# Durability of Affordable Fashion

Recent **durability testing** has revealed that **inexpensive clothing** often outperforms its pricier counterparts. The **University of Leeds**, in collaboration with the retailer **Primark**, conducted tests on a variety of items, including jeans and T-shirts, to establish standards for clothing longevity.

## Findings from the Study

The university’s **school of design** evaluated **65 products** and found a **£15** pair of women's jeans to be more durable than a **£150** equivalent. Primark plans to integrate these findings into their guidelines, aiming to provide customers with enhanced value for their purchases.

Kate Morris, the lead researcher at the university, stated:

> "We have equipment that can mimic years and years of wear and tear of garments in a matter of hours."

The researchers focused on practical aspects such as fabric friction for jeans and seam strength. For hoodies, they examined *pilling*, which refers to the small bobbles that form on fabric. The results were unexpected; price did not correlate with quality.

## Insights on Price vs. Durability

In the men’s T-shirt category, the second-best performer was priced at only **£5**, with a total of **17 styles tested**. Morris noted:

> “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."

While this study does not imply that all inexpensive clothing will last indefinitely, it emphasizes that higher prices do not guarantee better durability.

Primark has faced criticism for its *fast fashion* model but is now hopeful that its new **Durability Framework** will encourage customers to get more wear from their items. Vicki Swain, Primark’s product longevity lead, shared:

> “We developed the framework to ensure that customers know items are going to last, no matter how much they can afford to spend.”

## Future Research Directions

Although Primark provided the garments for this study, they did not influence the independent research process. Morris explained:

> “We did all of the testing, analysed all of the data... They were not involved in any of the testing work.”

Looking ahead, the University of Leeds intends to conduct further studies to uncover what factors contribute to garment durability. They are committed to exploring what dictates longevity within clothing.