the search has to begin all over again.

[@user-ps1ft1hy4j]

I do this all the time. Good for patterned socks(you often lose one!) and items whose quality you really don't want to drop, like a nice jacket. I even get them in the same color/style plenty of times.

[@Sqwivig]

Jesus fuck. How rich ARE you!? 10 of the same piece of clothing!? Are you serious!?

[@OanaTheMeerkat]

I thought I was crazy for doing that. wow. So, I'm actually normal or, at least smart about buying things? wow

[@apricebcd]

Shopping for clothing is my least favourite activity of all time. As a larger man, none of the good quality products are available in my size so I’m left basically getting clothing that doesn’t last. I wear it for as long as I possibly can, but I’m still buying six pairs of jeans a year where once upon a time I would buy two. And don’t even get me started on shoes, because as they say, sir has difficult feet.

[@majoraslayer64]

Felt! Sizing and quality is so inconsistent for us big guys that if I find something that fits well, I'll look up that exact shirt or pants online and buy multiple of the exact same item with color variations (if possible) so I can stock up. Most of the time the bigger sizes are only available in a few of the color variations otherwise offered. Even then, it's a crapshoot whether the items you receive will have holes or inconsistent stitching. I hear it's a lot worse for women's clothes.

[@user-kt5cp7lv5e]

Madom has difficult feet, too. 4E. I feel your pain with every step.

[@FutureProofTV]

Re: inconsistent sizing, isn't it crazy that there's like very little standards when it comes to clothing sizes?? At least men's pants are usually defined by waist size + inseam (women have it bad with the whole numbered sizing, what is a 00???) but it's crazy that a shirt that'd fit from one brand in a size M you'd have to purchase in a size L from another brand ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

[@idraote]

Same here... I buy jeans that fall apart after the third/fourth wash.

[@ethanotto5062]

i feel your pain, brother

[@Ghostalking]

I’m 30 and never felt so old. Most things have changed for the worse

[@driftergrey]

Yep 👍 And we still have to pay the same amount or even more 🤯

[@wensdyy6466]

As someone working in fashion industry (my brother is a fashion designer and me and my mother works in a company that designs and sessl clothes-we specialize in carneval costumes but also gowns for judges but also simple stuff like tshirts, dresses, coats...) a lot of it is that the same fabrics (same type, colour, code, weight...) are of lower and lower quality. Today we had a luxury coat made from scratch in around 6 hours (mesuring a costumer, creating fabric cut, cutting all different pieces of fabric, sewing it together, and than finally checking it, packing it). Also when it comes to the fabricks-after christmas we did stock-taking (because we found out a prewious worker did not do it properly and we only find out after firing them) and found that we have to thrown out around 10% of fabric because even in an controled enviroment of a storage room it is not usable (some of sticked together (rubberized fabric), some had color changes randomly, some lost its texture randomly in defferent places) and on the other hand there were still some old fabricks (some of them syntetic) from late 80s and early 90s and these still are in usable state comparing to those new fabricks just few years old.

[@HesderOleh]

skimplation is a really big problem, and it is so hard to tell where in the supply chain it is occurring. You can get the same weight of fabric, but if the cotton was of a lower quality it will still fall apart, and at each level there is an obvious incentive to cheat if you think you won't get caught or if the contract didn't specify something that until then was just normal but not specified in any technical standard because no one thought it was necessary because in the past it really wasn't.

[@Reinturtle]

I only buy second hand these days and it amazes that almost everything I buy looks unworn...The value for me is great, but it is also shocking

[@neverlandtomorrow]

I went to DC my senior year of high school for a school trip so I went to the thrift to buy stuff for it. and I got so many really nice blazers that I still wear to this day bc it's high end stuff. it's all still in great condition

[@LK-xk4nh]

This is precisely why I'm learning to sew because I'll be damned if I get caught up in all this. If I have to make my clothes by hand maybe then I won't shop as much

[@shmuelarom5773]

I sew my buttonrd-up shirts and jeams. I can recommend patterns and techniqes.

[@shiplesp]

When I was quite young (I am old now), I learned to sew well enough to make and tailor all my clothing. While I have not done that in a while, it did teach me how to identify quality fabric and craftsmanship. It is, within the last 10 or so years, extremely rare that I find a well-made item of clothing on a rack. It is almost enough to send me back to sewing my own, except that it has also become correspondingly difficult to find good quality fabric at an affordable price.

[@skillfulsteak847]

I'm no tailor but I did do CNC embroidery. And even after just a little bit of practice I've learnt how to judge the condition of clothes. I started noticing when things are just beginning to break, and I'd deal with them while they're still easy to fix. It's such a shame that nearly no one young has or even knows how to use a sewing machine today. Should really be in every house. People might begin to be more conscious of their clothes, and take better care of it.

