Cheap Clothing, Expensive Handbags

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#286
Here is my story :

I am from a third world country who migrated to America.

When I lived in India, I saw kids work in pesticide intensive cotton fields. And tailoring shops with inhumane conditions. To folks who make nothing, it was a matter of necessity to get their things made in such conditions.

After my move, I started shopping in Zara, I could find reasonable quality pieces. Its a matter of recognizing quality. I have a 4 year old rain coat and leather jacket that I love. But once I made the connection to these sweatshops, it got hard to shop at these places. I want to look cute but not at the expense of companies that take advantage of these desperate workers. They could pay them better and get the work done, but nope. Doesnt happen. People dont care enough.

And Bangladesh is a much sadder story. No labor unions are allowed to exist, reporters get beaten for looking into sweatshops, buildings collapse killing people, preggo women get fired, women get harassed, ... all to make cute cheap clothes.

It is not worth it for me.

I am a student and cant afford a designer closet either. I shop second hand. Ebay, realreal, Vestiaire collective, etc have fantastic pieces at affordable prices. It is not that much time taking as I thought it would be. All is well.

I don't get it either. When I see folks who can spend on really expensive bags but buy goods made in sweatshops. Priorities are different perhaps ?
 
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#287
Thank you for sharing your experience and also your struggle with ethical shopping. I really think it is that when we use the word "sweatshop", most people don't really visualize it. It's hard to think of it when you're in a bright and attractive retail environment trying on something that fits great. There's nothing like seeing suffering with your own eyes.

I know they keep journalists away from these conditions but I hope someone manages to sneak in and make a documentary that gets widely played on CNN and Netflix. We're in the golden age of excellent documentary-making right now. A well-made one will open eyes.
 
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#288
OneMoreDay said:
I remember reading about perceived value of fashion and how fast fashion has skewed the public's perception of what prices should actually be for the clothes they buy (designer or not). Cheap clothes definitely equates to cheap labour. And cheap labour almost definitely translates into poor working conditions. Remember the 2013 factory collapse in Bangladesh?

Bangladesh garment workers suffer poor conditions two years after reform vows​
Assault, verbal abuse and forced overtime persist following the Rana Plaza disaster, which killed 1,100 people in Dhaka, Human Rights Watch claims.​
Certainly, while contemporary designer brands cost a pretty penny, if they're made in Europe or the US or in a country with enforced labour laws ensuring a decent living wage and humane treatment of employees, I think it's absolutely worth it.

A word of caution though. "Made-in-Europe" may very well mean "Assembled-in-Europe, Made-Cheaply-Somewhere-Else". Even worse, there are little factory towns in Italy importing and employing cheap Chinese labour to supply the Made in Italy tag. Last I read of it was in 2010 but the latest news item I could find on the issue is in 2014.

Fire Exposes Illegal Chinese Factories in Italy​
Thousands of people have been smuggled into Italy, finding work at factories that ignore basic safety standards, while billions of euros are smuggled back to China.​
- Associated Press via Business of Fashion, October 2014
Source: http://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/fire-exposes-illegal-chinese-factories-italy​

Do your research. Learn as much as you can about the supply chain. Be informed.

Furthermore, fast fashion is problematic because it encourages throwaway culture. You buy more because you believe you're making a savings. But how sustainable is buying cheaper clothes at volume, only to leave them at the back of the closet to move on to the next trendy, equally cheaply sold thing? It's a vicious cycle. It's not good for the environment or the workers paid the bare minimum in rough working conditions.

It's also not good for anyone to have a closet heaving with unwanted and unloved items that just end up being burdensome to a person's mental and emotional wellbeing. I know because I am one such person. A higher price point makes me think twice about spending money, forcing me to minimise my wardrobe to a few key pieces that will last longer, style-wise and quality-wise.

In my opinion, prevention of overbuying (not necessarily overspending in this context), is better than curing the overbuying after the fact.

If you have the spare time, Google "Slow Movement". Its Wikipedia entry covers everything from food (the originator of slow movement) to science, to fashion. If you don't have the time, it's summed up quite nicely by the oft coined but little followed "quality over quantity".
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:goodpost:
 
#289
Manelieht said:
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That depends almost entirely on the mentality of the buyer:
1. One can shop selectively at H&M, Zara etc/ buy less

2. You can treat these items well and they will last. Like I mentioned before I have lots of H&M items that are 10-20 years old and look great. I can take pictures if you are interested to see, they carry the old label ;)
People tend to treat cheap clothing cheaply too...hot washes and dryers, when it should be cold washing, line drying and removing stains beforehand.
Afterall most designer clothing requires gentle washes or even dry cleaning too.

