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What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

theatlantic.com

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Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#111

Post by jamiek88 »

mandevil wrote: post #98
trgn wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Still, are you suggesting that clothes should be kept forever? Fair point! > Because whether you're talking about someone who discards entire wardrobes at the end of every season I would assume these people buy high-end garments, and you'll find more boutique second hand stores that will take it. I suspect, if somebody is that devoted to fashion, it's more of a hobby or a passion, and I think we're all allowed a fe…

If you RtFA, you would see that she considers resellers, and points out that most clothes that are fashionable- especially for women, who are always judged more harshly in this sort of situation- don't hold up to wear and washing very well. One of the categories is specifically described as "ultra-cheap items that obviously wouldn’t survive machine washing but that would cost more to dry-clean than they did to buy."…

My wife struggles with the social expectations on womens dress.

She’s a geeky engineer at heart just like you and me.

Shed happily cycle through the same few things but even as a scientist and health care provider not working in, say, marketing she gets judged hard on her clothes.

It’s cost her promotions.

It sucks and thank you for recognizing one of our subconscious privileges.

Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#112

Post by bombcar »

pharmakom wrote: post #103
trgn wrote: post #22

> There is simply no easy, universal guidance for the most Earth-friendly or hassle-free or socially good way for you to dispose of your old clothes But there is. In fact, the answer is right in the setup of the article. > For much of American history [...] most of the population considered the endless accumulation of material goods unseemly, Basically, don't buy so many clothes to begin with. And then you don't have…

Totally agree with this. The challenge I have though is that I don’t know what I will end up wearing loads. If I buy multiples the I risk over buying and creating waste. If I buy one I risk it being discontinued. I try to buy quality so that the chance of resale (not landfill) is higher.

Buy early in the product cycle and decide before it’s clearanced out.

Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#113

Post by unlikelymordant »

vidanay wrote: post #110
OJFord wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I only really buy clothes as needed when I've lost them to wear, but what frustrates me is when that wear is seemingly just washing. Cotton polo shirts seem to shrink like anything; I'm only washing at 30 degC. Something about the looser weave? Cotton shirts last far longer, and I lose them to collar/cuff wear, not shrinkage. (I do actually have some a few collars and shirts which take detachable collars, before some…

Clothing shrinkage typically comes from the dryer, not the washer.

I find most of the wear e.g. collar wear also comes from the drier. Line drying seems to keep shirts in good condition much longer.

Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#114

Post by nickff »

OJFord wrote: post #109
trgn wrote: post #22

> There is simply no easy, universal guidance for the most Earth-friendly or hassle-free or socially good way for you to dispose of your old clothes But there is. In fact, the answer is right in the setup of the article. > For much of American history [...] most of the population considered the endless accumulation of material goods unseemly, Basically, don't buy so many clothes to begin with. And then you don't have…

I only really buy clothes as needed when I've lost them to wear, but what frustrates me is when that wear is seemingly just washing. Cotton polo shirts seem to shrink like anything; I'm only washing at 30 degC. Something about the looser weave? Cotton shirts last far longer, and I lose them to collar/cuff wear, not shrinkage. (I do actually have some a few collars and shirts which take detachable collars, before some…

My understanding is that detachable collars are that way to allow for starching (which is quite uncommon these days), as well as certain styles which are otherwise difficult to create. Many people wear shirts that have differently-colored collars for stylistic reasons, men's dress shirts like this are called 'banker's shirts', so I don't think this is socially taboo.

Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#115

Post by 1vuio0pswjnm7 »

"The garment industry has a vested interest in ensuring that the rest of us think of clothing as disposable, or at least mutable. This is especially true of fast-fashion companies, but it's also true for luxury brands, even if they market their products with the promise that they'll last a lifetime."

Responsible journalism. +1

Currently trying out some "guaranteed for life" hiking socks made in Vermont. No doubt some HN readers will guess the brand. Feeling like maybe I will come to regret it later as they are so densely woven that they neither stretch nor breathe as much as non-guaranteed socks and they take a longer time to dry. But imagine a sock company (hosiery) that sells socks as a "lifetime subscription" that can be fully paid-up at time of purchase and recycles old socks that people send them. This is far better than "fast fashion". Honestly I have no idea if this company recycles old socks, if that is even possible, or if it truly honours the "lifetime guarantee", but their popularity has gotten me thinking.

Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#116

Post by denimnerd42 »

ezfe wrote: post #28
pwinnski wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

100% agree on reducing! Still, are you suggesting that clothes should be kept forever? Because whether you're talking about someone who discards entire wardrobes at the end of every season, or someone who rotates the same very-few items until they no longer fit, at some point people still need to do something with old clothes.

Yeah, and if you're disposing of few clothes, then throwing them away isn't unreasonable.

throwing away worn out clothes that don’t make good rags is my go to.

Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#117

Post by tingletech »

tingletech wrote: post #87

I learned how to do a so called amish knot at the Oakland Public Library last month. The materials were discarded clothes, sheets, and other cloth. As well as plastic bags and I think there was some plastic cord. It was pretty cool, I only made a small little roundish mat, but you could turn old cloths and plastic bags into little rugs with the technique pretty easily. The woman who was teaching it also noted that it…

why not fix or recycle old clothes?

Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#118

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

donatj wrote: post #36

Is this a problem everyone has? This is a problem my wife has, and a cause of arguments amongst us. I wear clothes until I get a hole in it. Classically this would be when I would throw it out. I thought this was a waste of money and I have learned to darn (from an HN post no less) - I do not buy clothes until there I a serious gap in my collection, and even then it's usually because my wife has dragged me to the sto…

> and I have learned to darn (from an HN post no less)

Could you possibly provide a pointer? I've been meaning to learn exactly this.

Re: What are you supposed to do with old clothes?

#119

Post by imiller »

1vuio0pswjnm7 wrote: post #115

"The garment industry has a vested interest in ensuring that the rest of us think of clothing as disposable, or at least mutable. This is especially true of fast-fashion companies, but it's also true for luxury brands, even if they market their products with the promise that they'll last a lifetime." Responsible journalism. +1 Currently trying out some "guaranteed for life" hiking socks made in Vermont. No doubt some…

I have 2500+ hard miles on their socks, used the warranty, and highly recommend both the company and the socks.
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