The US Trade Representative’s office recently tweeted that they wanted to do Restores apparel manufacturing To the US. Whether it’s historically in the US or even in places like Bangladesh today, why do everyone want more jobs with longer hours and low wages? In part, the true prices of clothing have dropped dramatically due to international trade (see diagram below). Clothing spending has dropped 9-10% of household budget in the 1960s (From 14% in 1900) to about 3% today.
Apparently not everyone agrees. Some reactions to my tweets revealed a basic economics misconception, but one interesting counterargument came up. The low prices of imported clothing were a false bargain.
That’s what the idea is that the quality of the clothing has declined Very common (It is worth noting that this complaint was also made. Over 50 years agosuggesting nostalgia prejudice, like the fact that today’s children always go to hell). But are there any reliable statistics that document quality degradation? In some cases, there are! For example, jeans from the 1960s to 80s were often 13-16 oz denimcompared to today’s 9-11 oz. According to Some sourcesaverage clothing life is decreasing modestly. The statistical evidence is not big, but the anecdotes are widespread and I accept them. Most sources date the decline in quality of fast fashion trends that occurred in the 1990s and provide clues as to what is actually happening.
Headed by companies like Zara, Fast Fashion is a business model focused on rapidly transforming street style and runway trends that rapidly transform into mass-produced, low-cost clothing, from runways to storage within weeks. This model is not about timeless style, but about synchronous consumption. Align production with short-lived cultural signals.
It’s pointless to criticize fast fashion for lack of durability. By design, it is not intended to last. Making it durable is actually a waste. The product is not just clothing. the Fashionable clothes. And in that sense, Quality has been improved: Fast fashion is better than ever to offer the present. Critics lamenting the decline in quality miss the point. Buying new clothes is fun. If consumers want to buy new clothes, it makes no sense to produce lasting clothes. People own more clothing than they do today, but the flow is fun.
So my point is that the decline in ‘quality’ clothing has little to do with the transition to import, but instead is consumer-driven and better understood as an improvement in fashion quality. It’s not difficult to test my theory. Consider clothing where functionality is paramount, not just fashion. Performance Sportswear and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
There were significant improvements to functional clothing. The latest Goretex Jacketfor example, it is more than five times as water resistant (28,000 mm hydrostatic head), breathable (!) and lightweight, compared to the best waxed cotton technology of the past (~5,000 mm). Or take into consideration Polartec Originally developed for the military, winter jackets have the incredible properties of releasing heat when active, but retain it when inactive. (In the past, mountaineers and workers in extreme circumstances were Prevents overheating Or freeze while exerting effort or rest. ) Amazing new Super Shoes It can actually help runners run faster! Now it’s of high quality. Personal protective equipment is also undergoing a dramatic increase in quality. Industrial workers and intense sports enthusiasts can wear it now Shock-resistant gloves Uses non-Newtonian polymers that harden to impact Reduce hand injuries.
What’s more, it’s not just functional clothing that has improved quality. For those who are willing to watch, there are actually plenty of high quality clothing and are readily available. from Iron HeartFor example, you can purchase jeans made from 21 oz of celvedge indigo denim produced in Japan. Paired with high quality Ralph Lauren shirta Mackinaw wool cruiser jacket And a nice pair All-den boots. Excellent expert Derek Guy Highlight these high quality options regularly. Of course, when Derek Guy About such clothing, people complain about prices and accuse him of being an elitist snob. Sigh. Trade-offs are everywhere.
Critics have never existed for a long time in the past when products were cheap, high quality and made in America. In the past, clothing was more expensive and often of lower quality. As long as some of the past products were of high quality, for example, producers of the time often did. Could not It will be expensive. Technology and trade increase diversity along many aspects, including quality. Like fast fashion, low quality in some dimensions can often produce superior products. And of course, that should be obvious, but you need to say:PA load made overseas is as good or as good as one made domestically. Where something is being made, it tells you very little about how well it is being made.
In conclusion, if international trade gives us more options and today’s households redirect a historic 9-10% share of clothing income, they can absolutely buy heavier, better constructed and longer-lived clothing than typical mid-century mass market clothing.
Has the quality of the clothes on the post deteriorated? It first appeared in the Limit Revolution.
