Clothing Durability: Shein vs. Sustainability

Abstract

How often do you have to repurchase online clothing due to lack of durability? With the fashion industry always changing and weighing in on what the "next big thing" is in design and aesthetics, the question of quality in production has raised major concerns for consumers. Retrospectively, consumers want their money to go toward items that are durable and will last them a long time. However, the rise in media and consumerism has exposed the public to faster-moving trend cycles, which means a faster moving production cycle. Therefore, the production cycle has to sacrifice things such as sustainability and ethical issues. One way to see the change in durability would be to compare fabric compositions from today's trends to the trends of the 1970s. This research aims to determine if clothing today is as durable as clothing produced fifty years ago.