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The Clothing Brands That Stand Up to Multiple Washes — and the Ones That Don't

Some of the tested clothes couldn't stand up to multiple washes. (Photo: Getty Images)
Some of the tested clothes couldn’t stand up to multiple washes. (Photo: Getty Images)

We’ve all experienced the sorrow that is pulling a brand-new shirt out of the wash, only to see it’s aged three years (and that’s a lot in clothing years). To put an end to the death-by-washer of your favorite dresses, the Daily Mail conducted an experiment trying on and washing clothes from a handful of major retailers to find out which ones last the longest, and the results could cause a wardrobe overhaul.

They found that a super-plain Gap cap sleeve pocket tee would probably last only three washes. And we trusted the Gap for quality basics! Brand consultant and creative director at the London College of Fashion Tony Glenville guesses that the neck and the hem would “start to warp after a while.”

Old Navy isn’t safe, either, which is kind of obvious, thanks to super-low prices. Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, bought a shirt from the performance fleece-and-cargo kingdom before she realized that the decorative flowers were “actually affixed with some sort of tape. They weren’t even sewn on,” she told NPR.

Even J.Crew isn’t safe. According to The Cut, shoppers claim that J.Crew’s designs are getting more expensive but dropping in quality. The proof is in the hashtag:

As if you needed another reason to shop online, an ASOS floral wrap dress is the light at the end of the terrifying tunnel that is the Daily Mail’s experiment. “This summery floral dress may feel slightly synthetic, but it’s surprisingly well-made,” the Daily Mail noted. “The seams are overlocked, which prevents fraying, it’s fully lined and the facing — pieces of material sewn at the neck and armholes to strengthen the garment — is substantial,” said Glenville. “Its fabric means it would wash well, too.” That one will last you a whopping 12 washes.

Zara holds up, too. The Daily Mail concluded that a viscose floral blouse from the retailer would last 12 washes.

Unfortunately, a Topshop striped zip-back top would only last you two washes. “Turn this inside out, and you will see crooked seams held together with large, loose stitches and several threads hanging loose,” the Daily Mail points out. “The hem’s also uneven and the zip doesn’t hang straight. This is going to look awful after a couple of washes,” Glenville said.

When it came to skinny jeans, they tried pairs ranging from $52 to $256, each ending in the same result: a 10-wash lifespan. This proves it might not be worth splurging on the $256 J Brand jeans, because “there is no more stitching, or any features that would make them last any longer than the others,” as Glenville put it. One thing’s certain, don’t buy your jeans at Topshop:

How does this happen?

Let’s start with where the clothes are made. Most of our purchases are made abroad in factories where workers are paid less than $2 a day, reported the Daily Mail. And because demand is so high (thanks to the clothes we just bought falling apart), these workers have to churn out items, toiling away for 13 or 14 hours a day, which, of course, would lead to shoddy or incomplete work.

It gets worse. There are also deliberate tricks that retailers implement to ensure that clothing won’t last so you have to buy more. “These include using inappropriate fabric, or coarse stitching on delicate material, which accelerates the wearing of holes in a garment during washing,” said the Daily Mail. “Overstitching, which is stitching along the edge of fabric to prevent it from fraying, is also rarely finished off in modern clothing — it’s just a running seam that is whipped off the machine at the end,” said Daniel Milford-Cottam, a fashion cataloguer at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. “After a few wears, a thread works loose, you give it a tug, and the whole seam is gone.”

If you want to ensure that your closet is filled with high-quality clothing, Glenville recommends focusing on natural fabrics such as cotton, wool or linen. “Invest in wool and silk, and you’ll have an item that can be worn for years,” he said, because “natural fabric is built to last.”

Also, give the garment a thorough once-over before purchasing, which includes turning it inside out to make sure that seams are “straight, neat, flat and strong, with no threads coming loose,” Glenville advised.

Avoid unnecessary details (we know, sometimes they’re too fun to resist, but try) because things like different fabrics or unnecessary zippers “will ensure that after a few washes it will start to look scruffy and old or misshapen” Glenville said. He recommends items with clean, classic lines.

The bottom line: The longest lifespan of these items was 12 washes, which still isn’t long enough (we’ll be avoiding the wash for as long as possible). Of course, these are just select pieces from select stores, so don’t use this as an excuse to go on a shopping spree.

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