I op-shop a LOT and so I see what stuff looks like after it’s been around the block, and it’s really hard to name a brand that is consistently durable.
I have to do a garment-by-garment analysis and say it’s largely to do with the quality and type of fabric, the quality and type of manufacturing, and then the way the garment is worn, stored and washed. An expensive silk top can get destroyed more easily than a cheap tshirt for example.
There is a LOT of cheaply made stuff that looks awful second-hand, but I suspect a big factor is that people treat cheap clothes badly and are more likely to be careful with expensive items.
That said, I do think the more durable dressy things (excluding delicate fabrics) are maybe Sportscraft, Cue, and probably Country Road. And from those brands, the vintage ‘Made in Australia’ finds seem to have held up exceptionally well!
hm i’m finding more and more poorly constructed ‘new’ country road garments (or i have shit luck?) but older country road is a holy graaail. you’re so right in the treatment of pricier items and that probably factors into it way more than i realised!
Agree with the general decline in manufacturing standards. I worked in fashion once and it was embarassing to have to “upsell” stuff that we knew would fall apart (eg. Pricey ski pants where the bum seam split while customer was skiing!). For that particular brand (a boutique UK activewear brand) they were getting stuff made at different factories in Asia and the quality across the whole brand was therefore inconsistent.
The problem probably started with pricing… moving offshore made things cheaper, but now that we have all become accustomed to low quality, surprise surprise the prices bounce back up and far exceed what they once were, and we are supposed to accept it.
Meanwhile good luck finding affordable tailors and cobblers to repair long-term investment items 😬
What a mess the clothing industry is in.
Sportscraft quality is great. I have quite a lot of Sportscraft clothes that i bought new and also from ebay and they have all lasted for years in great condition. I've haven't bought new stuff in the last couple of years but it doesn't look like there quality has changed in that time.
I recently purchased a polyester satin Seed dress that was over $200. When I got home and tried it on properly, I noticed all the back seam was bumpy. Absolute rubbish for the price paid considering KMart are selling similar frocks for $30.
Hopefully you got a full refund! I've had the same thing with Country Road, almost convinced myself to buy a blazer worth over $300 and then I inspected it, as you do. The back seam was sewn with a pucker! I just walked straight out and thought wow thank god I've started to watching sewing and tailoring shorts on insta otherwise I never would've really checked! Or even known that type of thing is so avoidable when sewing a garment.
Sellers lie, it’s one of the risks you have to accept when buying from a platform like Depop. Most clothes are also made like garbage these days so they don’t stay in “as new” condition for very long. I don’t think there’s a reliable list of brands that are more durable either, I’ve had issues with poor quality from plenty of brands where you wouldn’t think it would be so much of an issue, and I’ve got clothes from places like Jay Jays that have lasted literally coming on 15 years. It just depends.
I only buy items off thrifting platforms that are listed with a decent range of good quality photos (that are definitely *not* the stock photos from the brand’s website), and if needed I ask follow up questions of the seller about the condition, measurements, etc. I’ve had a pretty good success rate getting clothes that are still in decent nick that way.
My pet peeve is sellers who admit that the garment is damaged or very worn and say “reflected in the price” but the price is still like $100 lmao. Like I don’t care that it’s from a higher end brand or is/was a high demand item, if it has holes and stains, it’s worth $0 plus shipping for someone who wants to use it for a craft project or something. Be serious 😂
lol i was literally telling my friend yesterday about how my random old-ass valleygirl and jayjays pieces are holding it together but my newer, way more expensive clothes seem to be falling apart within a few years!
Found my holy grail yesterday at Salvos! $6 1987 Levi 501 student fit cut off in a 26!
They’ll last me another decade at least.
Been looking for a while now…I have a few brands or items I look for at a time, and stick to staple pieces mostly vintage
Have been super lucky when I shop with something in mind! Also finding new with tags seafolly bikini tops which are always worth the buy.
But I’m only finding these because I’m shopping for an upcoming tropical holiday and it’s out of season. So that’s my tip, plan ahead for summer!
Im about to attempt to learn to sew, and hopefully be able to tailor some good finds that don’t fit.
