Stop Buying Clothes You Don't Wear

Over the last year I have been changing how I buy my clothes, wear my clothes, and look at clothes in general. Doing this for over a year has provided me with, for a lack of better terms, an epiphany. The issue wasn’t what I was buying, but rather how I was buying. I decided that I was tired of having a closet full of things I never wear and came up with three rules that I live by. The point of these rules wasn’t to stop me from buying more clothes, it was purely to change the way I think about shopping. In turn, changing the end result of an endless cycle. Where you are buying. What you are buying. The purpose of your clothing. And, the ideology of your perfect piece. Not only have I spent less money on clothes, but I feel like I have more clothes than ever. That singular feeling is the entirety of why I am writing this essay.

Stop buying new clothes, and you will start wearing old ones. Shopping secondhand and vintage has allowed me to find higher quality and less expensive clothing. But, over that, it allowed me to feel good about it all. To preface, secondhand stores are just more commonly referred to as thrift stores. The biggest difference between the two, vintage stores are curated, so they aren’t random pieces donated by anyone. Typically, they are curated by the store owner; someone who is likely educated in fashion, materials, quality, & real value. I’d like to delve deeper into why each one serves its purpose.

 Let’s start with secondhand, the haystack that may or may not house a needle.. Since a thrift store is not curated whatsoever, you get everything and these stores are cheap, very cheap. The single biggest benefit of a thrift store is that, since it’s just donations, you may find gold for the price of dirt. Let’s say you found a needle in a haystack, how would you feel? Good? Great? Yes, probably both. That is how you feel when you find a ‘90s Polo Ralph Lauren 100% lambswool sweater for $6. Unfortunately, I have never done this. But, you can assume it probably feels pretty good. You aren’t looking for something very niche? Well then you can just buy something for less. An example I actually do resonate with. I joined a rec soccer league and needed a magenta colored shirt. Why did this team choose the most difficult color for a man to find in a tee shirt, I am not sure. But, I headed to the thrift store and lone behold, I found…not only one, but two. One had a “BESTIES” cat graphic and the other said “BAD CHOICES Make GOOD STORIES” on it. So no, I did not purchase either of them. But remember where we are at… I then texted a teammate and she said that I should head over to the women’s tee shirts. And, if you have ever even seen a women’s section, you would know that it makes no sense. Half of the shirts don’t have neck holes and the other half have four neckholes. But, this is life or death…the game is tonight. I look & look until it comes to me, “Fight like Evan” in a shmedium. Evan if you are reading this, I am happy you won the fight and I want you to know that I played my best in that tee shirt. Fourteen goals were made that season. 

Moving on to vintage stores, they’re like your closet three days before you do all of your laundry. There may be some heater pieces left, but there also may not, it’s a little bit of a gamble. These stores are genuinely curated, so you won't find a random tee shirt that has a “Doesn’t play well with others” tagline on it. Either way you wouldn’t find it because I already took it home with me. But, these are likely to be majority vintage or older clothing that now have value. What I mean by this is, there are some shirts that don’t really have much value, but if you throw some wear, paint stains, and sun fading you now have a sixty dollar Fruit of the Loom tee. You also have a much higher likelihood of finding the absolutely super interesting pieces; leather jackets, custom denim, original chore jackets, etc… The only issue with all of this is that you will have to pay for that curation. The best vintage stores are run by people who understand the hustle, they have been in the same place you are in. Thrifting all the time, looking through thousands and thousands of 100% polyester clothing and realized that they want to help you. So, they open up a store and sell the best of the best to you for NOT an arm and a leg. This is why I have switched to almost independently shopping at vintage stores, it’s because I like the person behind it and I like the clothing they sell.

At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter where you get a piece of clothing that’s in its second or third life cycle. I like to think of it like this, I cannot imagine a single piece of clothing that I could ever need that doesn’t exist already. No, seriously. I want you to try and think of anything that you could need that does not already exist somewhere in the world. Well, besides the issue that if it doesn’t exist you couldn’t even think of it anyways, it shows you that there is no need to buy brand new clothing. And, if 90% of your clothing is secondhand or vintage, then the 10% that’s new feels even better.

Now that you are aware, or at least more knowledgeable of where to start shopping, you need to know what to actually look for. This is where natural materials come in, this is the haystack. Hay…it’s natural. The idea of natural materials is as simple as it sounds; if it grew from a plant or came from an animal…It’s natural, no need to think any deeper than that. Natural materials are absolutely amazing at almost everything they do, whether that be natural odor resistance or something that actually looks better the longer you have it, they are sought after for a reason. 

With there being probably billions of individual clothing pieces out there, there are inevitably things to avoid. Here are the names, so even if you stop reading after this sentence you know what to look out for; Polyester, Nylon, Acrylic, & Elastane. There are more, but these are the biggest culprits. Let me preface, there are benefits with these materials in some situations, a few examples are; workout clothing, backpacks, duffels, rain jackets, windbreakers, etc… The benefit doesn’t lie in that with these pieces of clothing it becomes a “good” material, but they are just the most efficient at what they do. To look at a rain jacket, technically you could either use leather or waxed canvas and you would be waterproof. But, imagine hiking in a leather jacket or running in a waxed canvas jacket…It just doesn’t make sense.  

