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Do we really care about what material our clothes are made of??

Do you prefer natural material over synthetic


  • Total voters
    10

mrtngan

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Just out of curiosity, how many of us here actually cares what the clothes are made of? I personally always check the care label to make sure the stuff is at least mostly natural materials before making a purchase.
 

il_colonnello

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I certainly care what something is made from, although my concern is not natural v synthetic. Synthetic materials can look fantastic and have their place for specific uses.

The only fabrics I am generally wary of are viscose and modal.
 

mrtngan

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I agree that synthetics can be exceptional for specific use, but more and more are they used strictly for cost savings. For performance clothing, no doubt synthetics have an edge, but even high-end brand like Hermes uses Viscose instead of silk for their blazer lining which boggles my mind.
 

il_colonnello

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I understand what level of quality and construction (and price point) you are probably referring to; however I think that at a very high level, it really hardly matters, and I am sure that a ultra-high-end maker like Hermès, notwithstanding what I said about my own skepticism of viscose, uses that fabric for reasons other than cost-savings.

Tomas Maier, the designer for Bottega Veneta, is an outspoken advocate of (high-end, Japanese) polyester, and I doubt that he has to make that case to cut corners.
And btw, even if we are talking about low-end market segments, I'm not sure the natural fibres used there are much better than the synthetics. (I have never, for instance, understood this forum's love for Uniqlo, for that reason.)
 

Mannerheim

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Synthetics have their benefits, viscose is stronger than silk for instance.
But the issue is more about low-end material than natural/synthetics, low-end wool is absolute ****, like cheap poly or basic cotton.
I don't really care, but some do, think about the CM people who lost their mind when they discovered that Simonnot-Godard chambray was poly-cotton
 

Superb0bo

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I care alot about fabrics, and would probably get something with sub par fit if the fabric was amazing (e.g., very heavy cord).
 

Jobst

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I'm steadily removing cotton from my wardrobe, replacing with wool and linen. Exceptions made for particularly nice cottons, e.g. Schneider and SEH Kelly stuff.
 

Forum Troll

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Yes. I care about what materials my clothes are made of. I have my own preference in terms of feel, fit, and what it takes to clean or maintain my items. I like materials from certain geographic regions because I just like them.
 

orfane

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I guess I typically prefer natural materials, but at the very least I want to know what is there. The problem though is that just knowing that something is leather or cashmere tells you nothing about the actual quality of the material, that takes a lot more research. And at the same time you don't always want those classic natural materials. I mean Stone Island is basically built around cool technical fabrics
 

Dr Huh?

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If it says "Avoid open flame", I pass on it.
 

Fuuma

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I care alot about fabrics, and would probably get something with sub par fit if the fabric was amazing (e.g., very heavy cord).

Any advice on "very heavy cord" garments? I think some of the french or austrian producers or whatever might be quite good but not sure which ones. I have some old APC straight leg somewhat baggy navy cords I wear a lot these days.
 

mrtngan

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its to know what everyone's take on this amid the fast fashion and one-time/one-season use environment. @orfane is right, knowing what they are doesn't mean tell you anything about their quality. But what I'm trying to get a sense here is whether people prefer natural fibers over synthetic.

I myself am more inclined towards natural materials in my clothes. To me, putting on synthetic fibers is fundamentally covering yourself in a plastic bag. Especially if synthetic fibers are used as a replacement for natural fibers only for its cost savings aspect. I tend to shy away from them from a sustainability point of view as well. There are exceptions though where performance of the garment is needed. As a person from the industry, there are many performance treatments that simply won't work on natural fibers.
 

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How important is full vs half canvas to you for heavier sport jackets?

  • Definitely full canvas only

    Votes: 55 35.5%
  • Half canvas is fine

    Votes: 60 38.7%
  • Really don't care

    Votes: 17 11.0%
  • Depends on fabric

    Votes: 27 17.4%
  • Depends on price

    Votes: 28 18.1%

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