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Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

nytimes.com

231–240 of 369 posts

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#231
post #5

The collapse of the fashion industry does not mean the clothing industry will collapse. People still need clothing obviously (cheap and of good quality preferably). Also, what do we consider the fashion industry exactly? Most long term clothing trends seem to be dictated by a couple of factors. Consisting of: - practicality. Jeans are good example of this. It's cheap and practical clothing that lasts a long time. - c…

> Fast fashion and the fashion industry as a whole seems incredibly wasteful to me. Buying new clothing because of yearly trends is way to damaging to the enviroment for what it's worth. I don't disagree per se, but I think you could say this about just about any hobby/habit/interest. Is it really necessary? Probably not, but it makes some people happy for whatever reason. How do you draw the line? Some people compla…

Does it make people inherently happy, or does it simply satisfy needs that first had to be awoken by a constant onslaught of ads?

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#232
post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure why this is being downvoted: Finns themselves joke about having no fashion sense, and the stereotypes is guys in sweatpants with a flask of vodka in the back pocket and women with no makeup. Things have improved over the last 20 years, but the contrast to Russia in particular is very noticeable.

These both seem to be stereotypes from decades ago when USSR was still a threat. If you keep up with current events you might have noticed that Finland has become a prominent country in the worldside design and fashion world. I for example have never heard of this kind of joke being said or written anywhere.

What, you've never heard of the "tuulipuku?" That piece of clothing defined the 90's in Finland.

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#233
post #224
post #182

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not effeminate at all. Look up reporter bags, smaller than a messenger bag. Classy, not effeminate. Mostly older men wear them in the UK (I’m on my third) whereas the younger men wear cross-body sports-type bags. Most majors make them. I can completely under the rise because of the increase in phone size. Phone + wallet + headphones + tissues, sanitizers, and a mini Fulton umbrella. Then I’m set :)

Well, I know what a reporter bag is but that's not what I'm talking about. I didn't describe it very well. Usually they're "fanny pack" size, but with a shoulder strap. Very popular in the Philippines, for instance. Not worn so much as a fashion statement, but more as an anti-theft contingency when travelling in crowded spaces or public transportation because they are small enough to swing around and wear the bag acr…

I think I know what you mean - the cross-body bags. Do they run diagonal with the bag somewhere across the chest? They're popular among teenage males in the UK these days.

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#234

So, in the 80s, there was this anti-cassete copying campaign, and they were stickers etc, "Record copying is killing the music industry". And Jello Biafra (iirc), said: "Record copying is killing the music industry - and it's about time!". I'd say the same for the fashion industry - selling crap, made in sweatshops, marked up 10x to 100x, for mindless, environmentally unfriendly consumption based on BS advice of comp…

Exactly, the fashion industry needs a hard stop and to be replaced with a environmentally responsible and ethical approach.

I've almost completely pivoted to wearing classic polo shirts (so much better than t-shirts) and workwear(-derived) pants and shorts. Work pants run the gamut from heavy-duty carpenter/bricklayer-type designs to clean straight-forward chinos and classic men's pants for service staff, waiters and the like. Designs that are clean and decidedly non-flashy, and last for a long time. I also prefer work shirts to dress shirts, I like the thicker softer fabrics, and just like how the collar on a polo shirt is genius in the sun, rolling up the sleeves on a shirt makes it more versatile.

If a specific brand's clothing isn't both comfortable and durable, they simply do not last long in the workwear segment, because word of mouth spreads like wildfire among colleagues.

As a bonus, most workwear is made to be washed at 60 or even 70 degrees C, which means I'll probably never wash it to pieces at 40 degress, unlike some of the more fashionable clothes I used to own.

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#235
post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always believed that the pants are almost meaningless, it's the shirts that need to be different daily. So I used to have 8 pairs of pants, 2 colours total. Black and beige. Then, once a year, I'd go buy 2 more pairs of each colour. On a 'bad' year, I'd buy 4 pairs. EG, I'd rotate the worn out, always only having 8 pairs. This persisted until, 20 years later, the company that sold them went bankrupt. As my gut a…

> Don't wear the same pants for 20-30 years, while you gain your middle-age gut and ass. Just don't. I'm 60 and absolutely fine with the same sizes and basically the same cuts that I've worn for more than 40 years. If something starts squeezing, it's a timely reminder that I need to adjust some behaviour, not a signal to give in and upscale my wardrobe.

