Are More Expensive Clothes Actually Better Quality?

Hand knitter here with a data point on fiber content. When knitting a sock, even the most premium yarn manufacturers will put about 20%-25% polyester fiber into their wool sock yarns. This increases the durability of the yarn which is especially important when it comes to socks. They take a *lot* of wear. If you use 100% wool, that sock you spent hours knitting is going to wear out much faster.
I have no inside knowledge into why the luxury brands are going for synthetic/natural fiber blends, but its possible that they could be making similar calculations as sock yarn manufacturers.

I work in the textiles industry, to be specific I own a fabric mill that manufacture and sell fabric to brands like zara, h&m, arket, massimo to haute couture that sell around 3,000 usd per piece.
To be honest, on the material side, yes to lower the cost we tend to use either cotton or polyester yarns. However, i can use some the most expensive yarns such as merino wool, but this rarely reflects as “quality” on the final garment. What really makes the difference is after wash shrinkages and construction. To increase the output garment makers work with shops that basically haphazardly sew the pieces together which lowers the quality. Shrinkage is not necessary something that you can buy with more money. It occurs when the dyehouses fuck up. And they up alllll the time. I mean like 5/10 orders, there are issues with shrinkages. No matter how attentive you are or how slow you are.

Polyester isn't always all bad! Even the holy grail wool coat, the Loro Piana Vicuña has Polyester, it cost $20,000 btw. Polyester, combining with wool prevents fray and maintains structure, results in a higher durability.

I still have in my closet two rugby polo long sleeves from Ralph Lauren that I bought 18 years ago. They still look great and there are no signs of wear on them.
On the other hand I’ve had a lot of H&M clothes and they barely survived 1 or 2 years.
Very interesting video. I never thought of analyzing my clothes in that way I just buy them.

I really appreciate the fact that you re-uploaded the video, as I greatly enjoyed the first one! Keep up the good work, Tim. Much love from Italy.

I like the mention of the ethical supply chain on more expensive brands. Besides lower fabric quality or shortcuts in the production of garments, I think it is important to also mention that for the cheaper brands, the costs are pushed elsewhere: Exploiting workers, poor quality of life of workers, harming the environment, etc.

Something that I truly admire and appreciate from this video, is that you gave the obvious, intuitive result; but in the process, you explained your reasoning, and gave very useful insight into how to choose a garment with a good quality-price ratio.
The final answer was expected, but I take away a lot of good information, and an amazing guide into how to buy good clothing.
In summary: I noticed the dedication in the video, and it's highly appreciated. Good work, and thanks a lot!

1:42 that truck swipe transition was smooth bro 👏👏👏👏👏

Great tips! Now I'll check materials and stitching instead of just buying for the brand name. Quality over quantity when shopping - love it!

You forgot about the tier above (fake) luxury brands. The tier contains things like Brunello, Loro Piana, Canali, Kiton, Zegna, Brioni and many more. Funny how they're mostly Italian brands, but it makes sense. These are brands that don't make you walk around wearing advertisements. Instead of paying $750 for a one-fit Gucci shirt covered in branding and made in Bangladesh, I'd rather spend $350 for a fully custom-fit hand finished shirt from one of those niche luxury brands.

Really good video. The use of polyester or other synethics into blends- Wool/Cotton for instance is an interesting one. The reason they are added according to the makers is usually something along the lines of "to increase durability" because polyester or nylon is strong. So therefore good right?
But the only reason that they are being added in the first place is because even if the company has used luxury materials like high end wool, cotton, silk etc. they have skimped out on the production methods. Before the days of fast fashion when clothing manufacturing was considered and a time consuming task, they had production methods which prevented pilling and increased fabric durability in the way cotton and wool was milled and woven. But these methods have died out and fewer exist because it's easier for companies to do things quicker to make more stuff to be pumped out for us suckers to buy- hence why you can still buy quality clothing in good condition from the 60s and 70s before the advent of mass synthetics. It's all a con- except for sportswear and socks, i can see very limited argument for synthetics to be added to clothing but unfortunately that ship seems to have sailed.

Really appreciate you putting this video together.
Insanely informative for someone that has always struggled with knowing where to draw the line for new garments in terms of price.
I've bought some expensive things in the past that haven't exactly correlated with what I paid. So this video helped me a huge amount. Cheers brother!!

