![]() ![]() They’re more rightfully compared to companies such as Old Navy and The Gap, which have always traded in the same kind of plain-looking clothes. Uniqlo isn’t really a fast-fashion brand. (For perspective, Zara launches around 12,000 new designs per year). The real danger of fast fashion is about how this small segment of the industry is speeding up the fashion cycle. But for companies such as H&M, it can take as little as a week, which allows them to capitalize on an upcoming trend - and kill it just as quickly. For most brands, it takes six months to develop a product and get it into stores (what’s known as the spring/ summer and fall/ winter seasonal schedule). It’s about how quickly a brand can rip off the hottest runway look and turn it into a high-street offering. Uniqlo is sometimes unfairly characterized as fast fashion, but fast fashion isn’t just about how much clothes cost or where they’re produced. Real value is about finding clothes you love to wear, but here are some brands that we think strike a particularly good balance between build quality and price. Once you’ve worn an item for a while, figure out what you like or don’t like about it, then use that to inform your next purchase. Use these brands as a way to develop a personal sense of taste. There’s nothing wrong with staying with these brands, but be careful of buying too much, too soon, and too quickly. Shop in this tier so you can see how much you like wearing things such as penny loafers or oxfords lace-ups, grey trousers or blue jeans, sport coats or field jackets. Value-focused brands serve a useful purpose if you use them wisely. On the other hand, the leap from Meermin to Edward Green is over $1,000, and the differences are mostly about aesthetics. The jump from Ecco to Meermin is only $100, but you get a lot more shoe for your money. Plus, there’s such a thing as diminishing returns. We’re vaguely aware that some things are crap and not worth buying, but we also don’t want to pay for details that only obsessives fawn over. Today, there are a bazillion options for any given product category. Still, I would never recommend it to anyone who’s looking for “value.”Īt the same time, value is a useful concept when you’re just starting in any area. It cost me $150 - something I’m too embarrassed to admit to friends - but I’ve gotten so much use and enjoyment out of it, it’s proved to be one of my best purchases. ![]() One of the best “values” in my closet is a grey marled sweatshirt I bought from Buzz Rickson. Style is also deeply tied to personal taste, body type, and identity. Unlike electronics, clothing is more about design than build-quality specs, which makes it challenging to compare things across the board. Ask the question on StyleForum, and you’re almost certain to get buried under a mountain of answers that tell you value is subjective, which is true. Last year, when shopping for a new digital camera, I found myself asking the same question everyone asks when they find themselves in unfamiliar consumer territory: which brands offer the most value? ![]()
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