3. As a seamstress I can say the quality of the material and craftsmanship in terms of durability only ever so slightly outweighs that of cheaper brands. Cotton and Polyester stay cotton and Polyester no matter how pricey, the seams are "prettier" in high end clothing as in French Seams for example, but an overlock stitch can hold up well too.
I think really, we are more fooled into thinking designer items are of much better quality. We pay for brand name, pretty holigraphic tags, beautiful and innovative designs, pretty packaging, lovely stitching...but the quality of the clothing is not "that" much above cheaper brands.


Again this does not apply to everyone though. I will love a pretty Zara dress just as much as a Versace dress if the design is right.
When I shop I buy what I truly love. Whether it is a mainstream brand or something more pricey. Good looking items can be found at a lower price range. No one ever told me my H&M outfits look cheap, or my designer items strike them as amazing quality. Most people can't tell (and as a blogger I do get enough comments on that)
Trends are best ignored anyway...again buy what you love, wear it for years. If you love the Bohemian Dress, rock it for years to come.
I used to be the kind of person to buy cheap on sale items...just because they were on sale, and lots of them too. But I re-evaluated this thinking a while ago and went to still buying affordable, but less and only what I love. I'm not one to have unloved items in my wardrobe these days. Here and there I will invest in designer, but to a certain degree...not only because of finances, but also because it better be fantastic if I am going to spend a lot of money on it. :lol:

Bottom line is what I buy is loved, special, cared for...no matter if flea market item, affordable clothing, designer goods...and I think that is the best mentality, to value all your belongings well no matter the name or price tag.
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I think you make great points, and I respect your position. However, I do have a few friendly counterpoints :D

Though it is true that cotton is cotton and polyester is polyester to a degree, there is cheap cotton and better cotton just as there is cheap silk and higher quality silk or cashmere (if you google you can read about how cheap cashmere is produced). Now I agree that paying x amount of money for a polyester/acrylic outfit is silly, but I disagree that there aren’t quality differences within a fabric.

As for H&M tops that have lasted 10-20 years, you can’t really compare because clothing quality back then was way better across the board. You could buy a top from Charlotte Russe 10-15 years ago that can still look almost new. No way would you find that level of quality today. “Fast fashion” has really come into being in the last decade or two in terms of the widespread mentality that clothes are made and bought with the idea they’re not meant to last very long. People do tend to treat cheap clothes cheaply, but at the same it’s easier to care for older cheap clothes than it is for newer ones. Who hasn’t bought a sweater recently that pills no matter the care and compared it with an older sweater from either the same brand or even a brand that’s “lesser?”

I agree that much of what we pay with premium designers is for the brand name, but I also think quality differences are less visible in photos and online than in person. An outfit that looks cute in a picture because of the person, lighting, scene, etc. will not look as good to the naked eye in real life.

I have no problem with people who choose to wear fast fashion or to focus on bags over clothes. We all have our preferences on what we value, and I’m far from the queen of perfect living ;) However, just as most of us admit there is a difference between cheaper bags and higher quality bags (not necessarily “premier”), I find it amazing when people don’t want to admit that fast fashion clothes are not as good as higher quality/handmade/ethically produced garments. Of course there are exceptions, and gems can be found at H&M or Zara just as duds can be found at premier/contemporary designers, but generally fashion fast clothes are not going to be confused with a higher end product if someone knows about fabrics, fit, quality, etc., and again, this is entirely separate from “brand name.”

I do agree you should always buy what you love and be a smart shopper no matter what price range you shop.
 
#290
The title of this thread is sooo me. :giggles: Designer bags (almost all) are of high quality and it will last forever. That's why I save money to buy them. I even sacrifice budget for my food for it. Clothes? Nah I even prefer cheaper clothes than the ones in F21 and H&M. Shoes? Just the right quality but not designer. :balloon:
 
#291
soramillay said:
I know they keep journalists away from these conditions but I hope someone manages to sneak in and make a documentary that gets widely played on CNN and Netflix. We're in the golden age of excellent documentary-making right now. A well-made one will open eyes.
Click to expand...

There is actually a very good documentary made:



It is here in The Netherlands also on Netflix. Quite shocking and it opened my eyes more. I am actually trying to downsize my wardrobe into a capsule one. And be more conscious about the items I buy and replace certain pieces with when I need to. And read more into the made in labels.
 
