Paying a high price for items made in China

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Sweet Fire

Sweet Fire

Beauty & Class Unite
O.G.
Oct 13, 2012
2,384
251
#1
I was in Marciano yesterday and saw a couple things I liked but for some reason I didn't want to pay the price because it was made in China. $150 for a shirt made in China just didn't sit right with me. I'm starting to feel if I'm going to buy clothes made in China, I might as well just shop at Forever 21, H&M, etc. Why pay $150 for a blouse made in China...

Anyone else struggle with this?
 
#2
I feel the same too.

Sweet Fire said:
I was in Marciano yesterday and saw a couple things I liked but for some reason I didn't want to pay the price because it was made in China. $150 for a shirt made in China just didn't sit right with me. I'm starting to feel if I'm going to buy clothes made in China, I might as well just shop at Forever 21, H&M, etc. Why pay $150 for a blouse made in China...

Anyone else struggle with this?
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#5
Sweet Fire said:
I was in Marciano yesterday and saw a couple things I liked but for some reason I didn't want to pay the price because it was made in China. $150 for a shirt made in China just didn't sit right with me. I'm starting to feel if I'm going to buy clothes made in China, I might as well just shop at Forever 21, H&M, etc. Why pay $150 for a blouse made in China...

Anyone else struggle with this?
Click to expand...

You really believe that all clothing made in a particular country is of the exact same quality? You truly believe that?
 
#6
Sweet Fire said:
I was in Marciano yesterday and saw a couple things I liked but for some reason I didn't want to pay the price because it was made in China. $150 for a shirt made in China just didn't sit right with me. I'm starting to feel if I'm going to buy clothes made in China, I might as well just shop at Forever 21, H&M, etc. Why pay $150 for a blouse made in China...

Anyone else struggle with this?
Click to expand...

I thought it was just me!!

In my experience, it is all been made the same way. From a pair of jeans from forever 21 to a blouse from kate spade, they quality of items made is china (imo) is subpar. They rip easily, pill, etc.

But thats just my opinion and what ive concluded from my experiences.
 
#7
Huh. It's funny. I checked my closet for two shirts I have that were both made in China.

One is a blouse from Saks's private label. I have no idea how much it retailed for since I bought it secondhand, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was in the $150 range or more. It's 100% silk, a thick, impossibly smooth charmeuse. The color is vibrant. It's well tailored, with double stitching at the seams and a good amount of fabric left as a seam allowance. It drapes well on and all cutting and stitching is symmetrical.

photo3.jpg


The other is a shirt from some brand called Attention. Again, I bought it secondhand (at a garage sale) but I would guarantee it originated at a fast-fashion store. It's 100% polyester. The material is incredibly lightweight and transparent; the dyes are somewhat muted. They skimped on material since the shirt is really too short for anyone to reasonably wear. There is hardly any fabric left as a seam allowance or used to make a hem, and the front hem is asymmetrical--it runs at a diagonal along my waist. There are loose threads all over the place. It doesn't drape very well and bunches up when I wear it.

photo.jpg


Both made in China.
 
#8
Well all of the following brands have factories in china....

Coach
Armani
D&G
Juicy couture
dooney bourke
Miu Miu
prada
Burberry
Versace
And many more...

Not all of these designer things are made in china but some are, don't be surprised if you spend much more then $150 for made in china goods.

But then is made in India, sri Lanka any better....
 
#9
The quality should be different according to the quality control of the manufacturer. This means you can have excellent quality or lousy quality from China. Let us not forget that China is the source of some of the world's finest consumer goods and craftsmanship, from textiles to carved gemstones, and not only the source of the opposite end of the spectrum.
 
#10
jellyv said:
The quality should be different according to the quality control of the manufacturer. This means you can have excellent quality or lousy quality from China. Let us not forget that China is the source of some of the world's finest consumer goods and craftsmanship, from textiles to carved gemstones, and not only the source of the opposite end of the spectrum.
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I completely agree, manufacturers in a particular country can have different levels of production quality, especially in one as big as China. Ultimately, it depends on how much the brands want to spend on QC and quality material. The cost dictates the quality, because at the end of the day, what matters is the bottom line.
 
#11
I also wanted to note that sometimes it's not the quality issues we should be concerned with - but the factory issues of countries that don't have minimum wage or safety as a top concern. I'm sure everyone saw on the news the deplorable conditions and fire that killed a lot of people in Bangladesh. Today they announced that it was a Gap / Walmart factory that refused to pay extra for safety measures. Very sad.

I would rather pay more knowing that someone gets a good wage and is safe when they go to work.
 
#12
Also as a side note - for me, personally, *everything* that I've purchased made in China has a) fallen apart or b) has not had the longevity of items made in the US, Italy, or France.

Take a few Black label Ralph Lauren items I owned - they seemed to be beautifully designed, then I wore once or twice, had dry cleaned, and I started seeing the stitching coming undone, the fabric bunching up weirdly, the colors fading...

For the record, everything in my closet is now Made in Italy or France. And some of these things have lasted for years and years. I have one Piazza Sempione dress that I have worn twice a month for the past 4 years - looks brand new, and has held up.
 
#13
katran26 said:
I also wanted to note that sometimes it's not the quality issues we should be concerned with - but the factory issues of countries that don't have minimum wage or safety as a top concern. I'm sure everyone saw on the news the deplorable conditions and fire that killed a lot of people in Bangladesh. Today they announced that it was a Gap / Walmart factory that refused to pay extra for safety measures. Very sad.

I would rather pay more knowing that someone gets a good wage and is safe when they go to work.
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Absolutely. But OP is talking about buying everything at Forever 21 or H&M. That just compounds the problem of the race to the bottom.
 
#15
katran26 said:
I also wanted to note that sometimes it's not the quality issues we should be concerned with - but the factory issues of countries that don't have minimum wage or safety as a top concern. I'm sure everyone saw on the news the deplorable conditions and fire that killed a lot of people in Bangladesh. Today they announced that it was a Gap / Walmart factory that refused to pay extra for safety measures. Very sad.

I would rather pay more knowing that someone gets a good wage and is safe when they go to work.
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Yes! This is what concerns me also, not so much the quality. There are plenty of high quality things made in China or elsewhere.
 
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