Thanks for reconsidering that sponsor lol

I appreciate this video and the points you highlighted. Someone who has bought a lot of inexpensive because I have a wide interest in styles, I’m finally settling down to higher quality items and buying with intention for long term.

Hurts me that you piled Uniqlo alongside H&M.
I´ve never been dissapointed by Uniqlo, but H&M has had some misses with me

Simple answer: Yeah expensive clothes do have better quality but it does not justify 10 times increase in price. This however only makes sense for common folk. If someone is loaded, this whole discussion is pointless.

I have been sewing pants out of pure wool fro 40 years. Up to 20% of nylon or polyester is an improvement in wool for pants or skirts. Wool tends to stretch and bag, just like denim does.
For knits I would prefer pure wool. Bought some merino wool Tshirts a couple of years ago. Cheap at Aldi. Wore them every day for two winters. Still look new.

This is probably the best video I've ever seen on this subject, thanks for making it man!

I mean yes some brands use polyester to cut costs. But i think with Uniqlo Airrism it's for the style of the shirt. I want it to be exactly that and polyester is not a downside in that scenario. I may be wrong but i wish every shirt would have that fabric.

Mr Tim You are just going perfect in your influencing. Hats off to the hard work that you do. You are truly inspirational. Never missed your video right from the inception of your channel. You are definitely going to go places. Best Wishes.

Once again, quality upload! Thanks G

Your haircut is fire bro! And great vid! Cleared a lot of things up for me

Depends on wether your paying for the material or the brand. If it’s for the material then yes if it’s for the brand then 90% of the time no. Although there are occasions where bigger more brands do provide better quality at a higher price, even if it is still overpriced for what it is.

Tim doesn’t upload as often as other fashion influencers, but when he does you know it’s gonna be fire 🔥🔥🔥

Excellent video, Tim! Great shots and great explanation of the fashion industry for everyday consumers like us.

appreciate the hard work. video aesthetic is amazing. big up to you 👍

great video as always, love the editing

Love the content! Once again, great work! 👍🏻

Tim producing top tier quality videos as always. Thanks for all these advices

Everyone into fashion should watch this video! Great vid!

This guy is a gem. I've only just discovered his content and already can directly identify where I'm going wrong. His aesthetic also really appeals to me whereas I find a disconnect on aesthetic when watching other channels.

I have a very old cheap long sleeve t-shirt from Kohl's that was made in the US that remains the most well-made garment I've ever owned. When I fold it, it folds perfectly without effort. The stitching is so well done, that even after many washes the fabric seems to align itself. I've noticed cheaply made clothes has fabric that isn't sown such that weave is aligned with the structure of the garment, causing random warping when going to fold or, more importantly, wear the thing.

Awesome video! Totally agree with you on this. Ultra Lux is paying for the name and prestige. I personally like to spend a little more for a quality product. I still have some pieces that I originally purchased back in my college days. I've also sold some of those old pieces on ebay and either made a little profit or broke even. I think if everyone treated clothes like an investment, we'd def see a lot less waste out there.

Costco's Kirkland brand is a sleeper in the quality but low cost category on things like dress shirts and short sleeve polos.

It's important to remember that price doesn't always equate to quality when it comes to clothing. Taking the time to inspect materials and construction can help you find great value and lasting pieces for your wardrobe.

Great video Tim👍👍. Definitely agree that more expensive brands have a higher quality but spending in ultra expensive brands never made much sense to me as clothes do not have a resale value and one cannot wear same expensive stuff everyday though I definitely consider the brand while buying overcoats.

Oh also polyester is usually used to increase durability, and some post processes can only be applied to petroleum based filaments such as sublimation printing, pleating, crushing etc. And the main issue regarding g material durability is the weight of the material (g/m2). In order to lower the cost companies use lighter fabrics which are easier to puncture.

I'd completely agree with this. I have always opted for paying more for quality clothing and you can tell as quality clothing doesn't look awful after many washes, cheap clothing always tends to lose its look and shape and is more prone to holes/tears in the fabric, especially jeans and trousers as when you sit down you put stress on them. Luxury brands are literally just a name slapped onto mid/high quality clothing. But you can find those that sit in the middle of the pack, focus on quality but don't charge extortionate prices. Yes you will pay more than a lot of mainstream fashion brans, but the clothing will definitely last longer.

