Optimising Apparel’s Value
But what is good apparel?
I understand the confusion for customers. What is a good garment these days?
For a long time now the true value of apparel hasn’t been at the centre of promotion. It is always about the looks and the price. Answering this question is indeed more complex than it seems. In this post we want to look at two aspects I deem important for a good garment: utilitarian and hedonic. We could also call them “usefulness” and “pleasure” aspects and how we can meet those needs, whilst respecting sustainability.
Table of Contents
- Today True Value is Twofold
- Utilitarian Aspects
- Hedonic Aspects
- Summary
INTRO
Glitter and glamour, brand image and its aspirational power stand above the utilitarian value.
In addition, a high product price no longer guarantees or equates to high product quality and production standards.
To round it up, sales strategies train us to watch out for discounts. If you will, customers are the puppets of the fashion industry drama.
Of course, we always have the option to buy some pace else, but we also always have the option to buy cheap…
If in doubt, that seems to be the default move. After all, any jumper seems to keep me warm? Right?
We know that this is a dangerous, short-sighted view that adds tonnes of clothes to landfill every year.
It is estimated that the fashion industry creates 13kg of waste per person every year. For the UK that would be 860.000 tonnes of fashion waste per year. According to a UK Parliament publication on sustainability in fashion “TRAID said that the UK’s 11,000 charity shops diverted over 330,000 tonnes of textiles from landfill in 2017 […]”.
We optimise value for money, but not value itself.
Today True Value is Twofold
In my view, there are at least two elements when it comes to value in clothing. As briefly discussed, from a traditional utilitarian viewpoint clothes should benefit your body, protect it in any season, for a maximum period of time. From a hedonic viewpoint, they should look beautiful, make you feel good and foster self-expression.
Since the rise of fast fashion, the latter seems to be the dominating and sole factor driving purchase decisions. Many trend driven items experience a devastating existence after their micro life-cycle. Leaving-it-in-my-wardrobe-for-the-next-3-years, until it finally decorates the bin, is a common scenario.
So, what is a valuable garment then?
Without a doubt, only the combination of utilitarian and hedonic aspects make it an overall valuable garment for the customer. Today, pure utilitarianism wouldn’t work. Clothing without the style, is like pasta without pesto — just not as good. But pure hedonism mustn’t work either. As we’ve seen when the pursuit of pleasure shopping, style, quantity and budget go before everything else, this has detrimental effects on our planet and people. Hence, we need to rebalance the elements by reviving the utilitarian value and mix it with a healthy attitude towards hedonic values.
Underlying the aforementioned, the fundamentals of sustainability must be respected. I will publish a separate post on this, but to briefly sketch it, I am referring to the following three aspects:
- Ecological — No harm done to the environment we live in.
- Economical — All stakeholders, from seed to end customer, are part of a financially fair transaction.
- Ethical — Produced under socially fair, legal, non-exploitative conditions.
Utilitarian Aspects
When I refer to reviving clothes’ utilitarian value, I am mainly referring to its primary goal of benefiting us during all seasons. Weather is still guiding our decision making on what to wear. Textiles are the vehicle to deliver on those needs. Distinguishing between summer and winter, here are some textiles to look out for in both seasons.
Summer fabrics that keep you cool
Linen — Best Summer Fabric of all
- biodegradable, i.e. will break down over time
- one of the oldest textiles in the world
- natural fabric made from flax fibers
- light, comfortable
- great breathability
- dries very fast when wet or damp
Organic Cotton
- biodegradable, i.e. will break down over time
- produced without the use of chemicals, pesticides, or insecticides
- good choice for those with sensitive skin
- used in apparel for hundreds of years
- softer than polyester
- breathable and comfortable
- readily absorbs moisture and helps regulate your body temperature
- good for year-round wear depending on thickness of the textile
Silk
- biodegradable and recyclable
- one of the oldest, most luxurious fabrics
- spun from the cocoons of silkworms
- natural protein structure makes it hypoallergenic
- beautiful, strong and comfortable
- natural sheen
- tightly woven silk clothes retain heat and moisture
- loosely woven silk is even suitable for hot August daysPeace Silk is an ethical silk that is extracted after the life-cycle of the silkworm is completed. In comparison, during conventional silk production, the silkworm has to be killed in order to retrieve the thread undamaged.