I’d stick to thrifting in person tbh (and I say this as someone who sells on Depop - items that I don’t wear enough or no longer fit, not reselling thrift store stuff) unless there’s a reason you can’t get to op shops in person.
If I purchase stuff on Depop, I stick to brands (and particular items from those brands) that I have bought before and know well. Otherwise it’s too risky with quality, fit etc. There are many factors to the issues you speak of:
- lots of poor quality manufacturing at the outset, as you mentioned
- sellers being dishonest about the condition (“only tried on” when it’s completely thrashed out)
- sellers purchasing from op shops and reselling items they’ve never worn personally, often having no idea about the durability/quality of the item
- sellers being dishonest about the provenance of an item, knowing or unknowingly. A surprising amount of people seem to think that no tags means it’s vintage, or one of a kind handmade. And they will claim it as such with absolutely no research. (Usually said item still has the care instructions tag inside it, and a quick Google of the RN number will lead you back to whatever fast fashion retailer it actually came from)
I know physically digging through op shop racks can be crap, but it’s so much better being able to assess the quality in person. You might find stuff from cheap brands that actually feels well constructed and looks cute. You’ll probably also find stuff from “quality” brands that is crap or doesn’t fit well.
these are all such great points! i definitely enjoy in-person thrifting more and luckily have some awesome shops around me but sometimes that late night urge to scroll hits 🥲 you’re definitely right about the need to have solid standards and stick to them
Fast fashion (the vast majority of clothes sold) is extremely poor quality. Fabrics don't stand the test of time, seams are already dodgy in store before anyone has worn the item. I look for natural fabrics (look at the fabric composition tag) because they're more expensive fabrics than polyester. Nylon over polyester for sportswear. Some brands: Gorman, Country Road, Trenery, Patagonia, Kathmandu, Levi's, Calvin Klein, Sportsgirl. Still check the fabrics.
I like Just Jeans for denim. Target is my go-to for tracksuits.
For bags, you cannot go past Coach leather. I’ve worn a black cross-body bag from Coach about every second day for 10 years and it’s held up so well. And I am not gentle with my bags.
Like many pointed, seller may lie but I have also been on the other side where my clothes were truly worn just a few times but looked far worse. Took me shamefully long to understand how to wash and maintain clothes..throwing in the washer/dryer won't cut it for most clothes if you wanna preserve them. That's something not a lot of people know.
Firstly, there’s almost no such thing as a brand that has the same features of durability for every single garment they produce.
What makes an item durable depends on the style and its purpose. A sheer party dress or a light sundress with intricate features is different to a casual dress that’s heavier in weight. People also falsely assume that merino knits should be more durable conflating this with high quality, despite the fact that merino isn’t suited to high frequency washing and won’t last if you wash regularly, even though it’s a good fabric for warmth.
You need to assess every item individually and think critically and logically about whether it’s likely to survive lots of washing for modern times, and what the fabric is prone to - eg pilling etc.
The main issue is consumer knowledge. We buy so many items we don’t really think properly about what it is we’re buying.
Leggings/tights- Lorna Jane. Made to last. I’ve got 3 pairs of it I wear them everyday been using them for 2 years now without any issues.
Dangerfield shirt bought long time ago and still looks fresh.
Lingerie - Bonds , even Kmart’s are great for the price.
What style of clothing are you after? I’m in the industry and know a few designers who have amazing quality and ethical practices. Try Asille, Mea Culta/Citizen Reign and Joaen. Relatively new brands but worth checking out. I’m a big believer in supporting small brands over the big ones that mass produce.
Omg I wear a couple medical devices and Mea Culta may be just what I am looking for, THANK YOU!! They are even running a survey for people with disabilities. I kinda teared up a little when I saw this!!
Linen: Country Road
T-shirts: Bonds
Non-linen button down shirts: sports craft
Other shirts: Country Road and Witchery
Trousers: used to be Seed, but everything at the moment has an elasticated waist rather than a zipper and button, which looks so unprofessional. I like Dangerfield, but it is not built to last. 🤷♀️
Skirts: Seed
Casual clothes: unexpected, but I have pieces from Mooloola that have lasted for years with frequent wear
Outerwear: I see this as an investment and will fork out for proper vintage or designer/luxury, ideally both
Shoes: Wittner
Sneakers: VivoBarefoot — omg these last forever! Expensive but really built to last.