So, why are these materials so bad? Polyester items typically trap heat and not in a good way. A polyester shirt will cause you to get much hotter because it’s not at all breathable, so when you should be comfortable, you get too hot. They also hold odors much more than natural materials, so one wear can cause it to not only make you hotter and sweat more, but also smell worse. Lastly, they just break down faster. They will likely not last as long as the natural alternative. I think it comes without saying, but these materials are also just not environmentally friendly. And, the sooner we can think about that, especially those of us who do own lots of clothing, the better off we will be in the end.

What are the natural materials I am comparing everything against? To list them out plainly, they are cotton, denim (made from cotton), wool, & leather or suede. There are many many more, but these are the most common natural materials likely spanning most of your wardrobe. 

Cotton. This also spans into denim, cotton is the material used to make the fabric denim. One of the biggest benefits is that it’s breathable, remember when I said polyester isn’t, that’s why lots of clothing is a blend of polyester and cotton. The polyester makes it more affordable, but you keep some of the breathability of cotton. It is also a very easy material to work with, whether that is washing and cleaning or tailoring. So, when looking for cotton pieces make sure to look for 100% cotton, this signifies that there is no polyester blended into the fabric. This will help with everything mentioned above as well as durability and comfortability. Denim is created from cotton and dyed indigo. Well, there is a plant named Indigo, and that is where the color of jeans originated from, however it’s typically synthetic dye now. So, in a perfect world, you would find “100% Organic Indigo Dyed Cotton Denim”. I do not own a pair of these. But, it exists nonetheless.

Wool. The kingpin of sweaters and year round luxury. Just to be honest in the beginning, I am biased and wool is my favorite material. I am going to speak from the heart on this one, it is perfect. Seriously, tell me any other material that is naturally odor resistant…I’ll wait. There are none. And not only do you not smell, practically ever, in wool but you also stay at the correct temperature! It is literally temperature regulating. You know when you are wearing a sweatshirt and you feel like without it you’re cold but you put it on and you’re too hot? Well, the whole point of a wool sweater is that you can just leave it on, if you get hot it will cool you down & if you get too cold it will warm you up. Don’t ask me exactly how it works. With this being such an amazing material, there are a few downsides. It’s not the strongest, so you need to take care of it to last a long time. It can also be itchy and if you wash and dry it incorrectly a size large sweater will shrink down to fit a four-month old child. The most common wool product would likely be the sweater, this is where wool shines. It is an amazing middle-layer, wear it above a shirt and below a jacket and it will keep you perfectly warm no matter what you are doing. There are also many other wool products; scarves, overcoats, shirts, etc… So, if you are looking for something that you can wear all year round without smelling or overheating, look for wool.

Leather. No need for a one sentence explanation, we get it. Leather is almost in its own category regarding natural materials because it isn’t a plant, nor can it be taken from the animal multiple times. If you are unfamiliar it is the skin or hide of the animal, typically cows. Leather is also a special case when it comes to wear, it doesn’t really break down. Unlike wool, that gets holes in it or rips or frays or just slowly disintegrates, leather just patinas. Yes, patina, the leather will start to likely darken over time to a more rich tone. It will also start to get a softened texture. So, what I'm trying to say is that the more you wear it, the better it gets. We have all seen some sixty year old biker who has been wearing the same leather jacket for forty five years and it just looks beautiful, that is the best description of leather. It is waterproof, windproof, molds to your body, ages beautifully, very durable, and it’s easy to clean…So, what are the downsides? Well, there aren’t many but I would say there are two common ones. One, it can be expensive, there are different levels of quality when it comes to leather; Full Grain, Top Grain, Genuine, Split, and Bonded. All of these are leather, however they slowly get worse in different aspects as you go down the list. Full grain is the highest quality of leather and what you would ideally want, however it is the most expensive. The second thing to think about is that leather is a very specific look, picture yourself in a leather jacket. You either thought of a YES or a NO, there isn’t really an in between…Me personally, I am a NO, with the occasional hint of YES until I see myself actually in the jacket and then I am a solidified NO. While I cannot wear leather jackets at all, or at least for another forty years, I can wear boots. This is something I could talk about forever, but if you want a nice pair of shoes that can do almost anything, leather boots are the answer. You can go western. You can go classy. You can go punk. You can go any direction you want and no matter what it will elevate your outfit. That is why I love leather, it is the common man's elevator. I feel like when I choose to exclusively wear these materials I not only feel better about what I am wearing, but also about the outfit in its entirety. I promise if you start going natural, you will never want to wear a plastic or oil based fabric again.

Now, you know where to get your clothes and you know what your clothes should be made of. What else really matters? Where it’s made, and in turn how it’s made. Most of us are familiar with China, and the fact that almost everything is made there. That isn’t just by chance, that is because they made the most efficient and cost effective way to produce clothing. While this sounds good in theory, because humans are inherently efficiency machines, there are a lot of cut corners to get here. Stolen IP. Poor labor laws. Overworking of employees. Poor material selection. Cheap build quality. I could go on and on, but I am not against China or Made in China, I am just against poor quality clothing and they are the number one advocate for it. 