[@user-vs7el9wm3d]

I am a Boomer. I have always avoided trendy and gone for classic. I buy from just a couple of brands that are good quality. I wait for it to be on clearance, so I usually save about 70%. I also am careful about laundry. I was in cold water and hang most things to dry. If some pieces come out of the washer badly wrinkled, I will put them in the dryer for no more than 10 minutes to knock out the wrinkles. Dryers cut the lifetime of clothes drastically, so I use it sparingly.

[@ChristysChannelYall]

Good advice. I’m a Gen X’er and don’t even own a dryer. I also only wash my clothes after several wearings unless they are visibly dirty or smell. They last so much longer this way.

[@hallamshire]

I wonder how many times a piece of rental clothing gets worn... if trends are still cycling at a rapid pace, then an item that gets rented one week is obsolete the next and never gets rented again... It feels like a green-washed solution that doesn't actually get at the problem.

[@aff77141]

The idea is that people try on statement pieces while trying to figure out their personal style. Either way, better 200 or so garments for 500 people that try it on and send it back than 500 garments. Not everything is greenwashing. Wish people would forget about that term, frankly, not helpful in the slightest the way it's used lately

[@shewmonohoto]

I've got socks older than you 😜 20 years ago I bought a $40 simple black 100% cotton cable knit sweater from Old Navy, I still get compliments on it every time I wear it.

[@susangrande8142]

Me too! I have 2-3 pairs of machine-knit wool socks that are 50+ years old, LOL! I’m 65. Yes, they’e thin and starting to get holes, but they’re still wearable. These days, I knit my own wool socks, and my husband’s. They are the best! 😍

[@rowankrencik]

I have a heavy Carhartt hoodie from 1998 and it still feels like a new piece of clothing. Got the same model this year and its noticeably cheaper quality

[@user-rc2yf8kt7i]

I've been wearing the same Carhartt canvas coat for more than 10 years. I got it in high school. It's finally showing wear, but I'm terrified to try to buy another because I've heard the brand's quality has tanked.

[@neilamsberry9841]

I feel you, I got a Carhart Jacket a couple years ago, but would happily trade it for my dad's which like 20 years old and is so much warmer.

[@Akstergrind]

I’m a big fan of Carhartt gear, but there is a portion of it that’s pure crap I agree. Generally, I think the standard Carhartt workwear stuff is still quality, the heavy coats etc and even some of the Work in Progress line is okay, although it has become pretty expensive…the Anglistic sweaters, which used to be around £50, have recently risen in price to £120. I don’t mind paying a bit extra for good quality clothing, but when it’s more than doubled?

[@globalfamily8172]

Even Talbots sells cheap material now.

[@andrewj5747]

Yeah I feel like mainline clothes are getting thinner and the hem line shorter too. It’s hard to find trendy clothing that’s actually thick and high quality, and I’m willing to pay a lot of money for it.

[@bulletdancestorm554]

I have a hand me down sherpa hoodie from my older cousin. Its still good. its over 25 years old. I love that thing. I have a bunch of sherpas from a few years ago and i received one this past christmas. Sherpas nowadays are nowhere near as thick.

[@lucasward9506]

I like all of the clothing that I bought from All American Clothing Co. It's domestically produced and still relatively affordable, and high quality. The only damage that I've caused to my clothing was from weld spatter burning holes in it, and I usually just patch over the holes.

[@MagnoliaSoulangeana]

My grandma was a seamstress and I grew up dicussing the quality of the clothes we bought and wore. The decreasing quality of clothing made me restart making my own clothing. 90% of my closet is second hand or self made. Now, new items only get into my closet if they are a very special item, high quality or self made and I'm scaling down the qantity of my clothes in general. Even if we only shop second hand, we still can have too much of a thing. I'd like to have less but love every item and feel comfortable in all of my clothing any given moment.

[@voltaireon]

I’ve never felt more validated by buying 2-3 items a year and being really picky about where I buy. I saved up some money and just got a custom Linen dress from Son De Flor and it’s STUNNING. Yeah, not cheap but IDGAF right now.

[@liamsimoncelli1260]

Gen z-er here, I am a college student who loves fashion but has a pretty tiny budget, usually I thrift in person or on Ebay but it's incredibly difficult to find clothes that are well made and while I appreciate the hunt for natural fibers, seeing a tag that says 100% cotton just isn't that meaningful as there is a big range of what cotton can be. Overall its just extremely difficult to balance price and longevity of clothing even though I think I have my style kinda figured out and like to invest in long term pieces.

[@user-te2vz5re1o]

Even trying to diy quality clothes is difficult bc so many local/smaller brick and mortar fabric shops all got taken over by michael's/joanns/hobby lobby etc. Even the 100% natural fiber fabrics there mostly suuuuuuuck, choices of even those are limited,basically zero chance of it being organic/sustainably raised, and it's harder to fabric shop irl if you can't see/feel the fiber on the bolt. There ARE still some amazing fabric manufacturers in the UK or EU etc, and a few in china made from uk or eu fibers, but again, that's not what the large chain craft stores have on offer. And all of that is before we get to the toxic dyes and finishes.

