Quality Over Quantity...but screw paying full price

FAST FASHION IS THE DEVIL & LUXURY CLOTHING IS HIGHWAY ROBBERY! 

Ok, I'm not Bobby Boucher's mother I promise, but fast fashion is killing the industry in a number of ways. The largest negative impact that fast fashion has on the world is the fact that its destroying the environment. Textile waste has skyrocketed due to the mass production of over consumed products that result in wasted clothing. While the purchase of new merchandise generates revenue on one end it requires the discarding of old materials on the other. This leads to an unhealthy cycle that only proves beneficial to the bottom line of the company and no one else. Also the quality of clothing that brands like Forever 21 and H&M create are no where near as close to those of the brands that they imitate. So yes you save money in the short run by purchasing inexpensive clothing but you waste money in the long run because they don't last.

So what are we supposed to do? Are we to go broke on $1,000 Louis Vuitton garments that cost as much as a 3 credit hour college course? Of course not! But you also don't have to destroy the environment and waste money on clothes that won't even last you 5 wash cycles. 

The alternative to it all is actually quite simple. When I started buying clothes for myself in undergrad I realized first and foremost that men's clothing is ridiculously expensive. I would try and pick out pieces of clothes in the store and just shake my head because I knew I couldn't really afford it. So inevitably I fell into the trap of fast fashion. I would purchase tons of clothes from suits, casual looks, and street wear from places like Forever 21 Men, or H&M. As my style and taste for clothing grew I started realizing that these clothes really weren't holding up like I felt they should. I had T-shirts and button downs that would have loose threads and strings or would lose shape and fade. So instead of wasting money in the long run on cheap clothes I started buying pieces that I knew would actually last. Certain things are inevitably going to last you a few wears, such as T-shirts, shorts, joggers. You know, the cheap stuff you buy just to eventually turn into something you wear around the house or to wash the car in. But major items such as jeans, dress slacks, good chinos, blazers, suit separates and real leather jackets and shoes should be able to last you a few seasons. 

It wasn't until I purchased my first real leather jacket that I realized you can never beat quality. And I promise you, it doesn't matter how many H&M faux leather jackets you buy, they'll never last as long or look as good as the real thing. 

So I learned to do these two simple things:

1. Window-shopping can save you from being a brokeboy! I don't remember the last time being called a window-shopper ever hurt my feelings. Probably when 50 dropped the song, but I wasn't buying clothes for myself in '05 anyway. What I did learn from window- shopping as a kid is that if you wait long enough the prices will drop, and you'll be walking out with what you want and some extra cash. Purchasing great quality clothes such as real leather jackets, great denim, and heavy duty clothing can add up if you are paying full retail price. However if you can just wait for a sale or until the off season you'll be the one with the leg up. All retailers do is mark up what is in season and then mark it down when it's out of season. So if you can play the waiting game you can really make a major come up when the next season rolls around. That same leather jacket that I mentioned I purchased for only $120 versus the $275 that it was worth, all because I waited for the off season. To the fashionisto that wants nice things but can't afford it, window-shopping isn't a bad trait to learn, your pockets will thank me later. 
2. Add to your wardrobe piece by piece. When I was in undergrad I literally always wanted my closet to be stacked with the nicest shoes, clothes, etc. But I mean I was a young kid with no real income so I didn't know how to do this without blowing my refund check all at once. Luckily my inner Mr. Krabs always kicks in when my trigger finger gets itchy on my shopping cart. So instead of buying everything all at once, I limited myself to purchasing things twice a month. I wouldn't cash out but I would buy a really nice graphic T-shirt or a really nice pair of jeans or shoes. If I knew I wanted more good denim I would buy one pair that might cost me $50 from banana republic instead of buying 2 pairs from PacSun. If I knew that I really wanted a nice pair of loafers I would buy a pair of $130 loafers from Aldo instead of $45 from some random site online. Over time adding these clothes to my wardrobe I had literally enough clothes in my closet to have options for days. Even now 4 years later I still have some of those key pieces that I till this day still get compliments for. 

So play it cool if you don't have it all together right now. In the words of T.I. "You ain't gotta be a dopeboy to make money" and in the words of myself "You don't have to be a baller to have the flyest closet".