For wintertime you can rely on the following choices
Organic Cotton
- being a universal fabric allows to be made thin for summer or thick for winter
- great alternative for people who have allergies to winter fabrics like wool
Wool
- raw wool is typically gotten from sheep
- incredibly warm fabric
- it creates a natural insulation due to the air pockets that are present throughout
- water-resistant and thus a good option for snowy & rainy weather
- lightweight, yet strong
- fairly durable and long-lasting
Sustainable Leather
- sourced as the byproduct of farming and the agricultural industry as opposed to being sourced from animals raised for producing leather goods
- highly durable, it outlives all synthetic material & cotton based clothing
- breathability makes it versatile, keeps you warm or cold and regulates body heat
- when treated or waxed leather is resistant against water and other liquids
- leather shoes will mold to the shape of your foot (synthetics won’t)
- it gets better with time, but you need to look after it to get the most out of it
-easy to cleanVegan leather: The traditional leather industry is a topic in and for itself with many issues. For ethical and environmental reasons, we should also consider vegan alternatives such as banana, pineapple or apple leather. It is argued that vegan [synthetic] leather is far less harmful to the planet than traditionally sourced animal leather.
The above list doesn’t claim to be exhaustive, but to provide a brief guideline of benefits provided through the choice of natural materials. Synthetic fibers such as polyamide [also known as Nylon] or polyester have not been discussed here. However, there are highly technical materials based on synthetic fibers that offer unique benefits when it comes to durability, fast drying, moisture resistance or moisture wicking. This is why you can often find them in outdoor or active wear, water and non-water sports alike.
Utility in clothing is also a function of activity, and there are good use cases for recyclable, synthetic fibers. For example Econyl which is a regenerated and recyclable nylon made from waste such as old fishing nets, industrial plastic from landfill and the ocean [Econyl, The Process].
Hedonic Aspects
Secondly, the hedonic value must not be neglected. Given our society is moving more and more to individualism and self-expression, the hedonic value might be even more important than ever.
Many companies work on made-on-demand, individualised and personalised garments. Authenticity and uniqueness is what many customers seek. Rightfully so, as we’ve been there before, but lost it on the path to uniformity and mass consumption. Before the ready-to-wear industry became popular during the mid 19th century, clothes have been tailored to a precise fit. In order to keep up with trends, one had to amend the style of existing garments or more wealthy individuals got new garments made.
Over the past five years, search demand for sustainable brands has more than doubled [Google Trends, March 2020]. You don’t have to rely on the 52-micro seasons from the fast fashion industry to get your “unique” [mass market] piece. Today, uniqueness is provided by the plethora of small, independent sustainable labels out there. Many of which require to be found through some research, but they exist!
I believe that the conscious customer is seeking to continue satisfying his or her desire for beauty and self-expression, without neglecting utilitarian and sustainability values. This new wave of small, independent brands serves exactly this need. Here are some excellent platforms and apps helping you to discover unique and sustainable options:
Avocadostore — Sustainable Fashion Marketplace, DACH region
AEQUEM — Sustainable Shopping Platform
Project CeCe — Online search engine for fair and sustainable fashion
Faer App — An innovative search approach to discover sustainable fashion brands
CoGo App — Helping you to engage in a sustainable lifestyle, including clothing
Yes, the average price tag might be higher than on the high street. But when you consider the cost per wear for a high quality product vs a low quality product, which you then have to replace, you’ll end up with a similar investment. Most importantly, there is no price tag on a destroyed environment!
Today individuality in fashion is more a function of variety and quantity, than of unique, personalised quality. The latter being what we should strive to achieve.
Summary
Clothes with true value are designed for longevity. They respect the fundamentals of sustainability and are created with a clear purpose in mind. True value is provided when designers have taken advantage of the various benefits natural and synthetic fibres provide. Furthermore, clothes should offer uniqueness and style to allow for self-expression. True value can be understood, seen and felt by the customer.
Let’s rediscover value and make clothes our personal luxury items we love and care for. We’ll treat them as we perceive them!
Let’s take back ownership of what we wear! Only buy the garments you want to see in the world.
BeMoreMaverick,
Wear Sustainable
