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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?

#151
post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does anyone know of a Darn Tough Socks equivalent for blue jeans? I only get 6 months - 2 years out of mine.

Have you gone down the fancy selvedge denim route? A lot of that stuff is overbuilt and might make you happy.

My pants could, at one point, stand on their own. I bought rather heavy denim, because I wanted to be kept warm (or at least keep the wind at bay) during the winter. I don't remember how long ago I bought them. I try to be nice to my jeans; even considering that, it's a far cry from parents' 18-24 months of use as my Naked and Famous jeans pass through grade-school-age.

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

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure i'll be downvoted for this, but I think that this was solved for men many generations ago with the implementation of the a uniform, uniform. We're not in a time in history where this is considered an acceptable solution for women, as we (species) are all about expressing individuality.

School uniforms and strong dress codes are great equalizers in schools too. Uniforms aren't given the respect they deserve.

This comes down to a striking difference between what we might call "fashion" norms and "formality" norms that's often lost on people who don't naturally conform to either.

It's semi-widely understood that fashion norms are purposefully exclusionary, that changing routinely and unpredictably imposes ongoing costs that keep outgroups out.

"Formality" norms are not like this. They don't tend to change particularly quickly (though which norm is preferred in a given "context" can change if the context flip-flops), and they're not normally intended to be hard to "follow". They substitute for formal induction as a way to signal that, yes, while I don't actually know any of you, I share enough basic culture with you that we can reasonably expect to be communicating with other in ways that we both know how to deal with. (This is something you get to feel strongly when you try to work your way into doing business with people with whom you don't share enough basic culture to reasonably expect to be communicating on the same wavelength.)

And yes, some people do get left out that the rigors of the norm, but the alternative to having formality norms isn't that everyone is now willing to deal with everyone else. If people aren't openly advertising what social protocols they're ready to speak, you're still going to have to negotiate them once you get to the meeting, with substantial chance of failure. The alternative looks more like refusing to deal with people who you can't find someone you trust to vouch for, which, well, is indeed what tends to happen when trying to do business cross-culturally.

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

#153
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 buy very, very few items of clothing. I hold on to things as long as I can.

And yet, every few years, I'll still have a few garbage bags filled with clothes that I need to dispose of. It may no longer fit me, in which case it might be suitable for donation, or it may have been damaged in some way that isn't feasible to repair.

Reducing use is great, but the only way to never need to dispose of clothes is to never buy any clothes.

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

#154
In my opinion, the best way to dispose of Old cloth is to either sell it to the second hand market or give it to someone else. It's a waste to just throw away old clothes. Now second-hand goods trading is actually more popular than before, especially during the epidemic period, supply chain crisis, more and more people are willing to buy second-hand goods and clothes.

Based on a report from CouponBirds, sales in the used market are expected to reach $54 billion in 2022, up more than 50% from $35 billion in 2021. The US second-hand market is set to double to $82 billion by 2026, 16 times faster than the overall fashion retail market.

Selling to second-hand dealers and donating, this is the best way I can think of to dispose of old clothes.

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

#155
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…

In europe there are companies like MOMOX that allow you to sell to and buy from used clothes.

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

#156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My 4-yr old kid calls them "broken-down t-shirts" - very useful to have a bag of them in the kitchen and bathroom for spills and messes. Before I was always torn between wasting a dishcloth or using a load of paper kitchen towel which might disintegrate.

I was torn by whether or not to comment on any wordplay

Purely accidental!

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

#157
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Merino wool is great for this.

in the heat, I wouldn't want thick merino wool on. and in my experience, any thin thread 100 ones don't last that long even when babied. I do like thicker ones for the winter as base layers though

In hot (and humid) environments I refuse wear anything except merino or linen. Both dry really quickly even in the lightest of breeze. Merino doesn't even smell if you sweat, just hang it outside overnight and it's good to go.

Everything else is just a sweat sponge. Even the fanciest plastic tech materials don't work as well as merino.

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

#158
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

I currently own 3 merino T-shirts, one merino hoodie, a few pairs of bamboo and merino underwear, two identical pairs of jeans and a bunch of identical socks.

The hoodie is a bit over 5 years old and still in daily use. The jeans are about the same age and I wear them on alternate weeks and don't wash them unless it's necessary.

The socks I throw away as soon as they wear through (just single socks, they're all the same). When I run out of socks for my regular wash cycle, I throw them all away and buy a 7-12 pack of new identical ones.

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

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sure i'll be downvoted for this, but I think that this was solved for men many generations ago with the implementation of the a uniform, uniform. We're not in a time in history where this is considered an acceptable solution for women, as we (species) are all about expressing individuality.

> I'm sure i'll be downvoted for this, but I think that this was solved for men many generations ago with the implementation of the a uniform, uniform. The range of variations in acceptable men's dress may be much narrower, and men may be less likely to be viewed negatively for consistently choosing near-identical points within the range, but there are pretty specific expectations for men which change over time and i…

I once wore some very relaxing Indian pants to work, and would get stopped in the hallway with comments like “Wow, those pants are so.. it’s amazing men can wear these things!” — it was meant positively, encouraging, andbefuddled, but I didn’t wear them for attention.
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