Some major point was missed here.
One of the highest coast in fashion is the actuality.
So if you produce something and want it to be in stores 6 weeks later it adds allot of coast.
If you’re are willing to wait 6 to 8 month you’re can reduce the coast for shipping to 10-20 %.
I shipped from china, so for example I have 50 big containers to ship to Hamburg and I want it to arrive in 4 weeks, I have to Book direkt etc.
If I don’t care, I can wait on empty slots, so they go first to Singapore and stay there for 8 weeks etc etc.
That’s why sale items so cheap. The industry books slots in planning to arrive at the end of the season.

❤❤❤Reviewing the product in such a beautiful way is great for me❤❤❤

Love the video!! Id say if ure someone who don't like to wear the same clothes a lot, high street brands are the way to go cause ure not gonna spend 300/500€ on a sweater and wear it twice right? but for me personally brands like acne studios, ami paris, our legacy etc.. are so much better in quality than all high street brands and the pieces last very long time and keep their shape. Not to mention the silhouettes that fit my body perfectly. worth the price for sure. Ultra luxury? still hesitating honestly as I don't like the big logos/monograms but I think I might try when I find what im looking for.
To conclude, 100% agree with the graph that kept going up till a certain point and then went straight.

Tim, I’m currently an economics masters student and I have to say this is one of better intuitive explanations of diminishing marginal returns that I’ve seen outside the classroom. Outstanding work, once again!

It makes my day whenever Tim uploads.

Awesome video as always Tim 👌 What brands would you recommend for premium high street or accessible luxury?

Tim vdo is not only for fashion models but helps me a student like me a lot to be elegant with dress❤❤

Thank you very much! I was asking myself this a lot. This is a very good overview und instruction how to distinct better from lower quality. For some I know it is like a law that very expensive clothes have the best quality possible but depends and it does not justify always the price tag. And for I know now where to look to get good quality for a higher price without overspending. Thank you very much again I was exactly talking and asking friends exactly about ti's issue! 😊

Such a nice video Tim. Thank you Saint,

Primark isn't even that cheap anymore.

The basic high end garments are not expensive to make per se, but they price it way high without always reflecting on quality. So that’s a fallacy that most people fall into thinking that because they cost more they don’t exploit workers and that they put more effort in. They might still cut on labour and quality.
Doing clothing in Europe does not automatically make it more ethical than asia ….please…(I find it absurd even as I type it out)
They can pay well in Asia and still be ethical 😅 It’s a matter of choice.

This video was really educational since now I know which particular brands are which.

Good quality doesn’t always mean expensive. There are some medium luxury brands that do make good quality clothing without the high price tag. The point is to become a more informed and conscious shopper as opposed to buying something because it’s in trend or hip at the moment.

It really shows how genuine you are to reconsider the sponsor of the video and listening to the community. That's extremely rare to find these days with content creators.

I figured diminishing returns would apply here like almost every other product. A $1000 bike usually is 90% as good as $5000 bike.

I buy all my clothes from Primark. Hasn't failed me yet

I liked your theory. Completely agree. I digress in that I find some clothing with synthetic materials to be worth it, even if from FF brands. I have several shirts that I use with dress pants and always get a lot of compliments. They are comfy, fit nicely, nice colors and textures, and no iron needed! I also prefer stretchy jeans to 100% cotton.

That trenchcoat bit vibed with me so much, I bought an excellent fitting one a few years back but I never end up wearing it. I think I've used it twice.
However my grandfather used to wear his trenchcoats and peacoats regularly every autumn and winter.
I always feel like it would be silly unless I have something quite nice on underneath.
Also weirdly I have one Sudio Nicholson sweater and quite a few Ralph Lauren ones, both are better cut but the materials used are worse than the Uniqlo sweaters. Very weird.

great edit...I liked the way you used the colors in the video

Thank you for your video ❤

From what i've read, with the fabric content, if you get something like 90% natural/10% synthetic, or antyhing where the synthetic is just a small percent, it often done to deliberately change the fabric properties,for example it may hold better in regular washing mashine wash instead requaring dry cleaning/ very carefull hand wash,especially with wool. So a blend like that may still make a good quality garment, just prescriberd for more mundane/practical purpose.

the through the jackets shot at 22 seconds was so good 😂

The placebo effect hit me fr, I took extra care of my cotton/silk/wool material product which cost me a lot

Learned a lot from you but I would love to see color science and cohesive outfit selection based on skin tone because it really makes or breaks the outfit for anyone 🙏🏼

Great video Tim - if you are earning high six figure salaries then go for it re luxury but for most people - agree Arket, Percival (have you reviewed them?), Duti, Reiss great for most wardrobes with sprinkles of accessible luxury.

