The fix is easy:
Don’t buy new clothes from fast fashion brands or stores.
If you only buy quality from small stores and independent designers you still get the same quality you got 15 years ago. Sure it’s 2-3 times the price but it’s worth it.
It feels easier to me: buy second hand, look for natural fibers, take care of your garments (wash according to tag, don’t use fabric softeners or dryer sheets).
Learning to mend isn’t too bad either, especially with fabrics that are sturdier.
I don’t know how to mend at all - but I have an excellent tailor in my neighbourhood who mends stuff like jeans and shirts for me for a reasonable price. Also I love his little shop so I’m happy to pay a bit extra to support that business!
That’s awesome! I love community solutions. I recently moved out to a more rural area so places like that aren’t as walkable as my old place in the city - we had a sustainable store with refillable soaps, detergent, etc; a good half dozen hair places, a local yarn and slewing shop that doubles as a place for people in the refugee community to learn techniques and get assistance; there’s also food co-ops, community garden, etc.
It’s all been really cool to see as it grows, and while I’m sad to have moved away, it also gives me an opportunity to find and form new communities.
I try to buy my clothes from shops that sell to the trades/safety gear (e.g. brands like "Hard Yakka", although I guess that brand probably doesn't exist outside of Australasia). Most of these shops do a good line of cargo pants/shorts.
But where does one get jeans that were made of the non-stretch denim that we use to get in the 1980s? That stuff was as thick as a tarpaulin (for those of us who are younger, tarpaulins used to be made of fabric, not plastic).
Stretch denim drives me insane. Not only is it much thinner and more fragile it's also just straight up a time bomb. Given enough time the elastic just deteriorates and you get super weird wrinkles all over. Not to mention that pants that fit just fine in the morning need a belt in the afternoon because the whole thing stretches out.
If you only buy quality from small stores and independent designers you still get the same quality you got 15 years ago. Sure it’s 2-3 times the price but it’s worth it.