[@bhartley1024]

I feel like there are a lot of shady practices going on too. Finished garments legally have to have a label telling you the fiber types, but I'm not sure if such a law exists for raw fabric. Sure, they say it's 100% linen, but how do you actually know if they are telling the truth? I recently bought some linen on amazon that was advertised as 255g/m which is already suspect because who measures fabric weight by the linear meter instead of the square meter? Well I measured it and the fabric weighed 207g per linear meter and 145g per square meter. Amazon is full of illegal listings like this that violate the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act (1967). I guess that's what I get for thinking I could buy 56" linen for $9.86 a yard.

[@colleendemaio]

Hi, could you recommend some of the fabric manufacturers that you like? I've started to make my own clothes and have been frustrated by a lot of the fabric quality I'm finding. It's discouraging to put in all that time and effort sewing something well (AND spend more than a new shirt would cost in the store) only for the fabric itself to wear out.

[@ieattofu68]

One thing that I keep in mind these days is that you can find poorly made clothes anywhere and you can find well made clothes anywhere....you just have to have a good eye for quality....even being aware and alert you can still get ripped off, but not as much. I will admit, that some of the best clothes I have found lately I have discovered on Etsy being made by small business owners.

[@HesderOleh]

You can't know how things are going to stand being washed, or unless you go over everything with a microscope that there is some bad stitching in one place, or maybe the stiching is all very good but then the fabric itself fades in the sun or even though it looks like good fabric it just frays not on the stiching.

[@Desperado070]

Hemp clothing is also a dying art, it is stronger than cotton and is actually 100% organic. It is funny cus we had it all but now we are worse off in every single field.

[@DrewPeabawls]

Patagonia still produced hemp products.

[@RainbowGin]

Worse of in every field except corporate profit...

[@shmuelarom5773]

Hemp is coarse, but when woven with cotton it's heaven. I have a hemp/cotton fabric, and plan to sew a shirt for myself (I know how).

[@pappaslivery]

There's an office complex in Beverly Mass known as "the shoe" it wasn't a shoe factory. It was a shoe factory factory. They made the machinery to make shoes. Basically, the entire industry was shipped out, save for some niche companies.

[@Tall_Order]

There was a time when most clothing was made locally or by family. We need to get back to that. Some older songs even mention it, like house of the rising sun "my mother was a tailor, she sewed my new blue jeans".

[@shmuelarom5773]

I did that. My next quest is to sew a jeans and buttoned-up shirt again, but this time by hand-no sewing machine (needle, thread, beeswax and an open thimble). It can be done, I'm sure I can manage that.

[@coffee_2234]

This is why i go thrift shopping some of the clothing you can find in thrift store is weirdly a good quality

[@kylieglatt7015]

I've also seen people find knitted and crocheted items at thrift stores that they unravel by hand and rework into new items. Some yarns and embroidery threads also used to be made much better than they are now.

[@-IE_it_yourself]

ye but for how long. poorly made stuff is filling them up, and soon, they wont even last long enough to be second hand.

[@vaderladyl]

Yes people also drop off goof quality clothing with their donations

[@dontmindme8709]

I try to keep to companies I know make high quality clothes. For example, all my jeans are now by a company named Nudie. They seem to have less of a presence in North America, but where I live they are easy to find (sometimes even second hand) and they offer free repairs forever. The jeans I own from other companies are by now too worn to wear.

[@nikkitronic80]

Hey thanks! I’m gunna check out Nudie. I stopped wearing jeans simply because they’re all junk. So I been on the hunt for something good, low waist, black, regular cut jeans.. the Nudies look nice. Any other more quality clothing companies?

[@dontmindme8709]

​@@nikkitronic80Nice, I hope they are available where you live. Other than that I haven't found many companies who's products I will completely trust in that same way. Not in regards to clothes at least. I don't buy much regardless

[@KOKO-uu7yd]

Ill be looking for Nudie, too. 🤞

[@BBoPPo88]

The rigid nudie jeans are incredible

[@miesals]

@@nikkitronic80 Lots of good stuff in the denim space because there are a lot of specialty brands and stores that will cater to people who care about quality denim. Naked and Famous, 3sixteen are the ones that come to mind on the top of my head, but there are too many brands to list that do quality denim stuff nowadays. Some stores will even provide repair services where they are able to reinforce and restore worn out fabric.

[@debutchi]

those laundry strips are often held in shape by plastic, look at the ingredients for pva, truearth is not an exception to this and plastic is released into the water supply as these break down in your washing machines

[@susangrande8142]

I read about that. I use 7th Generation powdered laundry detergent, and it works pretty well. It comes in a plastic bad inside a cardboard box, and both are recyclable. Same with my dishwasher detergent. 👍.