This video was very helpful, thank oyu

Can‘t believe how good this video is🥰

Yes, the famous name brands at very high prices tend to mostly be selling the logo and only a bit of the inflated price goes to quality. In the end their customers generally do not care much about declining quality because the name is what matter to them most.

I would love to see a video about what options some of these brands offer. And what you like about each brand

Good to see the reupload.
At the end of the day, all it comes down to is: spending within your means.

Great video, Tim! Just to add, the Issey Miyake Homme Plisse Pleated Trousers is 100% Polyester and costs 300 dollars+ lol.

Sick video, was thinking of getting some quality basics! Side note, what are your thoughts on Chrome Hearts? (saw that you have one in your collection)
Cheers!

i’m not sure id put asos in ultra fast fashion - esp asos design but great video none the less ❤

Great video, but I disagree with your point on polyester (to an extent). Cotton/poly blends can actually be great for improving the durability of a garment. However, the key is having a higher content of cotton than polyester. For example, a 70/30 cotton/poly blend or an 80/20 cotton/poly blend are good to look out for.
Flint & Tinder's 10-Year Hoodie is a perfect example. It uses a 70/30 cotton/poly blend for most colors (some like the heather grey have a lower cotton content). However, the hoodie is super durable and has a nice softness to it, which is also an added benefit of polyester.
J-Crew's 14 oz Fleece Sweatshirt is another example of a great cotton/poly blend piece, with an 84/16 blend. Strong, well-crafted, and soft.
For the most part, I'm fine seeing polyester implemented into garments, but I would only get higher cotton/wool blend versions. My only exception would be workout attire because it is commonly made completely out of polyester.

You should do a video to show how you wash these items and maintain their quality over time. Some of the clothes by these high end brands are high maintenance and rhatd the reality that they need the extra care. Would be very interested in a video of whether considering the extra care needed has made you think twice before purchasing.

White gold is not a precious metal. Its just same as gold but with rhodium coating. In India, Rhodium coating can cost you roughly 0.8-1£ per gram of gold.
Also, Platinum is cheaper than gold as people are unaware, they are sold overpriced platinum jewels which don't have corresponding resale value.

amazing content man

Can you do a video on washing/drying different kinds of fabrics? Especially with 100% fabrics, I struggle so much with shrinkage and color fading ~

I've started buying the bulk of my clothing from small companies where I can actually talk to the owner. (Luck of the draw as to who answers the phone) Grease Point Workwear, Imogene+Willie, Indigofera, Freenote cloth, Mr Freedom. There's others that are slightly larger that I buy from also. I wear casual clothes only. Chinos or jeans, shirt and a jacket. I also wear primarily boots. All made with 100% leather except the sole.
The pieces cost more, but they'll last a lifetime. They also have great resell value, so you're not losing the full price.

I am actually wondering what makes Asos part of the ''ultra-fast fashion brands'' compared to brands like H&M and Zara. From my experience, Asos products have significantly better quality, are more durable, and have silhouettes that seem thought out. While I agree that Uniqlo's products are much better, I would say Asos fits the criteria of ''mass market high street'' way more than H&M and Zara products.
Either way, great video as always!

some draping or fabric effect can only be accomplished by different blends or plastics. Blends are not necessarily an indicator of lack of quality. It really depends on what the garment is for. Maybe you want a wool coat. But if you want a close fitting mini-skirt with good stretch, you might want something synthetic.

Great video. I would love if you tell us some good brands in these categories. I think its the most difficult to find good affordable luxury brands. 😮

I enjoyed this video. There's something I've experienced personally though, an it's 100% wool doesn't equal 100% quality. Especially when it comes to items like trousers or socks - they wear out and fray too quickly. My thighs are thick enough to chafe, so I'll never buy a 100% woolen suit that I intend to wear every day if I want it to last more than 5 times.

hey bro, what's the brand of the turtleneck sweater u r wearing at min 02:45??? and which size did u buy? it does look amazing on you.