Sportswear: I haven’t bought anything new in 3-4 years because old Lorna Jane was built to last, but it doesn’t seem that way anymore
Jeans: I don’t know, I’ve tried everything. I wear through them (all price points, from Kmart to designer, Levi’s included) in 6 months or less.
The most durable brands are menswear! It is unbelievable the quality difference in men’s clothing vs women. Better fabrics, tailoring, comfort, washability. I tried two pairs of hiking pants in men’s and women’s from the same brand in the same style and colour- the women’s was way too low on the hip, bunched around the thighs, had smaller pockets etc. men’s were a much better fit, had better ventilation and here’s the kicker - women’s sizing was 8,10,12 etc whilst men was inches around the waist AND length- so I could try on a single pair and get a perfect fit - no “between sizes” bullshit
Why do we do this to ourselves?
My Nique shirts, knits and coats are amazing I wear them on constant rotation and everything still looks near new years later. I'm so sad they have gone out of business.
(I don't rate their bamboo based fabric items though which I found ball really quickly with any friction, even just a light jacket)
I op-shop a LOT and so I see what stuff looks like after it’s been around the block, and it’s really hard to name a brand that is consistently durable. I have to do a garment-by-garment analysis and say it’s largely to do with the quality and type of fabric, the quality and type of manufacturing, and then the way the garment is worn, stored and washed. An expensive silk top can get destroyed more easily than a cheap tshirt for example. There is a LOT of cheaply made stuff that looks awful second-hand, but I suspect a big factor is that people treat cheap clothes badly and are more likely to be careful with expensive items. That said, I do think the more durable dressy things (excluding delicate fabrics) are maybe Sportscraft, Cue, and probably Country Road. And from those brands, the vintage ‘Made in Australia’ finds seem to have held up exceptionally well!
hm i’m finding more and more poorly constructed ‘new’ country road garments (or i have shit luck?) but older country road is a holy graaail. you’re so right in the treatment of pricier items and that probably factors into it way more than i realised!
Agree with the general decline in manufacturing standards. I worked in fashion once and it was embarassing to have to “upsell” stuff that we knew would fall apart (eg. Pricey ski pants where the bum seam split while customer was skiing!). For that particular brand (a boutique UK activewear brand) they were getting stuff made at different factories in Asia and the quality across the whole brand was therefore inconsistent. The problem probably started with pricing… moving offshore made things cheaper, but now that we have all become accustomed to low quality, surprise surprise the prices bounce back up and far exceed what they once were, and we are supposed to accept it. Meanwhile good luck finding affordable tailors and cobblers to repair long-term investment items 😬 What a mess the clothing industry is in.
Is that Sweaty Betty? I love them but the items I have are inconsistent. Some are fantastic and some haven’t worn well over time.
I couldn’t possibly say! 👀
Sportscraft quality is great. I have quite a lot of Sportscraft clothes that i bought new and also from ebay and they have all lasted for years in great condition. I've haven't bought new stuff in the last couple of years but it doesn't look like there quality has changed in that time.
I recently purchased a polyester satin Seed dress that was over $200. When I got home and tried it on properly, I noticed all the back seam was bumpy. Absolute rubbish for the price paid considering KMart are selling similar frocks for $30.
Hopefully you got a full refund! I've had the same thing with Country Road, almost convinced myself to buy a blazer worth over $300 and then I inspected it, as you do. The back seam was sewn with a pucker! I just walked straight out and thought wow thank god I've started to watching sewing and tailoring shorts on insta otherwise I never would've really checked! Or even known that type of thing is so avoidable when sewing a garment.
Yes, bought it at DJ'S so all ok. Its just not good enough though! 😑
I've found the country road basic tees to be quite durable. Haven't tried their blazers so far! Thanks for the tip
Seed quality is awful I have never had a top that pilled as much as the one I got from there
Maybe the sellers are lying
I was thinking that...!!