[@LetsplayAori]

Tbh my problem is also finding high quality brands, like paying high price doesn't necessarily mean high quality. Only cotton doesn't mean high quality, as someone who isn't that much interested in fashion it's very difficult to navigate the market and find something which will last years.

[@Jaaagfanboy]

My school shoes broke apart last year and I had to last 6 months with them before I got new ones. Any bit of water would make my socks and feet soggy.

[@gaillewis5472]

Your mom 😂 I was fortunate enough to be able to make two trips to Ghana. The seamstresses there make superior clothing at a reasonable price. Ten year old garments still look great and serve as Summer staples. I supplement them with tops that I crochet myself,saving me lots of money and ensuring that nothing will fall apart.

[@baronvonjo1929]

Quality of everything gets worse but prices go up. Basic appliances fall apart now. Cars have less durable materials Homes are practically cardboard. Even stuff like the media we consumer seems to be falling in quality yet asked ever higher prices

[@kellyro77]

The problem will persist so long as people allow themselves to be influenced into believing that appearances are what makes them whole. Fashion brands work very hard at convincing consumers that their lives will be better only if they have that cute sweater, or that trendy purse, and so on. It doesn’t stop just with fashion, either. Marketing wants you to believe you are incomplete unless you have the latest model iPhone, or the newest car, the perfect home, and on and on. I remember being ostracized when I was a child when I wore handmade clothes to school. My mother was trying to save money by sewing me clothing, but because my clothes didn’t have a label on them, I was teased and bullied. That is how deep and insidious marketing goes. It starts working on you when you’re young. Fashion changes at the blink of an eye because they want to keep you hooked and spending, spending, spending. I’m gen X, and happy to say every piece of clothing I have has lasted me way beyond 7 or 10 wears. It’s more like a have something for 7 to 10 years. Honestly, I have some stuff even older than that. It helps being older though, and more accepting of myself. I don’t get sucked into feeling like I must be wearing the latest fashion so I can fit in with my peers. And if anyone my age ever did try to put me down for something I was wearing I now know their bad attitude has nothing to do with me and everything to do with their own low self-esteem. Congrats to anyone who read this mini-saga of mine. 😅

[@firenter]

I've been able to stay out of the whole fashion ordeal, maybe just because I'm a lazy guy. I ask for some new shirts for christmas, only buy new pants when they wear out (which is sadly too often because I rub my thighs together when I walk) The other day my mom was boggled that I'd bought some new shoes in an overstock sale (very good deal, basically half price) but hadn't worn them yet. I told her "my current shoes still work, those are just backups", and she could not fathom that I wouldn't want to wear a new thing I bought just because I wasn't done with the old thing yet. The idea of looking new and different all the time just does not appeal to me.

[@Evilnor7]

Even my moderately expensive knitted wool sweater split a seam in the 1st year of me owning it 😢

[@-IE_it_yourself]

that is the problem with the 2 or 3 medium quality stuff. they are also shit. it is the boot paradox all over again

[@HesderOleh]

@@-IE_it_yourself and the expensive stuff is sometimes/often also not good either so you just paid more for something that is just as bad

[@kcmurdarasi]

I used to buy Levis because while they were expensive, you knew they would fit well and last. Now they are all pre-distressed and fall apart within 2y. The prices haven't gone down, though. Just a rip off.

[@-IE_it_yourself]

@@HesderOleh honestly it just comes down to buying as local as possible. so to a tailor and ask them, what brands they respect and like to repair. when all else fails just buy some merch, like band shirts or something, at least some money went to a good cause. :P

[@Milan-iy3pd]

idk i am in the demographic i guess but my goal is to find proper long lasting stuff and i keep ending up with low quality trash from well known brands - its super frustrating.

[@ziptagthesnake]

I taught myself to sew and for the last six years, I designed and made all my families' clothes. I design dresses for my wife, I've made myself a 3 piece suit. I make jeans and coats. All because I saw nothing worth buying in clothes shops. My clothes are well made and they actually fit. They last so long, I have a full wardrobe and have not needed to make anything new for over a year now. Best thing I ever did.

[@dragonmammma]

Where do you source your fabrics?

[@ziptagthesnake]

@@dragonmammma A combination of online, the last proper fabric shop in my local area and a really old franchise store here in the UK called Abakhan, which sells roll ends and leftovers by weight rather than length. It is great, thogh once or twice I have ended up with polycotton, when I thought I was buying cotton. The only way to really tell the difference quickly is to set a bit on fire and see if it melts, burns or a combination of the two. Not something you can do in the shop. They have also got the very heavy denim that I favour for jeans. It takes a strong machine to sew that so not a lot of shops stock it.

