Americans are spending less on clothing
bloomberg.com
Americans are spending less on clothing
1–10 of 344 posts
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#2I think a major contributor that isn't pointed out in the article is that clothes can last forever. I haven't needed to step into a department store in over two years not because I don't want to but because I don't need to. I wear the same clothes year-round and they have worked for the last 3-4 years before they even start to show wear. The only thing I need are new shoes and socks. Heck now with microfiber underwear those last forever too.
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#3I think a major contributor that isn't pointed out in the article is that clothes can last forever. I haven't needed to step into a department store in over two years not because I don't want to but because I don't need to. I wear the same clothes year-round and they have worked for the last 3-4 years before they even start to show wear. The only thing I need are new shoes and socks. Heck now with microfiber underwea…
Flip side I’ve been trying to buy new clothes but everything out there seems to be poorly cut or nothing but slim/althletic fit. If I go big and tall they’re also disproportionate. These games shirts I have from a couple years ago are perfect. The ones they sell now are horrible.
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#4What's the data for Europe and Asia like?
I'm wondering if this might be cultural.
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#5I think a major contributor that isn't pointed out in the article is that clothes can last forever. I haven't needed to step into a department store in over two years not because I don't want to but because I don't need to. I wear the same clothes year-round and they have worked for the last 3-4 years before they even start to show wear. The only thing I need are new shoes and socks. Heck now with microfiber underwea…
Higher end clothes last longer. However, what is availably priced for most people are poorly made clothes that will last a year if they don't fall apart in the wash before then.
Take a look at what's available at Kohl's, Walmart, Old Navy etc and you will see what I mean.
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#6I remember the thrift stores in the US are full of second hand clothing that might as well have been all new or maybe worn once. And as a Dutch person I was amazed how much perfectly fine clothing was disposed of. Especially since I usually wear things till they break in some manner.
Actually there was a lot more well fitting clothing (mainly shirts) in the thrift places than in the actual clothing stores. Not to mention pants... for a Dutch person looking for pants in a US store is a no go apparently, it's all far to tiny...
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#7Maybe I just live in a weird place. But I see a lot less branding when I walk around town compared to 20 years ago. My sister has 17 year old twin girls and they pretty much refuse to wear anything that makes them a "walking billboard".
I live close to the university of Oregon and when I was in high school it was all Nike clothes all over campus. Now I still see some but not nearly as much. It is like "Likes" instead of logos is what makes the kids cool now.
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#8European here: when visiting my company HQ I was surprised how casual Americans dress for work. I am not saying devs should wear suit and tie, nothing like that, but even my bosses boss* was wearing what looked like a rumpled sweater with worn out jeans. And I don't mean like fashion statement rumpled and worn out, more like the "great depression" crumpled and worn out. Jules and Vincent in their new t-shirts would fit in perfectly. Another thing I noticed was the absolute lack of color and variation in the outdoor clothing, at least in the morning at Manhattan, almost everyone - men and women - was wearing dark blue or black, no exceptions.
*EDIT: clarification - I am talking about a VP in a $1b company.
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#9European here: when visiting my company HQ I was surprised how casual Americans dress for work. I am not saying devs should wear suit and tie, nothing like that, but even my bosses boss* was wearing what looked like a rumpled sweater with worn out jeans. And I don't mean like fashion statement rumpled and worn out, more like the "great depression" crumpled and worn out. Jules and Vincent in their new t-shirts would f…
tbh you'll find a similar culture of casual dress in the UK too, depending on what industry you are in. Corporate IT and finance companies can mostly be "business casual", but venture into the media/creative industries, along with the usual tech companies and startups, it's mostly wear whatever you want.
Re: Americans are spending less on clothing
#10European here: when visiting my company HQ I was surprised how casual Americans dress for work. I am not saying devs should wear suit and tie, nothing like that, but even my bosses boss* was wearing what looked like a rumpled sweater with worn out jeans. And I don't mean like fashion statement rumpled and worn out, more like the "great depression" crumpled and worn out. Jules and Vincent in their new t-shirts would f…
The neon ski jacket colors seem to have some amount of popularity with tech types.
I do think that there's some deeper truth to your "great depression" comment. As an older millennial, the last major recession left some scars. Most of the outfits I wear cost well under 0.10% of my annual income and I rarely replace anything unless it literally has holes in it.