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#292
I buy clothing, bags, jewelry and accessories all over the range, price-wise. I choose all of them based on materials and how they look on me, not brand. (Good materials don't always mean $$ or vice versa: natural rubber sandals or cotton shirts are not necessarily expensive, and it's shocking how much some brands want for something made out of, e.g., PVC). Quality, to me, is not about how much something costs.

I will then put together outfits not paying attention to the costs of each item, so there's definitely many times that cheap items are paired with expensive items.

I am not into fashion (as in, trends) very much, I just buy things that I like to wear.
 
#293
wadaiko said:
There is actually a very good documentary made:



It is here in The Netherlands also on Netflix. Quite shocking and it opened my eyes more. I am actually trying to downsize my wardrobe into a capsule one. And be more conscious about the items I buy and replace certain pieces with when I need to. And read more into the made in labels.
Click to expand...

Look forward to watching this, thanks for the link!
 
#294
I think cheapy wardrobe + fancy bag syndrome can occur when someone has a really, really causal lifestyle, as I do.

I'm a stay-at-home mom, and I live in Florida, so I have very little opportunity to wear anything other than shorts, tank tops, and leggings (in what passes for winter here). Carrying a nice bag is the only thing that communicates to the world that I'm even remotely making an effort. LOL!
 
#295
I've always thought that a nice bag and a good pair of shoes can make or break an outfit. You can be wearing a simple black t-shirt and a nice fitting pair of jeans with a good-looking bag and look like a million bucks... but not the other way round. That said, I believe the most important factor in looking put together is not just what you're wearing but your attitude. A crass or snooty behaviour can ruin even the most beautiful looking girl dressed head to toe in designer wear.
 
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#296
I care way more about being able to pay my bills and stash money away for the future than I do about what random strangers think of me in terms of how I dress. Personally, I like to get the best quality I can at the best price I can ... which means a lot of perusing clearance items in department stores and on websites and consignment when I was buying bags. I have very bad feet that I've had two failed surgeries on and can only wear toner type sneakers, and of course I get the best quality I can on those as well for the best price I can find.

As far as looking outdated or not keeping on trend, that hasn't been a concern for me since I graduated high school 30 years ago. I have my own personal style -- which tends to lend towards timeless anyway -- and I don't need fashion magazines or anyone else telling me what I *must* be buying at any particular time. I buy what I want and need when I am able to. As one person posted earlier, generally once you hit middle age, worrying about what others think of you as far as appearance goes becomes a non issue. It's great and a very freeing feeling. I'm happy to see some millennials feel that way, too. I'm far more concerned about how people view me as a PERSON than I am about what I choose to cover up my outside with. The world would be a lot better off if people weren't so focused on outer appearance when it's what's on the inside that really matters.
 
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#299
GeorgiaGirl67 said:
I care way more about being able to pay my bills and stash money away for the future than I do about what random strangers think of me in terms of how I dress. Personally, I like to get the best quality I can at the best price I can ... which means a lot of perusing clearance items in department stores and on websites and consignment when I was buying bags. I have very bad feet that I've had two failed surgeries on and can only wear toner type sneakers, and of course I get the best quality I can on those as well for the best price I can find.

As far as looking outdated or not keeping on trend, that hasn't been a concern for me since I graduated high school 30 years ago. I have my own personal style -- which tends to lend towards timeless anyway -- and I don't need fashion magazines or anyone else telling me what I *must* be buying at any particular time. I buy what I want and need when I am able to. As one person posted earlier, generally once you hit middle age, worrying about what others think of you as far as appearance goes becomes a non issue. It's great and a very freeing feeling. I'm happy to see some millennials feel that way, too. I'm far more concerned about how people view me as a PERSON than I am about what I choose to cover up my outside with. The world would be a lot better off if people weren't so focused on outer appearance when it's what's on the inside that really matters.
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I agree. I'm 32 now, and I am a single parent of 2 boys. But I loooove designer bags! Unfortunately, I have champagne taste on a beer budget, & can only afford preloved bags for a fraction of the original price. I don't buy the bags so people will look at me, I just truly appreciate the beautiful leathers & elegant designs. It's also nice to treat myself for working as hard as I do. And I'm forever ruined now, because I can't go back to generic handbags!

Sent from my SM-G900P using PurseForum mobile app
 
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