[@elainealibrandi6364]

I'm older than the age ranges you showed of your viewers, and I still wear items I had in the 1980s and early 1990s because I could never find anything as unique and well made now. I don't buy many clothes, but if I do I only get them used. I also buy things that will match a lot of the clothing I already have instead of getting a different color for everything in my closet. I don't go for trends; I wear what I like.

[@annk.3545]

If I had a time machine I would go back to that era and buy 50 J Crew women’s perfect fit long sleeve V neck T-shirts. We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone!

[@AnnaAtl]

So true. Walmart sold 100% Cotton sleep shirts when I was a younger. Now everything is made of plastic fiber.

[@lilibug.]

This is why I make all my own clothes. I'm even careful about where I buy fabric as a lot of places that sell "fashion" fabrics left over from designers are terrible and bad quality (and not even cheap).

[@weridplusho]

Finding good fabrics is legit the hardest thing nowadays with everything online and unable to feel the quality. Where do you buy yours, if I may ask?

[@shmuelarom5773]

I do that too. Which patterns do you use ? My goto shirt pattern is Simplicity 8753, with modifications.

[@nickmatthaes5344]

Most of my wardrobe is purchased at thriftstores (probably 3/4). I'm a gen Xer, 46 years old, and for at least the past 30 years I've been shopping this way.

[@timblack9948]

I made most of my latest clothes from repurposed fabric. I make my own pants, t-shirts and bucket hats. My last new clothes were purchased in 2018. The remainder of my clothes were thrifted over the last decades. I have pants that are 20 years old. My children will take these clothes to the thrift when I'm gone.

[@-IE_it_yourself]

Mina Li has a nice descussion on this. also about the gen Z maximalisum and thrifting.

[@FutureProofTV]

Mina is the cooooolest!

[@-IE_it_yourself]

@@FutureProofTV the one about wool sweaters is pretty good too.

[@istp1967]

Having grown up in the 70s; I can say that it was probably the last era when everyday stuff was made to last. The 1980s saw the wholesale introduction of the dreadful 90 day warranty; and it's only gotten worse since😠...

[@Gretchen_Trouble]

My Levi's never last more than a year 😢

[@Paraclef]

I've two jeans from 1995, they will last one or two decades from now. 🤣😂

[@nyastalgiakitten]

My Levi wallet has started to fall apart at the seams and it was a birthday gift, I noticed the splitting in just a few months

[@wensdyy6466]

@@nyastalgiakitten do you know a seamstress? my mum is working as one and even now as an adult she always redos the stiches on a sewing machine (like 5-10 minutes of work) and I never had a problem (even at my job where we make carneval costumes we offer and regurarly do this for people for werry little profit compare to companies specializing on reparing clothes).

[@jeffkadlec8264]

I truly don't understand all of this. I have about 25-30 shirts. Had each of them for over a year. Mostly for several years. I buy something specific I like, either via on line or at thrift stores. Buy what you like. Enjoy it. Who CARES about fast fashion??? This whole industry is mind-boggling to me. My clothes go away ONLY when they wear out. But, given, I'm in my mid-40s.

[@jeffkadlec8264]

@OliverUA That's what I don't understand. Why is anyone using it? It's wasteful, over-priced, enslaves humans, and generally increases emissions. Why is anyone using it?

[@daniellemorrison1427]

THE YOUR MOM JOKE OMG 🤣🤣

[@FutureProofTV]

¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ no lies were told

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

One thing this video has wrong: the pockets of jeans are far, far better today than they were seventy years ago, when I was a kid. When I was small, my jeans always got holes intheir pockets within the first year. The ones I'm wearing now are at least eight or ten years old, yes both front pockets are sound despite the fact that i carry both uncovered keys and smalll change in them.

[@jeanneobbard]

Unfortunately women's pants usually have no pockets at all anymore, compared to 20 years ago.

[@shmuelarom5773]

​@@jeanneobbard I have never seen a woman use the front pockets of jeans. Only the back pockets.

[@jeanneobbard]

@@shmuelarom5773 trust me, that’s because our front pockets have been made useless.

[@cassif19]

I'm 25 and I still regularly wear a pijama set I was gifted when I was about 13. Meanwhile the waistband elastic of way more recently purchased pijamas has already given up on life.

[@Bunny-ch2ul]

There are plenty of brands that offer beautifully made clothes that last ages that are also ethically made. They just cost closer to what clothes would have cost in a historical context. My grandfather was a Brooks Brothers devotee. I bought a lot of Brooks Brothers after college. (Now I prefer designer, but whatever. Not the point.) When he died, he had some Brooks receipts from the 70s in a desk drawer. He wasn't paying vastly less for his clothing in the 1970s than I was in the early 2010s. Clothing is worse now because people are willing to accept absolute garbage. If you're buying clothing faster than it's wearing out, you can afford to buy better.