I've been out of high school for 35 years, and I still wear the same W/L jeans size I did then.

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#236
post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, but Jeans are part of the collapse now and considered formal for creatives with Levi's down 62% and doing layoffs. I thought "formality" was bizarre as well, but apparently their target demo don't consider the older skinny-jeans, and the new high-waisted mom-jeans to be as comfortable as Lulus... who'd have thunk it? https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/07/28/jeans-sal... I suspect that it's a long term…

I barely buy jeans now because it's hard to find a pair that isn't 10% spandex

Even Levi's is doing it. I was amazed to discover while shopping that they have an entire line of skinny jeans that are part spandex.

Whatever happened to practical, well-wearing clothes for gold miners?

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#237
post #5

The collapse of the fashion industry does not mean the clothing industry will collapse. People still need clothing obviously (cheap and of good quality preferably). Also, what do we consider the fashion industry exactly? Most long term clothing trends seem to be dictated by a couple of factors. Consisting of: - practicality. Jeans are good example of this. It's cheap and practical clothing that lasts a long time. - c…

> Fast fashion and the fashion industry as a whole seems incredibly wasteful to me. Buying new clothing because of yearly trends is way to damaging to the enviroment for what it's worth. I don't disagree per se, but I think you could say this about just about any hobby/habit/interest. Is it really necessary? Probably not, but it makes some people happy for whatever reason. How do you draw the line? Some people compla…

> How do you draw the line?

By representing the environmental externalities of fashion, travel, etc through CO2 taxation.

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#238
post #212
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think plenty of people said that a global pandemic is just a matter of time. Countries had made preparations with varying degrees of success. E.g. Switzerland back in like 2014 did a nationwide preparedness test, identified numerous problems (e.g. insufficient stock of PPE) and created a pandemic strategy. We still ended up in 2020 with doctors having to go to home depot to buy protective glasses because the states…

The US was also prepared for a global pandemic, or at least had a plan.. just a certain person in power decided it was unnecessary.

[dead]

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#239
post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the Europe side of the map, I find the same practicality in clothes when I shop from Finland. They too have all the brands one expects to see, but Finnish people (please any Finn comment/suggest) are super practical when it comes to clothing. Finns and Danes are my idols on simplicity, practicality and a hint of elegance.

Im not sure what you mean here. I think you would do well to seperate the clothing/availability of the capital Helsinki, vs. rest of Finland. Yes, outside of Helsinki and with the older population clothing is very utilitarian and wind-resistant sportsy clothing worn all round the year is common. The biggest seller of clothing items in Finland nationally is a supermarket chain.

Also, out in the countryside, many, many people simply wear workwear most of the day, even after work. It's much higher quality than the cheap garments available in stores like Prisma or Tokmanni.

Re: Sweatpants Forever: How the Fashion Industry Collapsed

#240
post #212
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think plenty of people said that a global pandemic is just a matter of time. Countries had made preparations with varying degrees of success. E.g. Switzerland back in like 2014 did a nationwide preparedness test, identified numerous problems (e.g. insufficient stock of PPE) and created a pandemic strategy. We still ended up in 2020 with doctors having to go to home depot to buy protective glasses because the states…

The US was also prepared for a global pandemic, or at least had a plan.. just a certain person in power decided it was unnecessary.

lol.

to the dead comment, i agree! except i don't really see bernie being an ultra-borderline commie. but i guess that's how you would view someone when the entire "right" calls joe biden a socialist. man if only those labels were actually true of those people.

the entire us system is broken because there are basically only two parties, and the democrats have decided to keep pushing further right because they assume actual leftists will have to vote for them. so i don't really give a shit that you bag on them. they suck.

trump probably would have had the election in the bag if he didn't muck up the pandemic so badly. and that's not my opinion. the polls show it happening. now will trump get a big enough bounce coming back the other way come november? i don't see it, and neither does trump and the gop considering the ways they're trying to basically suppress the general vote. the democrats suck, but the gop are straight up using fascist tactics. he already tried to "suspend" the election so can't wait to see what happens when he loses and he decides that, no, he actually didn't lose. (again assuming polling is right, i guess we'll find out in 2.5 months)

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