This video went a bit viral recently and stopped us in our tracks. It articulated so succinctly what we want to say about the trajectory the fashion industry has taken after the 00s. Brands have sacrificed quality in lieu of expediency and size of collections. And, alongside that, fast fashion brands boomed, churning out poor-quality items into the millions, possibly billions. These brands are dubious ethically (and that's putting it mildly). Influencers and fashion lovers across the world order boxes and boxes of low-quality clothing to wear for a season, a month, a week, or maybe even just for an unboxing video before donating, selling, and scrapping.
As someone who grew up in the 90s, this video really resonated with me. I remember visiting shops as they released their seasonal collections. The excitement of their latest offerings, what was coming into style, what everyone was wearing that season.
Items were investments, something you wore from one year to the next. Now you'll see those same items popping up in op shops (thrift shops, charity shops), labelled 'retro' or 'vintage'. And, as they mention in this video, the difference in quality is striking.
After shopping for a decade or more, left with nothing but shops chocked full of cheap material that falls apart quickly, wears out, stretches, pills, and clothes made of plastic that doesn't look like the item as advertised, we are sick of the poor quality.
"Is Everything Getting Worse?"
Australia has not been immune. Brands like Decjuba, Witchery, and Seed sold themselves as mid-range seasonal-cyclical brands with a higher price point to achieve higher quality. But, jump into the comment section of an article/Reddit post about their quality, and it's the same problem:
"...I went like 5 years ago or so I got put off because it was all cheap polyester and over priced..."
"...price too high considering the step down in fabric types and quality when you compare to the other brands..."
"...lowered the quality/upped the price its been so cookie cutter and the quality has gone downhill..."
As mentioned in the video, brands typically respected for their higher quality with a price point to match, fell for the same trap. As they saw their sales dwindle with customers abandoning them to fast fashion retailers, they took the same measures - releasing more and more collections at the sacrifice of quality.
"...really poor quality for the fabric to be disintegrating after approx 1 year or less of wear..."
"...The clothes are overpriced and if you ask me.. cheap and tacky..."
"...Not satisfied at all with the quality of range of products..."
According to this video, the average fashion consumer buys 68 items of clothing a year. That's a lot of waste and a significant deterioration in quality to enable such churn.
Sick of cheap, low-quality clothing? You're not alone.
So, where can you shop that isn't the price of Miu Miu or Dior, but where quality has been considered? Somewhere the manufacturers take care of their employees, the fabrics are manufactured with sustainability in mind and longevity of the individual items has been factored into the design and business.
That's where we come in.
Mid-Tier Price Point for High-Quality Clothing
It's one thing to say we're different, but we wanted to flag just how we're different. How Maxted nods to brands from the 90s and earlier, to ensure higher quality womenswear.
- Our collections are seasonal. We generate ONE collection a year. We have multiple drops through the collection, but each drop has been curated within the single collection.
- Each collection takes a full year to plan. This involves design, samples, ordering, and shipments to stockists. You can view our process here.
- We visit our manufacturers to ensure quality, sustainability and ethics are maintained. You can read more about that here.
- We create capsule pieces for a wardrobe that is made to last from year to year.
- We have a real, genuine designer behind the brand. Our items are not 'bought' from existing designs. Caroline, our owner and founder, designs each piece down to the knit and fabric. She's answered some of our questions here.
High-Quality Clothing Brands We Recommend:
As well as tooting our own horn, we want to shout out to other brands producing high-quality clothing at a mid-tier price point, including:
Elk the label, DOF, Assembly Label.
Shop our collection here.