[@RossGoneRogue]

My grandfather was the same way. He became a stock broker in the 70s and only wore Brooks Brothers and handed me down several of his dress shirts from the 90s and they’re easily my favorite shirts for any sort of business or business casual event. They just have a solid feel to them and none of the colors are dull. He wore those for almost 20 years until he retired in the late 2000s.

[@Marsk1tty]

I recently picked up an expensive pair of 14oz Selvedge jeans and at first it was horrible. The stiffness was unbearable and it was tight in some areas but loose in others. After a couple weeks of on-off wear though, they started to conform to my body and loosen up a lot, and now it's basically the only jeans I wear. Highly recommend raw denim if you can deal with the whole breaking in and not washing for several months thing. It's like a leather boot but for my legs

[@cynsi7604]

LEVIS back in the day 70s we’re like that. They were actually made with 100% cotton from the USA!! 🇺🇸 Not from some foreign country say China!!🇨🇳 👎🏻 With stretch material added to it. It completely ruins jeans that are meant to be REAL BLUE JEANS!! ✌🏻

[@Sleepless_Chaos]

This is actually one of the reasons I decided to learn how to sew, crochet, and am now even learning to knit (yes, before anyone says it, I know this is not a sustainable practice for everyone in our current society). The cost of good raw materials (natural fibers, strong weaves, high-quality natural fiber mulesing free yarn, high quality strong thread) will run up a tab, sure, but shopping local and taking the time to find good deals always helps. The raw materials for a fine crocheted scarf, for example, could run me about $80 full priced. I got the yarn on Black Friday for half off. And I know the quality of work I put into that thing will outlast even my grandchildren. If I'm making a shirt, I can choose a high quality fabric, French seam it, add top stitching, reinforce stress points with built-in patches, and even double or triple stitch the sleeves at the shoulders to make a really strong join. I also find that I am way more attached to the stuff I make, it fits me and my needs better than anything I can buy, and I have a really small wardrobe of stuff I adore rather than my previous exploding one that I only felt meh about.

[@shmuelarom5773]

I sew shirts too. Never used french seams, only flat-felled. French seama are good fot thin fabrics only. I also knit and crochet. For a scarf I recommend you knit a neck warmer - much less yarn, and knitted item has a lot more stretch than a crocheted one. I can recommend a pattern.

[@Mothware]

I never understood why people need so many clothes, I use pretty much my entire normal wardrobe by the time it's all ready for a large load of laundry. Last shirt I bought was over a year ago and I think I've maybe scrapped just one since, as it was too worn to even wear just at home. My favorite is a tacky designed, polyester button up, that once belonged to my grandfather; it is just as, if not older than my mother, as some of her earliest memories of him are wearing it. A probably 60+ year old shirt and it's remained in near perfect condition since, even still has his name in sharpie on the tag. It's always worth investing into quality clothes that're going to last you decades, when you have the funds, going to thrifts can still dig up great finds as well when you can't.

[@wipis59]

I have a T-shirt that's about 20 years old. It's a bit faded but that fabric is still going strong. It amazes me every time I put it on.

[@TheOnlyTaps]

Fantastic watch! Was actually about to come to the comments early in the video yelling "planned obsolescence" until you hit the nail on the head 😂👊🏿💜. "Making shit for the sake of making shit buying shit for the sake of buying shit" such an endless cycle and short lifespan for a lot of things that could be lasting us a lot longer whether it's clothing or tech and other products etc

[@ttopero]

I usually buy new clothing on clearance or discounters. Even when I pay heavily reduced prices, I’m disappointed in how it wears or falls apart so quickly! There’s a space between expensive & quality that probably has more of a local exchange flavor with a retail presence. If you could go to the mall, buy a quality item for more than fast fashion or we normally do, understanding that there’s a trade-in value that can be found by scanning the tag with an app, & a drop off location down the hall, we might be more inclined to buy the quality item, keep our closet lean, & still be fairly frugal.

[@norellweiner3341]

This is exactly why I am learning how to sew my own clothes, I already have crocheted some sweaters for myself. This allows me to buy higher quality materials and forces me to really choose what I want and will wear. The added bonuses are that I take better care of my clothes and has made me realize that I don't need tons of stuff; just a few things that I can mix and match .

[@AlexHider]

I moved from thrifting in regular stores/buying an occasional fast fashion item to thrifting/buying vintage designer in natural fibers full time. The quality of thrift store and FF clothes has declined to much I had to move to a higher tax bracket of clothes to make it make sense.

[@snailgirl6]

Reminds me of why I don't buy from Hot Topic anymore... 10 years ago, I bought a Pokemon shirt with the money from my first job. It still looks like new, has never faded, and has no holes from wear. 3 to 5ish years later, I bought a Zelda shirt that had the sleeves and collar coming off over a short amount of time. I think it also happened to another shirt (I can't remember what it was) as well... Nowadays I barely ever buy anything from there ever again. I will occasionally window shop every now and then, especially their sister store Lunchbox, but I do so with a more critical eye for quality. Sometimes (like, every other year or something) I will buy a few buttons or a rare Kirby or Gir shirt, but nowhere near as often as I used to...