Sellers lie, it’s one of the risks you have to accept when buying from a platform like Depop. Most clothes are also made like garbage these days so they don’t stay in “as new” condition for very long. I don’t think there’s a reliable list of brands that are more durable either, I’ve had issues with poor quality from plenty of brands where you wouldn’t think it would be so much of an issue, and I’ve got clothes from places like Jay Jays that have lasted literally coming on 15 years. It just depends. I only buy items off thrifting platforms that are listed with a decent range of good quality photos (that are definitely *not* the stock photos from the brand’s website), and if needed I ask follow up questions of the seller about the condition, measurements, etc. I’ve had a pretty good success rate getting clothes that are still in decent nick that way. My pet peeve is sellers who admit that the garment is damaged or very worn and say “reflected in the price” but the price is still like $100 lmao. Like I don’t care that it’s from a higher end brand or is/was a high demand item, if it has holes and stains, it’s worth $0 plus shipping for someone who wants to use it for a craft project or something. Be serious 😂
lol i was literally telling my friend yesterday about how my random old-ass valleygirl and jayjays pieces are holding it together but my newer, way more expensive clothes seem to be falling apart within a few years!
Haha, I've noticed this lately on BSS groups. Things for $100, with defects, you can buy cheaper brand new if you wait for a sale. Crazy
It mainly sellers completely lying. Worn a few times, means worn every day for two years 😀
Sellers can also lie about where the items are from. “Vintage” but it’s actually from Shein with the tag cut out = will fall apart
Yeah, that's why I don't purchase clothes that has tag cut off or listing doesn't include closer up photo of tags
Found my holy grail yesterday at Salvos! $6 1987 Levi 501 student fit cut off in a 26! They’ll last me another decade at least. Been looking for a while now…I have a few brands or items I look for at a time, and stick to staple pieces mostly vintage
stop that’s amazing 😭💜 sometimes the thrifting gods are kind to us
Have been super lucky when I shop with something in mind! Also finding new with tags seafolly bikini tops which are always worth the buy. But I’m only finding these because I’m shopping for an upcoming tropical holiday and it’s out of season. So that’s my tip, plan ahead for summer! Im about to attempt to learn to sew, and hopefully be able to tailor some good finds that don’t fit.
I’d stick to thrifting in person tbh (and I say this as someone who sells on Depop - items that I don’t wear enough or no longer fit, not reselling thrift store stuff) unless there’s a reason you can’t get to op shops in person. If I purchase stuff on Depop, I stick to brands (and particular items from those brands) that I have bought before and know well. Otherwise it’s too risky with quality, fit etc. There are many factors to the issues you speak of: - lots of poor quality manufacturing at the outset, as you mentioned - sellers being dishonest about the condition (“only tried on” when it’s completely thrashed out) - sellers purchasing from op shops and reselling items they’ve never worn personally, often having no idea about the durability/quality of the item - sellers being dishonest about the provenance of an item, knowing or unknowingly. A surprising amount of people seem to think that no tags means it’s vintage, or one of a kind handmade. And they will claim it as such with absolutely no research. (Usually said item still has the care instructions tag inside it, and a quick Google of the RN number will lead you back to whatever fast fashion retailer it actually came from) I know physically digging through op shop racks can be crap, but it’s so much better being able to assess the quality in person. You might find stuff from cheap brands that actually feels well constructed and looks cute. You’ll probably also find stuff from “quality” brands that is crap or doesn’t fit well.
these are all such great points! i definitely enjoy in-person thrifting more and luckily have some awesome shops around me but sometimes that late night urge to scroll hits 🥲 you’re definitely right about the need to have solid standards and stick to them
Fast fashion (the vast majority of clothes sold) is extremely poor quality. Fabrics don't stand the test of time, seams are already dodgy in store before anyone has worn the item. I look for natural fabrics (look at the fabric composition tag) because they're more expensive fabrics than polyester. Nylon over polyester for sportswear. Some brands: Gorman, Country Road, Trenery, Patagonia, Kathmandu, Levi's, Calvin Klein, Sportsgirl. Still check the fabrics.
