topic Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic? in Suggestion Box

Why are all clothing products synthetic?

ellietoo — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:08:19 GMT

QVC used to offer wool coats and suede coats and jackets. Now everything that was once a natural fiber is “faux.” There is little cotton fabric anymore. Cannot even find cotton pajamas! When we do see something that is cotton it is usually a blend and very poor quality that hangs loosely and baggy on the body. For many years people used to buy good quality cotton clothing and now it is hard to find and is poor quality. What do buyers have against natural fibers? Synthetics are poisonous to the environment. The place where these fibers are manufactured is the most polluted place on earth.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

Desertdi — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:16:34 GMT

Ease of care

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

Othereeeen — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:21:20 GMT

@ellietoo

Cheap.

Cotton and real fibers and leather are expensive.

Everything is dumbed down today.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

SilleeMee — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:28:18 GMT

Synthetics are cheap. Cheap raw materials used in the most efficient manufacturing processes, much of it automated. Natural textiles require human labor to raise the raw materials which is expensive.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

proudlyfromNJ — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 17:40:37 GMT

@Othereeeenwrote:
@ellietoo
Cheap.
.
Cotton and real fibers and leather are expensive.
.
Everything is dumbed down today.

@OthereeeenPosters here already complain about the prices of clothes,etc. That's why things are 'dumbed' down today. QVC would be out of business if they used real fabrics as not many would be buying. Would you?

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

Desert Lily — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:04:06 GMT

@ellietooWhen the economy crashed in 2008, cotton and other natural materials became very expensive. Cotton blends became more popular for price & care. The synthetics are cheaper.

Cotton pajamas are still available. For example, Lands End has cotton pajama bottoms at regular $57.95 and cotton pajama tops at regular $57.95; however, they are currently on sale for less on the date of this post. Leather and wool are still available at Sundance and better department stores.

I guess it depends on whether someone's willing to pay for 100% cotton or other natural materials, where someone shops, and how much care someone wants to put into apparel.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

Imaoldhippie — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:08:10 GMT

Farm lands that grow cotton are being sold and built on. Same for any other crop that goes into fabrics. Same for sheep, hog, cattle these farms are being sold and built on too.

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The price of leather some some reason it sky high, so is wool and any type of fabric that is natural.

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There will come a day (soon) there will be no natural fabrics and all clothing will be made from poly or other man made material.

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Clothing is made in foreign countries because all the manufactoring companies chose cheap labor and less costly benefits for employees. Their profit is now larger.

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Just think what future generations will be eating when all the farm land has condo's, drug stores, Dollar General's and Walmarts built on them.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

mspatmac — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:09:04 GMT

@proudlyfromNJwrote:
@Othereeeenwrote:
@ellietoo
Cheap.
.
Cotton and real fibers and leather are expensive.
.
Everything is dumbed down today.
@OthereeeenPosters here already complain about the prices of clothes,etc. That's why things are 'dumbed' down today. QVC would be out of business if they used real fabrics as not many would be buying. Would you?

@proudlyfromNJ

@Othereeeen

Yes I would and I do. I am retired so no longer need work cloths. I would rather have fewer clothes in natural fibers than a drawer full of poly/span. My preference for me only.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

Foxxee — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:11:56 GMT

Probably, the biggest reason is cost. Synthetic fibers are less expensive to make into fiber. That means lower prices for consumers.

Quite a few years ago, the synthetic fiber industry went head to head with the natural fiber industry. The synthetic fiber industry painted an ugly picture of natural fibers and still does today. Words like dry cleaning, fading, shrinking, cost, ironing, were used often about natural fibers. All of the good features of natural fibers, of course, were ignored.

The natural fiber industry fought back, offered washable wool, summer weight wool, preshrunk cotton, breathable fibers that kept buyers cooler than synthetic, addressed the negative aspects of synthetic fibers, but the synthetic fiber industry sold women on their fibers even though it takes many years to dispose of them in our landfills. Polyester became king.

QVC's reviews prove at least QVC buyers prefer synthetic fabrics. Exact words used by the synthetic fiber industry are used in their reviews. Washable, no ironing, fading, or shrinking, four of the most used.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

Othereeeen — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:20:42 GMT

@proudlyfromNJ

I probably would not buy any more or less than I do now....not because of fabric, but because, being retired, I have enough clothes to last the rest of my life.