[@heperfectirl9470]

Damn shame since I like some designs they have but also rarely buy anything there in general. A friend bought me a shirt 2 years ago and it has been developing tiny holes.. I really don't want to let it go ever.

[@paulballard304]

I agree, I still have Levi's and clothes from my college days in the 80's, built better than the same 501's today. Would love to know where on the scale your sweater falls? Stylish yes, quality vs cost? Shoes are an even better example of disposable fashion.

[@snooksmcdermott]

This is one reason why I've learned to sew my own clothes in the past few years (I already knew how to knit). Even my crappiest noobie make is better quality than fast fashion, and it always fits better. I try to get good quality fabric and yarn, sometimes thrifted. You can find pre-1968 sewing machines pretty easily for under $100. Just make sure they have metal parts inside. Lots of KZbin videos on sewing, too. (I'm Gen X, so DIY is baked in).

[@shmuelarom5773]

I do that to. I wonder which pattetns do you use ? I have some vintage sewing machine also. Like Singer 15,66,99 and 201. All metal build to last. But I think that 1968 will be with plastic gears always. The last good sewing machine is from 1956 (metal gears).

[@snooksmcdermott]

I have a 1967 Singer Fashion Mate 237, and it's all metal inside with some plastic in non-functional areas. It's great. @@shmuelarom5773

[@chris71499]

For what it’s worth I like Canada Goose and their approach: -It’s expensive but has a lifetime warranty -They have a very stable line of coats and sweaters and don’t change the silhouettes so it’s always known and fashionable although they have been making more experimental/collab clothing On the other hand you have something like Moncler which makes a nauseating amount of clothing with maybe ok quality? but only 2 or less year warranty

[@Ejoel07]

I bought a sweater from a company called Province of Canada. All their clothing is made in Canada. The sweater I bought is the highest quality and the most durable sweater I own

[@highgardentwo6977]

I only ever wear vintage. Rahhhhhhh!!!!! Anything made after 2000 dose not exist!!!!!!!

[@niestetennajn3456]

There is another problem. I was looking for a coat made from wool, to have it for years - there were plenty of options for men, but not for women. Mostly for women there were coats made from a little bit of wool. The price for was higher though... The same I observed with socks and T-shirts. So quality is worse, they charge you more, and there are less pockets 😅

[@ytknits4892]

This is why I wear primarily men’s clothes now. So much more robust, and pockets galore.

[@Trixie0026]

What makes me mad about this subject is that its not just affecting ready made clothing, but also fabric. I know how to sew and sometime do my own garment and I have noticed in ten year a decline in the quality of the fabrics available at fabric stores. Even something that used to be essential like sew on interfacing has been replaced by various synthetic iron on versions, which often dissolve or unstick if you wash the garment. It is also getting more frequent to see synthetic versions of knits selling at a premium price instead of natural fibers, which really sucks. Everything in the chain of production of clothes is getting affected and we are slowly hitting a point of no return...

[@CARATMom]

It would be good to interview clothing historians like Bernadette Banner to talk about what quality looks like in a modern world. What should we look for when selecting garments. What was lost in fast fashion (sleeves, zippers, hems and lining for examples ). It’s hard to make better choices if you don’t know what a good choice means.

[@seabreeze4559]

That's a KZbinr, an entertainer is not an historian. I've seen her get tons of things wrong over the years. Buying subs isn't expertise. Justine Leconte, an actual fashion designer, made those videos first and BB ripped it off. Costube just recycles ideas, nothing original for years now.

[@seabreeze4559]

They all hate each other it's a big mess. Doesn't help there's nothing original and they repeatedly get things wrong, but nobody else is big enough to correct them and small youtubers are too scared to openly disagree. It's a clique. @@momytik

[@seabreeze4559]

BB is the one with rich property owning parents who bankrolled the channel and bought most of her subscribers. @@momytik

[@Omkuskom]

yo cool sweater

[@bornmtgirl66]

When you have your "how to do better" solutions, I try to implement your solutions into any purchasing I do. I'm excited to see more of your series. Thank you for your information.

[@Ashystar067]

I've just discovered this channel, from Vox's episode on UV lights. This channel rocks. Thank you !!

[@danmar007]

The two worst inventions: tube socks and plastic zippers.

[@VictorQuesada-bl1xk]

Honestly, there are some decent plastic zippers. They either need to be the right size for the job (big enough teeth for big loads, tiny is ok for baby onesies, etc.) or reinforced and used mindfully (buckle clips for where the zipper ends so force on the fabric doesn't tear open the zipper, or snaps with a strap across the top of aforementioned zipper, etc.)