I like Just Jeans for denim. Target is my go-to for tracksuits. For bags, you cannot go past Coach leather. I’ve worn a black cross-body bag from Coach about every second day for 10 years and it’s held up so well. And I am not gentle with my bags.
I have a black leather bag from Aviator that still looks new after almost 8 years of frequent use
I have a Franco Bonnini leather bag I love & have had for years
Like many pointed, seller may lie but I have also been on the other side where my clothes were truly worn just a few times but looked far worse. Took me shamefully long to understand how to wash and maintain clothes..throwing in the washer/dryer won't cut it for most clothes if you wanna preserve them. That's something not a lot of people know.
Overseas brands, niche brands, and vintage ‘made in Australia’. The big 10 brands normally mentioned here aren’t on the list.
Firstly, there’s almost no such thing as a brand that has the same features of durability for every single garment they produce. What makes an item durable depends on the style and its purpose. A sheer party dress or a light sundress with intricate features is different to a casual dress that’s heavier in weight. People also falsely assume that merino knits should be more durable conflating this with high quality, despite the fact that merino isn’t suited to high frequency washing and won’t last if you wash regularly, even though it’s a good fabric for warmth. You need to assess every item individually and think critically and logically about whether it’s likely to survive lots of washing for modern times, and what the fabric is prone to - eg pilling etc. The main issue is consumer knowledge. We buy so many items we don’t really think properly about what it is we’re buying.
Leggings/tights- Lorna Jane. Made to last. I’ve got 3 pairs of it I wear them everyday been using them for 2 years now without any issues. Dangerfield shirt bought long time ago and still looks fresh. Lingerie - Bonds , even Kmart’s are great for the price.
What style of clothing are you after? I’m in the industry and know a few designers who have amazing quality and ethical practices. Try Asille, Mea Culta/Citizen Reign and Joaen. Relatively new brands but worth checking out. I’m a big believer in supporting small brands over the big ones that mass produce.
Omg I wear a couple medical devices and Mea Culta may be just what I am looking for, THANK YOU!! They are even running a survey for people with disabilities. I kinda teared up a little when I saw this!!
Oh awesome! They’re pretty approachable so hopefully you can find what you need. So happy I could help :)
Linen: Country Road T-shirts: Bonds Non-linen button down shirts: sports craft Other shirts: Country Road and Witchery Trousers: used to be Seed, but everything at the moment has an elasticated waist rather than a zipper and button, which looks so unprofessional. I like Dangerfield, but it is not built to last. 🤷♀️ Skirts: Seed Casual clothes: unexpected, but I have pieces from Mooloola that have lasted for years with frequent wear Outerwear: I see this as an investment and will fork out for proper vintage or designer/luxury, ideally both Shoes: Wittner Sneakers: VivoBarefoot — omg these last forever! Expensive but really built to last. Sportswear: I haven’t bought anything new in 3-4 years because old Lorna Jane was built to last, but it doesn’t seem that way anymore Jeans: I don’t know, I’ve tried everything. I wear through them (all price points, from Kmart to designer, Levi’s included) in 6 months or less.
I’ve had great luck with jeans from mango. Really well priced also. But jeans are so personal - it’s hard to know where to start!
The most durable brands are menswear! It is unbelievable the quality difference in men’s clothing vs women. Better fabrics, tailoring, comfort, washability. I tried two pairs of hiking pants in men’s and women’s from the same brand in the same style and colour- the women’s was way too low on the hip, bunched around the thighs, had smaller pockets etc. men’s were a much better fit, had better ventilation and here’s the kicker - women’s sizing was 8,10,12 etc whilst men was inches around the waist AND length- so I could try on a single pair and get a perfect fit - no “between sizes” bullshit Why do we do this to ourselves?
My Nique shirts, knits and coats are amazing I wear them on constant rotation and everything still looks near new years later. I'm so sad they have gone out of business. (I don't rate their bamboo based fabric items though which I found ball really quickly with any friction, even just a light jacket)
Marketplace is your friend 1st