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So much for those R19,000 Versace Regular Fit jeans.
The University of Leeds has conducted tests alongside UK retailer Primark to see if cheaper versions of items such as jeans and T-shirts outperformed more expensive garments in durability testing conducted for the discount fashion industry.
The cheaper versions surprised everyone, especially when it came to jeans. After assessing 65 products, they found a £15 (R350) pair of women’s jeans to be more durable than the £150 (R3,500) equivalent.
Primark now says it will incorporate the findings of the study into its guidelines, and the chain said it hoped the results would help give customers better value for their money.
Kate Morris, who led the research team at the university, said: “We have equipment that can mimic years and years of wear and tear of garments in a matter of hours. We had to consider how the garments are actually used. So, with jeans we focussed on things such as the fabric rubbing together and seam strength.
For hoodies, they looked at ‘pilling’, which are the small bobbles that form on fabric as it wears out.
“We found no correlation between price and durability. It doesn’t mean that if you go out and buy something really cheap it will last forever, and vice versa. We are simply saying that there is no correlation between the two”.
The team was “surprised” by the results, which showed that price was not necessarily an indicator of long-term quality – the second-best performer in the men’s T-shirt category cost only £5 (R112).
“Historically people think that if you pay more, you’ll get a longer life out of the garment. We found no correlation between price and durability. It doesn’t mean that if you go out and buy something really cheap it will last forever, and vice versa. We are simply saying that there is no correlation between the two”.