I worked for a Utility for my career, retiring in 2013. They provided clothing for us....100% cotton clothes because they required cotton to be worn on the job because it doesn't collect and discharge static electricity like nylon and polyester and manmade fabrics can.

I worked in the gas pipeline business, where we worked near leaking or blowing natural gas....so static was a no no.

I have a lot of clothes left over from that job....tee shirts, crew neck shirts, denim pants, jackets, sweatshirts, leather workboots, you name it. We'd get an allowance each year, and the company got a discount from vendors like Carharrt, Levi, etc, so we could buy a LOT of items for our allowance.

I am always amazed when I look at the quality of those cotton goods compared to even the cotton clothes you can find today. Thick material, well sewn seams, and they fit and wear like iron. It takes forever to wear them out.

They are for around the house or my rural property now, cause I wear "normal" clothes out ( no Company logo!! but I don't really care about that anyway....).

I like wool ,and real leather (like my car seats!) so yes I would and do buy wool ( like the Irish sweaters) and I like 100% cotton sheets. NO "blend" sheets!!! So yes I would pay more for them, but I don't buy a ton of them.

I don't care for the feel of synthetics.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

goldensrbest — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:41:44 GMT

I just hate the way clothes are , cheap material, lousy craftsman ship, thin material.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

jubilant — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:42:59 GMT

I do love a good wool coat. Much of it today is a "wool blend". I also don't like really thin material. I do remember when clothing lasted a lot longer!

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

ladyann45 — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 18:47:35 GMT

The buyers have very little to do with the choice of materials used in clothing these days, it is solely the maker who determines that. The cost of doing business has gone up and natural fibers are expensive. They make the choice of blending fibers in order to stay in business. If they continue to use natural fibers the cost would be high and you would be complaining about the cost. One day things will get back to natural fibers but it will not be soon.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

mspatmac — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 19:35:13 GMT

@Othereeeen

Your post on cotton clothing reminded me of handbags. I have three Coach bags from forever ago. They are soft, no lining and beautiful thick leather. I still use them from time to time.

There is no comparison to what is produced today.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

Kachina624 — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 20:57:54 GMT

@ellietooYou ought to be able to figure that out by pricing wool and leather coats at a very nice clothing store. It'll have to be a high end store because the prices will be so high, way beyond the price point at which QVC could sell a coat. Store selling cheaper quality won't have wool or leather.

Both wool fiber and leather have soared in price. The price of cotton is also up....just look at the price of denim jeans compared to a couple years ago.

Pollution can be controlled if the polluter has the incentive to do so.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

Etoile308 — Mon, 05 Dec 2022 22:27:34 GMT

I remember the thread here where someone ridiculed the price of the 100% cotton pajamas going for around $75.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

deeva — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 03:53:24 GMT

When QVC offered leather clothing, people complained that they were selling real leather.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

AngelPuppy1 — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 10:58:24 GMT

Synthetics are cheaper. That seems to be what it's mostly about in today's world.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

songbird — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 11:53:48 GMT

People wanted to stop ironing. That was one factor.One advantage of natural fibers is that they are very strong and durable, absorbent and colors are more saturated Natural fibers are wool, cotton, silk and jute (Jute is a plant that carpets and rugs were once made from). Natural fibers are either animal based or plant based. The hostility of Organizations like PETA destroyed the animal based industry. Since most people still eat animals, so the skins of animals now are destroyed instead of used to make clothes & shoes..Although many people object to fur, they still wear leather shoes. Vegan leather is made from wood pulp and barks of trees. So if you have vegan leather, you're wearing wood. Synthetic "fur" looks like the real thing, but not remotely as warm. Synthetic fibers last forever. And many of them never degrade. Some countries still wear real fur because of geography. None of the animals are luxury fur, but for warmth like fox, rabbit, bears, etc. Russia and Nordic countries, Also some animals rights groups are against wearing wool.

Re: Why are all clothing products synthetic?

CalminHeart — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 13:09:07 GMT

For me, most synthetics are like wearing a plastic bag. They don't breathe and hold in too much heat, even in our 30 degrees-below-zero winter weather.