Some tips, in case they're helpful to anybody:
Figure out what styles you like, and then learn what brands make quality versions of those styles. I don't mean designer, I mean well made. You can't afford the good shit, I know, but bear with me. We'll get to that.
A pretty good way of determining if something is "quality" is to look at the fiber content. Synthetics like polyester and nylon will tend to pill, not to mention they don't breathe and can irritate your skin. Synthetics like rayon and viscose feel better and are more breathable, but they also tend to lose their shape quickly and start to look saggy or thin in places. What you want are high percentages of natural fibers, like cotton, linen, and wool. Anything with a lot of elastic or lycra is going to wear out faster than versions that have a natural fiber content of 95% or higher. 100% is ideal, because when those stretch materials wear out, you're going to be seeing all those little broken ends of elastic sticking out.
For shoes, avoid faux leather. It'll wear out and crack and start shedding microplastics. If you're opposed to leather for animal rights reasons, buy it used (which is what I'm going to tell you to do in the next step, anyway). Good leather shoes can often be maintained and repaired for decades, and it's better to keep a used pair in circulation than to throw more plastic to the landfill.
Once you've figured out what you want, and who is making quality versions of it, find it used. Sometimes you can get lucky in thrift stores, but if there's something specific you want, try Ebay. If the exact thing you're looking for isn't there, or is too expensive (check if they have the "or best offer" option available, because a lot of sellers will immediately come down on a price if asked), scroll down below the listing to see if Ebay has any similar items to suggest. I've been surprised at how often these suggestions don't suck. The brand was never what was important, it's just a search filter that helps to bring up well made options.
Learn mending techniques. There are a ton of tutorials for both invisible and decorative mending out there.
It also helps to just ignore trends and focus on what you like, and want to wear year after year.
I love this, and I have some things to add!
Sometimes, for whatever reason, natural fibers wonât be an option for you. For example, winter coats and snowpants: linen wonât keep you warm, cotton holds water and sweat making you cold, and good quality wool outerwear is often prohibitively expensive. Buying synthetic clothing second hand means that you can see how durable the synthetic fabric is, when these fabrics are new it can be hard to tell if corners were cut in manufacturing and if the fabric will last.
For winter wear specifically, some clothing is designed so that the waterproofing can be re-applied when it wears off. This can significantly extend the life of your coat or snowpants.
If you have leather (especially shoes) you need to learn how to take care of it, or it will crack and take in water easily. This is especially important if you live somewhere with cold, dry winters, or if your shoes come in contact with road salt. There are a lot of different ways to do this and each method has its pros and cons, but you usually want something to condition and hydrate the leather (my favourite is Leather Honey) and for shoes, something to seal it, like a polish. Unless you have treated them specifically to withstand water, you should not be getting leather shoes fully wet- if it looks like it will rain, wear something else.
Leather shoes are not all equal, the way that the leather top is attached to the sole determines how repairable a shoe is. Shoes with the sole glued to the leather upper are usually cheaper, and can be great for learning how to take care of leather if you buy them second hand, but the glue will eventually fail. You also canât usually replace the soles on these shoes. Leather shoes with the upper stitched to the sole can be more repairable, but not always: some stitching requires very specialized machines, and so canât be fixed by most local cobblers. The Goodyear welt is the gold standard stitching method, and it is generally considered the most repairable, though it is a bit more expensive.
If youâre buying leather new, learn the different types, as the naming isnât intuitive at all. âGenuineâ leather doesnât mean anything other than that a product is made of real leather, and this is often really low quality. (Usually, full-grain leather is the highest quality, but thereâs more to it that I donât have time to get into)
A solid pair of hand-knit socks can be repaired indefinitey, as long as you stay on top of mending, and imo these are also really easy to mend well. If made of wool, they can also be a lot warmer than other socks.
One more very specific thing I just remembered: belts. If you wear the same belt every day, for the love of god, please just buy a leather one.
I wear one of these every single day, and used to buy whatever synthetic one I could find.
Each one was about 20$, and I had to replace it about every year or so because it would start disintegrating.
I finally decided to get a leather one from NAB leather (this one) and it is:
Noticeably more solid and better built. Not just the leather but the hardware too, it has a nice weight to it
Iâve had it for a few years and it looks like new, even though I wear it every day.
Before, my belt was cracking and looking awful about half the year, before it got too damaged to wear and I had to replace it. I donât have to deal with that anymore.
Surprisingly, the leather is more comfortable and flexible than the synthetic belts (I thought it would be stiffer)
It has a lifetime warranty. If it breaks at any point (which honestly Iâd be surprised), I can get it fixed for free.
(Note: normal price, itâs about 120$ CAD, but it goes on sale frequently, I think I got mine for about 90$ if not less. Imo thatâs a cheap price to pay for never having to buy a belt again)
