Me : “If its really cheap, you should try to know why it’s priced that way. Who got screwed in the process ? The worker ? The planet ? bad quality ?  .. all the above ? “

Him : “If its expensive, I want to know where the money is going. Why am I being asked to pay this much ? Does it have special features ? Is it the pattern ? Is it the fabric ? What exactly am I paying for ? Am I paying for the inflated lifestyle of the company executives ? I know that is the case with fast fashion retailers. The CEO of Zara is one of the richest man on the planet. “

“Why does it cost so much?”

For the goods I buy, I often don’t know the answer this question.  We grew up in an era of fast fashion chains and more often than not, assume that what they put out is the absolute right price of the garment. But the sad fact remains : even if you pay more money for a garment, it could come from a sweatshop or/and have poor quality. It is really important to ask ” what exactly am I paying for here? “. Transparent supply chains and ethical manufacturing practices are a rarity. I have some notion of quality but no real expertise. Not in a real technical sense like a tailor or a pattern maker would. But I can answer this question for my first second hand garment :

It’s all in the details.

This jacket has a pouch by the neck to hide a hood. The hood retracts and the pouch zips up in a way that you cant notice it at all. It’s exemplary design. The hands have a finger warmer and a retractable mitten. When I start my warm up, I use the mittens. After mile one, the arm warmer is sufficient. After mile 3, I can go free hand. If its a hike in the winter, I use all three and never needed to carry gloves. It has a inner lining that is sweat wicking. It has a hidden pocket on the inside that fits a phone and has a provision to loop the headphone cables through the jacket. The exterior has reflective lines for folks like me who run on the street in the night. It is not fitted but keeps me warm. It’s made by Lululemon. This was back in the day when Lululemon was the innovator and made its garments in Canada. You couldn’t find clothes like this else where. I don’t remember the price but it was astronomical. I had never seen a more perfect jacket and was saving to buy it. It didn’t happen for me. It sold out. I never found another like it. Two years later, I searched for it and the link took me straight to eBay. I winced. “Someone’s sweaty clothes, eww”, was my first thought. The ebay page was getting a lot of hits and in a moment of panic, I bought it. It was still a lot of money. I felt sick after I hit ‘Buy it now’. I felt guilty. I called my father to confess to my sins.

Here is it, 7 years later. Still doing great. It taught me a few lessons :

  1. Wait and buy that well designed item. It’s well worth it.
  2. If you wait long enough, you will find it second hand. ( Atleast in America, the land of plenty. )
  3. Sweaty clothes can be washed and worn. Stop acting like a princess who cant touch the commoners who toil.
  4. Once the barrier has been broke, there is no going back. Today, I only shop second hand. Furniture, pots, shoes, books, clothes, car, tools, cat toys, …. everything ! My first will remain special.