Must be why they're making clothes so crappy they start to look like shit after just a few washes. Gotta keep the cycle going. I'm looking at you stretchy jeans, flannel shirts that pill too quickly, and clothing that collects stains with little more than a dirty glance.
I haven't found that to be true. Where are you shopping lately? I've long been a Banana Republic fan, but I can see the future of that may be changing. The overpriced pants that I've bought the Banana have tended to be a good value over time as they were durable and low care (lots of wrinkle free apparrel). Recently, though I've found Target has got their stuff together and I'm finding they are definitely my go to for pants, especially jeans.
Every Tee shirt I own has a logo of some sort on it from an event where the shirt was free. Pants, work shirts, good socks, etc I buy quality that lasts. I get mocked that I own so little clothing. But it all fits, it all works for me and it lasts longer than I will. The Duluth commercials make me retch. Is the clothing any good at all or is it just a brand?
I'm not a delicate flower, and I tend to just jump in and do shit, instead of going home and changing into "the right clothes" first. So I have worn Carhartt for years. But they have the same size problems (generally) as most clothing manufacturers. When you get bigger sizes, all they are is scaled up proportionally. So if you are a fat dude, and buy a shirt that goes around your middle, the arms hang down to your knees. Duluth stuff actually fits human beings that are not models. And it lasts well. And has fantastic utility... like reinforced waistbands, deep pockets, and pockets of logical size/location. I'm a Duluth guy now. Depending on how the weight loss goes, I may become more of a Carhartt guy again, but I just like that Duluth makes stuff for real people.
They brand themselves as workwear... and for that purpose it is mostly just branding. The weave on the FireFlex stuff is pretty tight and holds up ok, but the flexy shirts I have shed buttons like crazy and the plain ol' pants material is much looser woven than Carhartt or Roundhouse. The DWR coating lasts as long as any other, definitely not a lifetime thing. I really like the cut of their stuff, it allows for lots of movement. But my stock is getting replaced with Carhartt or Roundhouse as attrition grinds ever onward.The Duluth commercials make me retch. Is the clothing any good at all or is it just a brand?
Clothing is decent, the underware is good fits a little better then ex-officio and the material isn’t shittified yet. The fire hose pants are pretty durabile, I found the fit isn’t super for long walks but good enough for working in. Prices are reasonable. As for shirts I really like unmarked cotton tees from uniqlo, cheaper then my gap ones and better quality
Way to bury the lede. Banana Republic - Gap - Old Navy. Anthropologie - Free People - Urban Outfitters. Ruehl - Abercrombie - Hollister. You find your vendors in China, you pay them pennies, then you distribute their wares based on how much it sucks. That 30 cent t-shirt? If it sucks, it's an Old Navy shirt, sold for $5. If it kind of sucks, it's a $14 shirt at Gap. If it only sort of sucks, it's a $30 shirt at Banana Republic. And then you act surprised when H&M buys the same shirt from the same vendor and charges $4 for it. I buy mine at the outlet mall for $18. If you're going to sell me $60 jeans for $18, I'm going to buy them. I'm also going to stop paying $60. Forever. I have thrown about $400 at Stitch Fix for my wife. The items there are better than anything we can find. We also pay nearly full retail. They always fit. The more exclusive malls and stores in Los Angeles offer free personal shopping (a bored housewife follows you around and tells you how fabulous you look). The growth, as always, is at the high end because that's where the value add is. I mixed a conversation last night of people saying that if you can buy it at Macy's, it's not worth buying. Then they started talking about how much it costs to take a helicopter to the Hamptons. It doesn't cost Hermes $15k to make a Birkin. They probably make $14k profit on each bag. How many t-shirts does it take the Gap to match that?There’s been general deflation in the clothing industry. Apparel has become cheaper to make in recent years, especially as more production shifts to less expensive labor markets.
Take a pair of men’s Levi’s 501 original-fit jeans. The price of this wardrobe staple used to steadily climb, but no longer. They cost $58 in 2009, then rose to $64 three years later, only to fall back down to $59.50 last year.
Stitch Fix Inc., an e-commerce clothing seller that was founded in 2011, has been an exception. The retailer pairs algorithms and data to select customized outfits for its subscribers, giving shoppers a feeling of personalization and an easy, at-home experience. The company had its debut on the Nasdaq Stock Market in November, and the shares have gained 34 percent.