We're in the Golden Age of Garbage Clothing

I still prefer to avoid it entirely, mostly for health reasons, but also because it's never felt good on me. These days I simply won't buy something unless it's made of cotton, wool, or silk, manufactured in US, Europe, or Japan.

Needless to say I don't buy many new clothes. Thanks to second hand sellers in Japan, I don't have to.

50 years ago, rent was a lower proportion of the weekly budget, food, clothing, household goods etc were higher.

Now it's basically all rent/mortgage/land cost and people expect to be able to spend 2% of their budget on clothes which obviously results in endless plastic crap. It's no different in other areas of consumer goods, see smart TVs, phones that go obsolete after two years, etc.

Meanwhile, recently bought t-shirts last about 10-20 cycles tops before they are worn out completely, regardless of the price paid. Of course there are still large quality differences, but you realy have to check the fabric, not the brandne or pricetag.

My most recent good plain Ts came in a 3 pack for 10€, an are much higher quality than an A tier brand one that I had to buy in an emergency for 30€.

Of course the root of the problem is inflation which is a result of debasement of the money, a consequence of unrestrained (federal) government spending.

My older socks of the same price and (seemingly visible) quality from 10+ years still have nylon going strong.

I've had to adapt to this by now rolling my socks together before putting them in the drawer, instead of bundling them, as I have done for these past X decades.