Maybe it has happened to you before: Your new t-shirt looks like it has suddenly aged two years with one wash. A hole has opened in the crotch of the jeans you’ve only had for six months. A thread is hanging from your shirt after just a few wears, threatening a much greater unraveling.
Not all clothing is made to last. The quality of our clothes is in decline, some argue, and the culprit is a global fashion system that prioritizes lightning-fast production and a cheap price tag. We shop constantly, and always want more new stuff, creating a culture of disposable, low-quality clothes.
But quitting fast, cheap fashion is easier said than done. To start with, if we want to buy better clothes that last us longer, we have to know what to look for when we’re shopping. The reality is that many of us just don’t.