In my own opinion, if I'm about to spend more than a hundred dollars on a garment, I'd rather have it made by a tailor. That way I can bring in my own fabric !
Now the hard part is finding a good tailor in our modern fast fashion era.

Would love to see how Arne would compare / sit on that list

I would never buy from high end brands, but I've been looking into more sustainable clothing and accessoires. I live in Japan but I discovered a Dutch brand that sells sustainable leather bags, it's not nearly as expensive as name brands, but still an investment for me. I am considering it since it would be better to have a bag that I really like and use daily for a long time, than to cycle through cheaper bags every 1-2 years. I have started looking at labels more too, and the plus of living here is probably that even if a uniqlo piece seems a bit pricey, I can probably find it second hand if I try hard enough to search for it. The second hand market here is pretty great.

the best quality clothes are tailored ones they are made to fit you and with natural materials that are durable over time

Maybe an unpopular opinion; the best quality clothes are work cloth brands marketed towards blue collar because they're designed to last, because they have to.

A clue for expensive, high-quality products is when there's a diagonal alignment of warp and weft threads. This results in more waste for the manufacturer, but the fabric drapes better. This was missing in this video!

I’m older and back in the days, if you wanted something unique or edgy, you had to buy designer brands. But now there’s so much fashionable clothing it can turn anyone into a well dressed person. Back in the days you had to have money to look great or fashionable. So for the looks part where these fast fashion companies now you can look great for regular clothes prices.
Of course if you have an eye, you can sort of tell the difference of a quality made clothing, but some ppl. still can pull it off with fast fashion on how they put it together and the pieces they pick. Like someone going thrift clothes shopping and find great items.
The only thing I’ve notice with fast fashion items is much of it is made with cheaper poly fabrics and I hate when it starts piling after a few wears. So I’m careful when I buy fast fast brands like Zara and H&M. I’m sure many buying those brands go for just the look and expect the fabric to not last, but that’s not the way I am with my clothes and plan to keep and wear for a long time.
But also now everyone seems fashionable bc of the lower cost of fast fashions, but back in the days bc of the cost of great clothes, there were fewer ppl. that were fashionable and if you were, you stood out and was known for being well dressed. So now, it’s harder to stand out. I mean in the 80’s when you had a Versace jacket on, everyone was envious bc they knew it was Versace, but only a few could afford. I could wear something similar now and no one would even notice. Haha!

Online brands are usually the best mix of quality materials at decent prices. Stuff like Wolf Vs. Goat, Outlier, John Henric, 18 East, ONS, maybe Olive Clothing, etc.
Brands with large store footprints have huge expenses unrelated to the clothing which makes them choose design over quality

I lol’d at the part he talked about clothes having a nice silhouette and then putting on a goofy oversized coat on

Non natural material are also used sometimes for technical purpose, structure, esthetic, etc.....

What are some accessible luxury/ ethically produced clothing lines that you like? I am curious since I am new to these concepts. Thanks!

I tend to usually prefer to buy from new, rising designers since they're thoughtful but also good quality and affordable. I'd buy from ultra luxury brand if only if their clothes look beautifully constructed, I dont like to buy stuff that have a big logo or too much logo on it it looks cheap and tacky

I buy used from charity shops and have found some very high quality clothes at a low price, recycling is good as well.

i disagree with pure natural material. Because some blended material makes the fabric more resistant to wrinkle and resistant to piling, which in long term makes the item stays luxurious for longer.

I’d like to make one additional point: when looking at the higher end accessible luxury and moving into full blown luxury, consider more niche brands like Japanese selvedge or American heritage brands. Those brands very often do have MUCH higher quality products if you’re willing to spend the extra money. In addition to better denim, I’m thinking about higher quality leathers and twill, as well. Many of those brands have much higher quality than “luxury” brands for the same money.

Hi Tim here's a video idea. You mentioned exceptions on the price/quality curve in each category of brands. I'd love to hear your view on examples of these exceptions/gems in each category of brand.

As a seamstress there is ZERO reason NOT to have a lining on a jacket that you spend $$$ for...it's ridiculous. The only exceptions MAY be that the jacket is meant for hot weather, but doing so the fabric must be extremely high quality to make up for it.

Primark quality can be all over the place...but I found some very high quality polo shirts for 3.50 Euros which I think are better than La Coste.