8 red flags your clothes won’t last long, according to style experts

Style experts told B-17 about clothing red flags. 

While fast fashion remains a huge part of the clothing industry, sustainability efforts have gained traction to advocate for more conscious consumption practices like thrifting and focusing on the quality of clothes over quantity.

The issue, though, is how to define quality.

“Just because something has a nice label on it, like a designer label, doesn’t always mean it’s constructed with great quality,” Atlanta-based fashion stylist and wardrobe consultant Kenzie Welch, who shares her tips on Instagram and TikTok, told B-17. “So, I’ve been able to find really great quality pieces from H&M and Target and found really bad quality pieces from luxury brands.”

Additionally, in 2020, the Amsterdam-based global impact organization Circle Economy conducted a study of more than 10,000 garments and found that 41% had been mislabeled, citing issues with textile supply chains exacerbated by the speed and volume at which clothes are produced.

The key is to look at the basics, such as sewing and details. Learning the red flags for these categories will help you make more informed decisions and choose clothes that will last longer in your wardrobe, no matter your budget.

Here are eight red flags to look out for.

The brand is using low-quality fabrics.

One material to avoid, especially in sweaters, is acrylic.

You’ve probably got a sweater in your closet that used to be the softest thing in the world but now is an itchy nightmare. If that’s true, you also probably didn’t read the garment tag before you bought it.

“I think looking at the fabric details on a tag might seem tedious for people, but it’s actually a really important thing that you should do when you’re shopping,” said Welch. “I tell my clients it’s like a routine that you should have in your shopping experience.”

But what fabrics are good, and what fabrics are bad?

Short answer: It’s complicated.

“My rule of thumb is to look for natural fibers, but not all natural fibers are good quality either,” said Jennifer Wang, a Toronto-based clinical pharmacist and content creator who teaches her online followers how to shop for quality fashion and beauty products.

Natural fibers include materials like silk, cashmere, cotton, wool, and linen. But you should check if these natural materials have been blended with synthetic fibers because that can have an impact on the long-term quality, feel, and price of the garment.

One synthetic fiber to avoid — specifically in sweaters — is acrylic.

“Acrylic is designed to mimic cashmere,” said Wang. But once you wear and wash it a few times, “that acrylic is going to pill up or ball up on the surface, it’s not going to look quite as good, and it’s not going to feel quite as nice … so it’s really not for longevity and it’s more for making a sale in the store.”

One of the best things you can do to further your knowledge of textiles is research. Wang recommends the book “Textilepedia.”

“It’s a really great resource for beginners just to learn about the fabrics of clothes,” she said.

And given Circle Economy’s findings that not all labels are accurate, it’s wise to be aware of other red flags, too.

There are mistakes in the sewing.

Shoppers should check clothes for sewing mistakes like crooked stitching.

Wang told B-17 she started learning about fashion about three or four years ago because she was tired of buying pieces that didn’t last. YouTube tutorials helped her learn to sew, and “that really helped me understand the construction of clothes and what makes a good quality garment or what makes bad craftsmanship,” she said.

Crooked stitching is one of the easiest flaws to identify. It will mean the garment can’t lay flat on your body like it’s supposed to, Wang said.

Another issue could be the sizing of the stitches.

“So, generally, the rule is the thicker the fabric, the bigger the stitches. And the thinner or more delicate the fabric, you want tinier stitches,” said Wang.

Think of it this way: You wouldn’t want tiny, thin stitches holding together your leather jacket, and you wouldn’t want big, bulky stitches on your satin maxi dress. These decisions would pose issues not only to the garments’ design but also to their wearability, as the seams would be more likely to break over time.

There are loose threads or snags in the fabric.

Minor damages on the racks like loose threads could be a sign of poor construction.

It’s important to check for minor damages to the clothes you see on the racks, like loose threads or snags in the fabric.

Sometimes the solution is as simple as selecting another piece in the same size, and other times the flaw indicates a larger issue with the item’s quality that suggests it won’t last long.

“If there’s damage on the items that are on the racks, then I would say that item is probably too delicate for daily use, so that’s probably something I would avoid,” said Wang.

Sweaters are piling on the racks.

Lower quality cotton has shorter fibers that are more likely to pill.

You know those little fuzz balls that appear on your clothes over time? Those are pills, and they’re a reminder of the importance of checking garment tags.

Sean Cormier, a professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology, told Today Style in 2016 that in addition to acrylic, “any fiber that doesn’t absorb water — polyester, nylon — also tends to pill.”

The same is true of poor-quality natural fibers like cotton and wool. Low-quality cotton has shorter fibers that are more likely to get tangled and create pills, reported Today Style; meanwhile, high-quality cotton (like Pima cotton) has long fibers that make it less likely to pill, reported Sewport.

Dresses and blazers have no lining.

Welch recommended checking if clothing has a lining.

Sheer dresses may be popular on the red carpet, but that doesn’t mean it’s the look you’re going for at Sunday brunch.

“Whenever I’m buying a dress, or I’m buying any piece of clothing that I feel like could be slightly flimsy or be a lighter-weight fabric, I’m always looking to have a lining in it because I feel like that is important just so that I don’t have to buy additional undergarments. It provides that added layer of protection for your clothing,” Welch said.

However, she acknowledged that those in warmer climates may prefer items without it.

The garment lacks symmetry in its patterns or pockets.

Wang told B-17 consumers should check if a garment’s patterns line up and if the pockets are symmetrical.

Picture this: You’re wrapping a present and the pattern lines up perfectly so no one can tell where you taped the box. Good quality clothes should be the same way — you shouldn’t see the seams in the patterned fabric.

“If the garment has symmetrical design features, you want to just double check that it does indeed look the same on both sides,” Wang said.

The same is true for less noticeable details like pockets.

“Sometimes I find that people assume that symmetrical things are symmetrical, but sometimes maybe one pocket is lopsided, and you don’t notice until you take it home,” she said.

The garment has difficult zippers.

Customers should check a zipper’s quality when holding and wearing it.

Low-quality zippers aren’t worth your money or your time.

In July 2023, Wang posted the YouTube video, “How to tell the difference between good and bad quality clothes (in 5 easy points!).” One of the tips she offered viewers was to test the zipper not just when you’re holding the garment, but when you’re wearing it, too.

“Zippers can zip differently when they’re flat versus when they’re on your body,” she said in the video.

The buttons are made of cheap plastic.

Wang told viewers one way to check if a button is made with natural materials is to press it against their cheek and see if it feels cold.

Another tip that Wang offered in her video was to take a closer look at the buttons: Are they cheap plastic, or are they higher quality?

“One way to check for natural buttons made out of shell or stone is by placing the button on your cheek, and if it feels cold, that’s a sign that it’s a natural material and that’s a sign of a good quality button,” Wang told viewers.

Shoppers should also check if the buttons actually work, or if they’re just sewn into place for decoration.