fashion industry

Fashion and Boyswear: Have we sacraficed Quality for Quantity?

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Closeup of a copper rivet on blue jeans.

So it’s been a little while since my last post, it turns out being 37 weeks pregnant with 2 little munchkins running around is more time-consuming and exhausting than anticipated! But that’s life – well my life; so time to get on with it!

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the quality of clothing that has hit our stores lately, and often wonder what has happened to ‘the old days,’ when clothing was made to last, to be worn, run in and over used! It wasn’t that long ago when you could buy a tee-shirt that would hold its shape wash after wash, or a pair of denim cotton jeans that didn’t rip or stretch to the point of un-wearability. Even buying designer, isn’t always a guarantee of quality any more.

Is this the result of globalisation? The internet and fast communication making everything accessible and any one a ‘fashion designer?’ All it takes to establish a label these days is a quick search on the internet for a manufacturer anywhere in the world, send some photos of clothes you like or easier still pick some from a list of pre-designed styles, order the minimum – which is often now merely a size range;  put your tag on it and sell it at minimum expense via any free social media site! Brilliant for any one wanting to start out in the fashion industry and an easy way to make money – as there is clearly a market for it, but at what cost? With label after label being spewed out of the internet and over social media sites, it seems quantity is increasing while quality is diminishing.

My thoughts on this arose through out the week after a short venture to a popular department store in Australia, that saw me purchase 2 pair of $7 burgundy coloured jeans for my boys. At $7 I wasn’t expecting a great deal of quality, but I thought they’d be great kick about jeans that could be worn and torn through out winter. They were bought in a rush to get my over active boys out of the shopping centre, however, despite the price I was astounded at just how poor quality the jeans actually were! My eldest son, who loves changing his clothes several times a day and wearing anything new, put the jeans on in excitement almost immediately after walking through the door and ran down the hallway to show off his latest piece of clothing. I want lie, I was surprisingly impressed with the cut of the jeans on him and thought I’d found a bargain pair of skinny leg stretch denim jeans. Then when I got the other pair of jeans for my 2-year-old I realised that my 4-year-old – who normally wears a size 5-6, had actually put the size 2 on instead of his size 4 pair! Once we swapped sizes I realised that I really had got what I’d payed for! An oversized pair of jeans, made from a light cotton that would rip at one slide in the dirt and were far too long and high-waisted for any real kind of comfortability! I’m sure they’ll serve their purpose for a short period of time and would therefore be worth the $7 I paid, but it made me think about denim jeans and what has happened to their quality over time?

With new labels popping up like the sun, it’s no real surprise quality is being sacrificed for quantity, but I’m a little disappointed at the extent and rate in which it is happening. Has mass importation of fashions from offshore manufacturers meant quality and/or independent labels are diminishing or arising quicker due to a greater need? I wonder what Levi Strauss would say if he saw the ways in which his original creation of blue jeans, which began in the late 1800’s and known as the ‘workers pants’ for their durability and strength, has evolved throughout time? Even his own label that has seemingly stood the test of time and is still a top seller amongst denim jean consumers, has seen a cut in quality throughout the years for the purpose of quantity and cost.

I’m a big believer in you get what you pay for, which is why I usually don’t cut price corners when it comes to denim jeans, but where do you draw the line? Should we be expecting more from our denim suppliers? I suppose it could be argued that we should really be expecting more from fashion labels themselves, particularly when we’re paying top dollar for some. But I’m interested in finding out what you think. I know I feel boys wear just simply isn’t lasting as long as it use to and it’s hard to find a decent pair of denim jeans for my boys that aren’t ripped or destroyed after one season, but is this just the price we pay for choosing to buy mass-produced items at a more affordable price as opposed to independent or designer pieces that are more expensive?

What do you think? Has the modern fashion industry sacrificed quality for quantity? If so is that because demand has increased in a price driven society? Should we accept lesser quality simply because it’s cheaper in some cases? If we are paying top dollar for items that simply do not last, should we be challenging the labels more?

Something to think about…..

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