[@bloodlove93]

1 shirt for $80 vs $20? count me in, thanks for the recommendation, I'm disabled and don't go many places so i don't need tons ofcloths,just a few comfortable sets. those look comfortable and stylish, nothing too weird or bright.

[@FutureProofTV]

They're honestly a really solid brand but we understand that it's not in everybody's price point!

[@victoriaevelyn3953]

I work retail and I've heard customers say to me when returning something they say things like 'the quality has gone down' 'these jeans are really thin compared to the ones from years ago by your brand' 'i wore it once and this happened'

[@aliciavalliere7999]

Love this video and its significant and interesting topic. I have a t-shirt from 1999 that, from time to time I wear, I retired from daily wear about ten years ago as I could see the material was starting to fray in the armpit area. Yes, the t-shirt is 25 years old but the quality of the cotton used on this t-shirt has stood the test of time of many washes and drying. To answer your poll question, I would buy items that are priced mid-range if I knew they could last for a few years, aka black t-shirt, white t-shirt, to where the neckline would not become loose.

[@vbulota]

The best example I can give is when I bought an off brand 5/8$ bathing suit in Thailand. Compared to the 40/50$ O'Neil board shorts they were much more durable and easily lasted 10 years longer. In the end you're paying for the R&D that fuels planned obsolescence and making them richer than for the actual quality of the product.

[@CedroCron]

People want cheap because they are chronically underpaid. They truly understand investing in quality but can’t

While it would be nice if it were true, I'm sure most people do not understand investing in quality.

[@jeebs1298]

You hit the nail on the head with this video. Thank you

[@piewithmoustachepwm]

Second hand stuff, milsurp, workwear and actually quality modern stuff (like jeans from Varusteleka.) I just don't like the feeling of not being able to trust my clothes.

[@goopaspect536]

first xd

[@kimyoonmisurnamefirst7061]

I design and make my own clothes and then design them not to trends but what makes me feel good as a person. But then, I suppose as an NB and Korean finding clothes that I like becomes trickier. I also patch up my old clothes until the cloth is worn out.

[@Drewsefer89]

SEVEN TIMES!? I still have clothes from a decade ago that I still wear consistently despite the many holes

[@leamubiu]

I’ve tried to mend so many clothes only to find them still falling apart soon afterwards. Changed the elastic around the ankles of my favorite harem pants only for the fabric to rip across the bum area. Tried to patch that, then it ripped elsewhere. I tried mending jeans (especially where the thighs rub against one another) and then seeing, when holding the item against a light source, that the fabric became noticeably thinner and transparent where I sit. Even if I reinforced the seam, or patched the area, it would keep ripping. I trust that mending was a necessary skill throughout history, but today it’s a fool’s errand. All the good manufacturing processes have flown out the window, and now we produce basically trash that’s probably not even suitable for recycling. It’s still better to spend on higher quality, but nowadays most of us don’t even know what “quality” is anymore, how to make it happen, and how to take care of it.

[@Seelingfahne]

Love the idea for the new series! Can’t wait to see it

[@theotron3000]

thank you. just thank you for the work that you do.

[@unifairsum21]

I mean I tried some Levi's from Walmart with the signature series and those fell apart pretty much immediately so I went back to the 511s and so far I've had em for 3 years and no holes wearing in and I'm a service technician so I'm constantly putting stuff in and on them always on my knees crawling around but what I've learned is you can't have cheap and quality at least not anymore you have to pay the price of you want something that will last

[@sundalongpatpat]

Props to you for gifting us those blessed images

[@Gilokee]

THRIFT!!!! I've found so many nice linen and hemp pieces recently, just feel the fabric and look at the labels!!

[@gabiausten8774]

I literally found a 500$ dress, made to look ,,mad max“ like, with fabric strings hanging off of the waist and arms. Now, all fine and dandy, just for the fact that it didn’t have a hem line that would’ve secured these loose strings, meaning that the dress is literally unfinished. Let these strings snag on anything and it’ll come undone within the first time u wear it. The dresses on the rack were literally falling apart, some were snagged up to the chest, IN THE STORE, ON THE HANGER! 500$ for what? Trash!

[@robertedwards3551]

I'm 58 and one of the jokes we tell is that we have clothing that's older than some young people we meet. There were and are those of us who are Gen X that always kept a small wardrobe of good quality that gets looked after and lasts. The economics of this just makes sense.

[@CJWarlock]

Congrats on the good video on this important topic. I've tested a lot of cammo trousers over 20 years. Since ca. 2015 even the "contracted army surplus" ones got worse. What's wrong? I've analyzed and nailed it. The producers began to use ca. 8 cm (3.2") less fabric in the hip-crotch area. Formerly wide trousers, got so narrow there that... there's little space and the trousers rip apart after a short use. It's impossible to do any work or workout or even a wide step in them without damaging them. How do these soldiers even train in them?! Eh, the price cuts...