Woman sparks FURIOUS debate about ‘sustainable’ clothing – insisting budget fast fashion pieces she bought ’10 YEARS ago’ have lasted ‘EIGHT times longer’ than new ‘eco’ items

A viral tweet has sparked a fierce debate online about how the quality of clothing has declined over the years, with shirts from 2014 lasting much longer than similar options today, which fall apart at the seams.

“F*** fast fashion, but my clothes I bought from Urban Outfitters in 2014 last 8x longer than your 'sustainable' slow fashion brand,” US-based X (formerly Twitter) user Arianawho goes by @virtualjew wrote in a now viral thread.

Arianna later tweeted, “My American Apparel clothes usually don't fit anymore because they were skin tight, but s/o (shout-out) to UO for lasting all these years,” before continuing, “There should be a separate review site where you are only allowed to review products after you have owned them for 5-10 years.'

The tweet was favorited more than 42,000 times as commenters agreed that their newer items did not last as long as clothes purchased in the early and mid-2000s.

One commenter, who tweets as Sustainable Girl, explains: “It used to be that there were no 'trends' that changed at the speed of light.”

One commenter joked, “Me in my 2011 American Apparel skater dress,” while another tweeted, “My 2007 American Eagle pieces are still in rotation. What did they make them from? Are all the seams still straight after all these years? They are all sturdy, cotton-like items.”

Another standout mid-range brand? Band T-shirts from pop punk haven Hot Topic, with one person saying, “I have Hot Topic band shirts from high school in better condition than shirts I bought less than a year ago. Wtf happened?! (I know, it was profiteering).”

Another commenter clarified: 'There's actually a very good reason for that! Typically, places like Urban Outfitters like to use synthetic fibers (also called plastic), which last much longer than natural fibers. [probably] what the slow brands use.

'The trade-off is that they don't decompose, so if you're the type of person who wears the same clothes for over a decade, synthetic pieces would work better for you, but if you like to chase trends, choose natural fibers as these will decompose. Choice of fabric more nuanced than many people make it seem.'

“Unfortunately, most clothes are now made of polyester/plastic,” another fashion fan tweeted, suggesting Quince for long-lasting organic cotton clothes.

One person expressed their opinion that some sustainable brands don't last long, explaining: 'I've never bought sustainable because I can't afford it, but I've heard they don't last long. I think clothes that can be used for a long time are much more durable than clothes that turn into rags.'

Other commenters took issue with what the products are made of, with one tweeting: 'I bought vegan leather boots and they started to peel off after a few months. I was pissed and got military hard leather boots to replace them. These will last a lifetime.'

Another agreed: 'Hilarious but true, somehow sustainability has been distorted by capitalism.'

Many people were simply focused on how long their older clothes lasted, tweeting, “I'm still wearing almost all of my clothes I got in 2013. I think a lot of things were made better back then: high quality fabrics, good seams, good fit. They are built more for carrying than for seeing.”

One commenter joked: 'Fast fashion will either fall apart after two wears or outlive you and your children.'

So why don't clothes last longer than one trend cycle? FEMAIL spoke to fast fashion and sustainable clothing experts to find out.

Author and professor from Brooklyn Elizabeth Clinewho wrote The Conscious Closet and is an expert on fast fashion and sustainability, told FEMAIL: 'One of the main reasons why quality has changed is that prices and consumer habits have changed.'

“Because clothing is so cheap and consumers don't keep their clothes for as long, there is simply less need for sustainable products,” Elizabeth explains.

'Consumers are willing to trade certain aspects of quality for trendyness and affordability.'

Elizabeth added that several factors led to more expensive, lower quality products, including the fact that “Very cheap polyester and other synthetic materials are much more popular and ubiquitous than they were a decade or two ago, and the quality of these materials is much better than in years past.”

According to Elizabeth, 'Cheap synthetics that mimic luxury materials have pushed high-end natural fabrics such as cashmere, leather, wool and 100 percent cotton into a more luxury niche.”

There's a reason affordable cotton and cashmere are hard to come by. “Clothing manufacturers know they can charge more for these better, mostly natural materials than they ever could, because they are harder to come by and most consumers are happy to just wear the synthetic imitation,” Elizabeth advised.

However, the fashion sustainability expert believes that fast fashion today is of higher quality, albeit not as sustainable.

Now Elizabeth thinks that “the materials feel and perform better, the sewing is straighter, the dyes hold their color longer and the fit is better.”

Elizabeth explained that the reason why garments feel like they are falling apart is that brands often skip the final steps, such as lining a garment or tailoring an item to perfection, because they know that “most consumers buy clothing to to wear for a few seasons and the brands and retailers we would rather sell more clothes than wear things until they are worn out.'

“The era of buying things that will last is largely behind us,” Elizabeth warned.

While some people on X complained that sustainable brands don't last as long, these brands are ultimately better for fashion's environmental impact in the long run.

“Many brands that market themselves as sustainable have dramatically changed the manufacturing process they use to create new materials,” Elizabeth said.

'Overall they use less water, they use safer chemicals, they create less waste, they use fibers that regenerate rather than deplete the land, support ethical working conditions, and if they don't do these things they wouldn't must do. marketing themselves as green,” Elizabeth said.

But that doesn't mean every product is perfect. “Some of them are startups and sometimes the hiccups in quality or fitness are just growing pains,” Elizabeth clarified.

Dr. Jay Yooan associate professor at Baylor University in Texas who researches consumer perspectives, told DailyMail.com: “Overall, we're seeing more and more consumers buying clothing because [if] clothes are disposable.”

“Relative to income, people actually spend less money on clothes, while buying more stuff,” Dr. revealed. Yoo.

Because they buy more for less, Dr. Yoo explains that 'fast fashion retailers produce lower quality clothing and sell them to consumers.'

According to Dr. Published in the Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, Yoo says fast fashion “looks good on mannequins, but doesn't hold up after a few washes.”

Now retailers are more focused on 'fast delivery and cheap production' than on craftsmanship, the associate professor notes.

And because trends are changing so quickly, Dr. Yoo said that “consumers are eager to buy more clothes at an affordable price.”