Day 21: Here’s why poor people need better clothes than rich people

6/20/2024

Day 21: Here’s why poor people need better clothes than rich people

One of the arguments brought out to justify fast fashion is that it makes shopping more democratic, by allowing poor people to buy clothes too. People slamming fast fashion are branded elitist — and this isn’t helped by the large number of slow fashion influencers who are white ladies wafting about in quiet luxury tencels and linens, not to mention posting photos from foreign trips.

I kind of get this when it comes to children’s clothes, especially school uniform. If everyone can buy their tunics or white shirts or whatever that school wants and it looks good and everyone looks more or less the same, then that’s got to be better for the kids than having some people in brand new uniforms and others in shabby old ones that are clearly second hand. Also, children grow out of clothes quickly, so they aren’t expected to keep the same clothes in their wardrobes for years on end.

But when it comes to adults, I’d question whether fast fashion is doing such a helpful job. Sure it enables people from all incomes to buy large amounts of clothes. But does anyone NEED to do a haul several times a year? The average person these days buys more or less an entire new wardrobe every year. That’s simply not necessary.

And are these clothes actually doing their job, especially for customers who aren’t well off?

That’s where I’d say that poor people need better clothes than rich people. Not just because they maybe have fewer clothes, but because the clothes have a tougher job to do.

Since energy prices shot up, I only turn the heating on when my daughter’s at home. Other times, I wrap myself in three (sometimes even four) jumpers, thick socks, a pashmina, and hold a hot water bottle when I’m working from home. That’s why I have about 15 jumpers, all of them wool or cashmere, and several of them big mens sweaters, which I’ve bought from charity shops. A set of trendy polyester or acrylic sweaters doesn’t do the same job.

The jumpers weren’t particularly expensive — they ranged in price from as little as £1 off the bargain rail to £25 from a fancy charity shop in Edinburgh — but note I said better clothes, not more expensive clothes.

Similarly, if you don’t have a car — and I had one for a grand total of three years of my adult life — you need outerwear that is both warm and waterproof. How else can you go out in all weathers, or hang around at bus stops and train stations?

The single most expensive item in my wardrobe is a Finn Flare down coat. I bought it for around £300 when I was working in Astana, Kazakhstan, which is one of the coldest cities in the world. In conditions like that — temperatures went down to -40C or below, and there was wind chill on top of that — a long thick coat was an essential.

When I moved to the west coast of Scotland, which is one of the rainiest parts of Europe, I still went out in all weathers and needed a raincoat. Funnily enough, this was a fast fashion purchase. After trying out and rejecting coats from all kinds of retailers from outdoor specialists to designer outerwear purveyors, I found a long waterproof coat in New Look. I wear it every time it’s raining except in the height of summer. I’ve racked up at least 200 wears so far.

Again, better doesn’t have to mean more expensive, it means something that does the job, and continues to do the job for years.

And of course if you walk everywhere, you need shoes that are comfortable enough not to create blisters, and some that are waterproof or warm or breathable depending on weather conditions.

That’s not to even getting into needing comfortable shoes for jobs that require you to be on your feet all day (shop or cafe work), or physically demanding (cleaning).

My personal experience of Shein and other fast fashion brands is that if you choose carefully you can find pieces that serve you well, just like my New Look raincoat.

However, for the most part the clothes aren’t intended to last, and the aggressive marketing means people are buying on impulse rather than choosing garments that meet their particular needs. The only people who benefit from that are the billionaire owners of the fast fashion brands.

Everything I wore on day 21 of my 90 days of Shein challenge