Made in the USA. This doesn’t just mean it is made here and that’s why it's better, but it means higher standards, quality materials, & better construction. Clothes made this way don't just feel better, they last longer. Let me preface, this section is not exclusively about purchasing things made in the USA, but rather focusing on the United States as a specific example, and then laying out other countries that are also amazing options. 

You shouldn't just focus on the country of origin exclusively, but also think about whether it’s fast fashion or mass produced trend pieces. Trust me if you feel the quality of whatever it is you are looking to buy, you will know. It will just feel cheap. But, let’s say that you are shopping online vintage or unable to actually feel the fabric. Here are the countries that I would recommend trying to stay away from if your main goal is build quality; China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, & Cambodia. A couple other things to look out for when buying things made in the countries previously stated is inconsistent sizing, when shopping for things from Asia, they typically run  much smaller. You also get the risk of lower quality fabrics and poor stitching. No matter how the garment fits, what it’s made of, or who made it, if the stitching is poor, it will fall apart. Think about it like this, if something is produced to follow a trend, the inherent quality of a “trend” is that it is everchanging. Therefore you would not want to waste money making something that will be around forever. Trends don’t last. Trendy pieces won’t last either.

Why made in the USA then? If you look at the actual phrase, clothing business, fifty percent of that phrase is the word business. Businesses are meant to be efficient and produce the most cashflow possible, therefore if a company is deciding to produce their clothes currently in the USA, they are sacrificing some form of profit. They are taking that percentage of profit lost and applying it into the clothing they are producing. And then YOU are receiving that additional profit in the form of longevity, comfortability, etc… When I do end up shopping for something that is new, I typically stay within companies that either make their things in the United States or other countries that will be listed later. Another benefit of made in the USA is that when most companies did actually do that, it was a long time ago. Which takes me back to point number one, buy vintage. Most companies like Patagonia, Arcteryx, or Polo Ralph Lauren were all made in the USA. Unfortunately, the latter half of their names came into play and they needed to focus on profit before quality. Basically, the whole point of this section is to highlight that if your end goal is to obtain pieces that will last you a lifetime, you will have a higher likelihood of shopping for pieces made in the United States. But this isn’t exclusive, there are many other absolutely amazing countries that produce extremely high quality pieces. 

 Japan, as with many other things, are known for their high attention to detail. Regarding clothing, they are very well known for their denim. You have likely heard the term “selvedge denim”, that comes from them. Selvedge denim is a form of weaving together denim that is only possible on a few certain looms, and these looms create a “self-edge” on the denim, preventing it from fraying like a normal denim. This is typically indicated by a red stitch pattern on the edge of the fabric, and if you see someone with rolled up jeans, they may just be repping their selvedge. 

Italy is known for their exceptional craftsmanship and high end leathers. Most of the luxury brands boast that their products are produced in Italy, rightfully so. If you were looking for a leather jacket or boots and you were shopping “made in Italy”, you have good odds of finding something you end up being impressed by. Another thing that they prioritize is their construction and finishing, this again matters because a piece of clothing is only as strong as the stitching. I have a few pieces that were produced in Italy and they just feel good. I would recommend them for silk, leather, and anything that you want to look clean or tailored.

England, this is a surprise to some, but they are great producers of wool due to the fact that they have heritage wool mills. While, I cannot directly say that if you get a wool product that was made in England it will be good. I would be surprised if it wasn’t, especially if you follow the first two rules in tandem.

Mexico has great boots. Simple. I am not sure how good their cotton or wool would be, but I know from firsthand experience their boots are fantastic. If you are looking for more of a western style of boot and you find a pair that are made in Mexico, I would not hesitate to purchase them. Even when shopping for new boots, I will pay the price to have them made in Mexico over somewhere else. Mexico is known for having high quality hides, traditionally tanning, and most importantly building their boots to be resoled. You craft boots with that in mind, and it will allow you to continue to wear them for years and years to come.

I truly believe that these three rules will absolutely transform the way you purchase clothing but also the way you look at it and wear it. However, there is another aspect that can end up being just as important or more important than these three points. I view this last idea as the glue between it all. Without this, it wouldn’t matter if it was made of 100% pure silk, crafted in Italy by a master craftsman, or made in the ‘50s with perfect stitching. 

The fit. About three years ago, I purchased a 6 pack of Hanes tees. Three of them were gray & two were black. Unfortunately, one of the shirts was taken out of the pack before I purchased it, so it ended up being a 5 pack. Nevertheless, that 5 pack of tee shirts bred the greatest black shirt combo in existence. I have worn the two about 2-4 times every single week over the last three straight years. The whole pack maybe cost me $36, so that’s about $7 per shirt. And if we do the math, guesstimately, about 150 wears per shirt over the last three years… Five cents per wear, made in China, polyester & cotton blend, purchased brand new. This goes against every single thing I have said in this entire essay, but I love these shirts and they fit me perfectly. So, to close this off I think there is nothing better to say than…

A perfect piece that doesn’t fit right will never be worn.