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Americans are spending less on clothing

bloomberg.com

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Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#11

Post by B-Con »

tl;dr: They buy less in quantity and value expensive brands less.

This is in line with the "spend money on experiences not stuff" trend we're watching rise in popularity, particularly in the younger generation. People aren't flocking as quickly to flaunt their status via possessions, particularly in clothing. The right $20 shirt can look great and last you forever.

I found a $8 t-shirt and $20 pair of pants that I like. I have a handful of them. They last a while and a topic-specific t-shirt drifts in here and there. I replace socks/underwear every couple years. I already have a suit from past experiences in case I need one. I replace my daily shoes ~annually. I wear the same thing to work and at home. (Disclaimer: I'm a software guy with no interest in fashion.)

Per the stereotype: I'm pretty sure I spend more on streaming services per year than clothes. (Even if you don't count a slice of Prime for the video streaming).

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#13

Post by megaman22 »

darpa_escapee wrote: post #5
Hextinium wrote: post #2

I 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.

It's all in what you buy, though. I have clothes from Walmart I've been wearing daily for nearly a decade - they're Carhart and Dickies jeans and sweatshirts however. That's better runs than I've gotten out of higher-end pants that cost 5x more. But I'll admit, I've no idea how women's clothing compares; men's clothing is blessedly simple and robust and fashions change at glacial paces.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#14

Post by martinsb »

I think this is very good news. Fast fashion leads to resource and people exploitation. This is great that people use their old clothes and refrain from buying new ones for no other reason than the old ones have become unwearable. (edit: typo)

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#15

Post by vostok »

darpa_escapee wrote: post #5
Hextinium wrote: post #2

I 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.

I think that higher end clothing tends to be higher quality, but higher quality is not the same thing as lasting longer.

You can spend tons of money on a S200s suit, but it won't last as long as a cheap poly-wool blend. At a minimum I would suggest that you get two pairs of pants.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#16

Post by radicalbyte »

mrarjen wrote: post #6

I 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 men…

Thrift stores sort and sell. The best stuff goes on to their stores the rest is graded and sold. You see the same thing here in NL charity shops.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#17

Post by jmadsen »

One thing the article missed but for me personally is an important point: the rise of minimalism

I'm not the type of minimalism you write about, but clothes last for ages now & I just don't want lots of stuff. Especially here in Japan we do laundry every day, so I just don't need very many items. Just some comfortable layers, enough to have a little variety, I'm all set.

(I'm leaving in the morning for 2 weeks in Florida. My wife was laughing at how tiny my suitcase is - really just a carry on.

I informed her it was only half full.)

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#18

Post by johnpowell »

B-Con wrote: post #11

tl;dr: They buy less in quantity and value expensive brands less. This is in line with the "spend money on experiences not stuff" trend we're watching rise in popularity, particularly in the younger generation. People aren't flocking as quickly to flaunt their status via possessions, particularly in clothing. The right $20 shirt can look great and last you forever. I found a $8 t-shirt and $20 pair of pants that I li…

About five years ago my mom offered to do my laundry. I lived in a little studio apartment and I had to walk about 10 blocks to the laundromat. She did my laundry all the time since she has a washer and dryer in her house.

So I had six bags of laundry I carried down to her car. I put them on the passengers side but the doors are locked. So I go around to her in the drivers seat and we chat of a bit. And then she comes around to the passengers side to get some groceries for me out.

I run the groceries up to my apartment and look out my window and she is gone. I assume she grabbed my clothes. She did not. She drove off with nearly every article of clothing I owned on the side of her car.

It was pretty much the most devastating thing I have ever experienced. She called me about six hours later and asked where my laundry was. I pretty much only had what I was wearing. Tons of band t-shirts that were 20 years old and can not be replaced.

I am poor...

But for 300 bucks I got going again. 7 pairs of Dickies in different colors. 14 white t-shirts and four different colors of hoodies. And some socks and underwear.

Got the stuff on Amazon so shipping took a while. I was washing my only pair of boxers in my salad spinner. Which actually worked well. The salad spinner is still in use. Some bleach cleaned it right up.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#19

Post by aaronbrethorst »

dandare wrote: post #8

European 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…

Go Banana Slugs.

Re: Americans are spending less on clothing

#20

Post by [deleted] »

B-Con wrote: post #11

tl;dr: They buy less in quantity and value expensive brands less. This is in line with the "spend money on experiences not stuff" trend we're watching rise in popularity, particularly in the younger generation. People aren't flocking as quickly to flaunt their status via possessions, particularly in clothing. The right $20 shirt can look great and last you forever. I found a $8 t-shirt and $20 pair of pants that I li…

[deleted]
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