From Terry Pratchett:
"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness."
I've worn a 15 € supermarket-brand hoodie around the house for about ten years before it started showing any signs of fatigue at the elbows. I've had more expensive, "name brand" articles of clothing wear out after much shorter and lighter use. In between, the absolute worst was a 30-40 € H&M blouse which became two sizes too big after a month.
Fashion brands aren't build for quality. They're built for aesthetic. If given a trade-off between ruggedness and something more frivolous and daring, a fashion brand should pick the latter. That's how they differentiate.
The sibling below mentions Tommy Hilfiger, and it just reminded me that one of the worst pieces of clothing I ever bought was from a Tommy store in New York.
One store that's absolutely worth a visit if you live in NY is the century 21 outlet mall near ground zero. I've been there twice when I attended a conference and you get really good quality clothing for cheap, that was absolutely worth it. Every single one of those lasted a long time.
I too have a hoodie which is probably going on 15 years old now. It's finally started getting faded and looking a bit old but still very much usable, think it came from Walmart when I was visiting the US.
In the same vein I've got an old pair of dirt cheap trainers I bought on another US trip in about 2008, still abosolutely fine and cost under $20. In contrast the expensive pair of converse I bought less than 2 years ago are already falling apart.
[1]https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39533939 [2]https://textileexchange.org/responsible-wool-standard/
> if I know they will last and they are made to my standard
That's exactly the issue. How do you know that as a regular person?
I'm mostly happy with my shirts for example, which I think are made locally in France (but don't know how they source their materials). Their quality seems to be fairly stable, and if I buy them on sale, they're very good value for money.
But with other name brands, it's been more hit and miss. Levi's jeans, for example. One pair has lasted so long, I don't even remember when I've bought it, used it a lot riding a motorbike. Another pair has started thinning between the thighs in maybe two years of lighter use (going to the office or out around town), and it's never even been close to my bike.
> I've yet to find anything outerwear(hoodies, jeans, shorts etc) made to my standard that is less than $100, I'm not sure it's possible if you include responsible sourcing.
I'm absolutely fine with paying more for garments that last. What I hate, is paying a ton and ending up with poor quality.
If you would be able to articulate what you look for in a quality garment, I'm sure a lot of people would be more than happy to read on it.
Doc Martens for footwear if you like boots; they're mendable.
Tilly's shirts have held up surprisingly well for me but I think they carry Dickies stuff there anyway.
Dryers degrade most clothing and cause pilling. Avoid them and hang dry wherever possible.
They don't even fit the same! One is clearly larger, whereas the other was skin-tight when new. One seems somewhat thicker than the other.
....or not and it will fall apart just as quick if not quicker.
I wish if it was just "pay us extra and it will last longer"
Interesting, is there some sort of desiccant, or active drying method involved?
What I have noticed is that when I do this, my clothes no longer develop a mildewy smell if I forget them sitting wet. They still come out smelling clean (i.e. not smelling.)
What categories of "stuff" do you see as something that could last 100 years?
Houses fall apart quickly without maintenance: when roofs fail, or moisture gets in through other means, you get mold and other problems. Plumbing problems can also cause a lot of destruction. Also, earthquakes will quickly topple houses made of brick and stone.
>books and good quality paper,
Lots of books don't have good quality paper, and it falls apart after a few decades. It might not be such a problem now, but a lot of latter-20th-century books have fallen apart because of this.
>bicycle frames (metal)
Steel bike frames rust, and both steel and aluminum frames can have welds break because of the stresses of riding and use. However, most of the money in a decent bicycle is in the wheels and components, not the frame, unless you have a high-end bike (carbon fiber), and these all wear out with use.
>good quality furniture
Highly susceptible to water damage, even from drinks. Finishes get beat up with use. Wood warps with moisture changes. Solid wood furniture without veneers is probably best for avoiding ugly damage from use, but warps easier, and costs a lot.
>paintings
These only last because people are really careful with them. Even so, to be really kept in good shape they need highly controlled conditions: ask any art museum.
>anything made of glass or metal.
Glass stuff is easily broken from use.
And I need to read it.
For those curious. Hang drying alone is a much smaller part of effort and gets you a lot closer to having your clothes not wear out prematurely.
I recently got into sewing, turns out it's a very good way to learn how to recognise good quality clothes. It's also a very good way to recycle old adult clothes into brand new clothes for children. Highly recommend to any nerd wanting to do some manual labour away for the computer.
[0] French brand, all sorts https://www.loom.fr/
[1] British brand, underwear for men https://bluebuck.net/
Workout clothes are plastic, some T-shirts are plastic too, some are cotton. Socks are cotton or wool. I put them in a bucket of cold water with a detergent made for that (sorry, I don't know the English word for that.) Liquid for wool and socks, powder for the other clothes. Five minutes are enough. Up to here is not worse that putting everything into a washing machine and you can do it in any house.
The tedious part is washing away the soap with cold water. That takes time. I hang the T-shirts and the large clothes and wash them with a hand shower. You need a place to do it without flooding the house. For small clothes and socks, the bathroom sink. Squeeze out water gently by compression, don't twist.
Then I hang them to dry. From here on is the same as with a washing machine. Once they stop dripping water you can put them anywhere. In winter you need either a window in the sun or a source of heat or it will take forever and they'll smell. Don't put them directly on a heater, that would destroy anything plastic quickly. Leave a span.
This is not something that can be done in every house but if you can then clothes will last much longer especially the workout plastic ones. Check the detergents for water temperature, colors, type of fabric, time etc.
Edit: make sure to let air flow somehow because that water in the clothes must get out of the house or you'll get mold especially in some climates.
I don't really take any special care, just put it in the washing machine every now and again.
They use Merino wool, however not very much of their wool is sourced through the Responsible Wool Program(4% as of 2022), so there is a lot of wool in their cloths come from places you may not like how the sheep are treated. Their cotton is around 60% slave free(not bad for a fast fashion brand).
And yes, I know that sounds a lot like Homer and his blue pants.