Well Made Clothing

[freeazabird]

What brands do you look to if you want to buy high quality fair trade clothing (mens or womens)?

[MrsPotts]

Ll bean

[Emilyngh]

As an FYI: pretty sure Ll Bean is not fair trade.

I'm going to be watching this thread for any good insights, b/c I've spent quite a time looking and have yet to come up with anyone who makes well-made, fair trade clothing in the styles I like for a somewhat reasonablish price.

My best solution has been just buying used clothing.   It's inexpensive, recycling, and since it's already been worn and washed you can get a decent idea of how it'll wear.   This has worked very well for me to jeans, skirts, pants, sweaters, and dressier shirts, but has not worked as well for t-shirts and loungey knit clothes.   

[Grateful Stache]

I spend a lot of time outdoors. They aren't made in the US, but I think Patagonia products are worth every penny.

Oops, just saw that you specifically requested 'fair trade.' Sorry!

[AndThen]

I've been slowly replacing my entire wardrobe with merino wool. Icebreaker is the main brand but there are others like Smartwool, Ibex, and various smaller names. Darn tough socks get my vote for most well made merino wool feet wear. Even though the materials are a bit more pricey, they have better properties than cotton so I don't need to buy as much of it. I figured I only buy items that are well made and have multiple uses so why not apply the same logic to clothing.

[mrsggrowsveg]

I have been buying some clothing items from Etsy.  I prefer to wear natural fibers and I find a lot of organic cotton and hemp pieces that I really like.  They can be more expensive then stores but fit amazing because they are made with my measurements.  I especially like some of the dresses and skirts I have found.

[Duchess of Stratosphear]

I love merino wool too. The best part is that it doesn't get stinky, so you can wear it a few times before washing. Aside from occasional runs, it lasts forever and repels stains fairly well. Dries quickly. You can find it on sale, but even then it is pricey, but I'd say it's worth it in the long run because you can wear a piece for years. Unfortunately, it seems like most merino clothing is sort of sporty--I don't know why some company doesn't release a line of more office appropriate wool wear. Luckily, I can get away with sporty where I work.

[CNM]

Everlane: https://www.everlane.com/

[socaso]

American Apparel has good quality items and treats their employees very well. I know there has been a lot of scandal surrounding the company's founder but the product is still good and the workers make a living wage.

[eostache]

I've been slowly replacing my entire wardrobe with merino wool. Icebreaker is the main brand but there are others like Smartwool, Ibex, and various smaller names. Darn tough socks get my vote for most well made merino wool feet wear. Even though the materials are a bit more pricey, they have better properties than cotton so I don't need to buy as much of it. I figured I only buy items that are well made and have multiple uses so why not apply the same logic to clothing.

I've been collecting merino wool clothing too. I have several nice pieces from the brands you mentioned. I've been getting them at thrift stores and yard sales for $1-$5 each.

I like to look for older North Face, Patagonia and Exofficio clothes second hand. It seems to be better made than the newer stuff.

[Aprés-ski]

Patagonia, Smart Wool,  Exofficio, & Ibex for me.

Pricey, but not as pricey as designer stuff (think Armani).  In my opinion the stuff is super high quality and lasts forever. 

Patagonia sells refurbished gear on E-bay.   

[chasesfish]

My attitude toward clothing: If Costco doesn't sell it, I probably don't need it.

[tardis]

I've started to sew some of my own now that I'm transitioning from student to office wear.  I find the geometry, design and engineering aspects fun, but it's not really time effective and there's a learning curve to get to the "well made" part of the plan.   For me, because very little fits off the rack it works out.  Once you have a few tried and true patterns things speed up a lot too.  I can buy ends pieces and can make a made to measure 100% silk tank top/shell for 1hr work and $5 in material as an example.

[rocketpj]

Not sure how available they are in the US, but Mountain Equipment Co-op is very focused on fair trade, ethically purchased stuff that lasts a hell of a long time - I still wear the cycling jacket I bought in 1998 and have used non-stop since.  They do ship to the US, you have to buy a membership (~$5 for life). 

An old friend of mine had the enviable job of auditing their social and economic impact.  They make things in Asia as well as North America, but all their factories are top quality with fair pay and produce great stuff.

Their styles used to be all about outdoors/granola, but they have expanded their line quite a bit and have more 'fashionable' stuff.  And for outdoor equipment like tents, hiking, biking supplies etc. there is no substitute.

[vern]

Filson makes the best outdoor clothing and luggage in the world.  Their goods are expensive but fall into the 'buy it for life' category. 

(They import some stuff nowadays, so make sure you check the labels.)

[smalllife]

Seamly.co for the ladies - made in USA, great quality, mostly leftover fabric from other companies but now she's expanding to include USA made fabric due to growing demand. 

Icebreaker is hit or miss for me (cat claws in thin merino . . . .) but anything wool is a plus.

[eyePod]

Taking copious notes to know what brands to look out for when I find them in Thrift stores to re-sell on eBay if they don't fit me!.

From the brands listed, I have Smart Wool and Patagonia sweaters up for sale right now.

I'm always on the lookout for Filson, but that's more for me than for anyone else.

[GuitarStv]

Howard Combat Kimonos . . . I had a competition double that easily stood up to five years of grappling.  Never had a gi that lasted that long before or since.  I don't think he offers them any more though, unfortunately.

[Thegoblinchief]

No idea about fair trade, but for office style apparel, Haggar pants have lasted incredibly well for me, and I work in a very physical retail sales position.

Ll Bean is overpriced trash, in my experience. Not impressed at all with the few things I've bought from there. Worse, or at best comparable with Target clothes at 3x the price.

If I buy new stuff, I generally limit to what's at REI or Sierra Trading Post, but I'll definitely check out MEC. Didn't realize they shipped to the US.

[Rural]

Dockers and Dickies, especially Used. Wrangler because of the quality and because the denim is made in the US.

[libertarian4321]

I had some fair trade coffee once, I think.  I'm not sure what "fair trade" means, but I kinda got the impression that it's mostly a marketing tool at this point.

[LouisPritchard]

Filson makes the best outdoor clothing and luggage in the world.  Their goods are expensive but fall into the 'buy it for life' category. 

(They import some stuff nowadays, so make sure you check the labels.)

You should check out https://www.bemidjiwoolenmills.com/bemidjiwool.php the website is kind of hard to navigate but I have one of their 100% wool coats and it is top notch stuff and less expensive than filson.

Also for those that like smartwool, icebreaker etc.. steepandcheap.com has them on clearance pretty regularly. I only buy wool for my base layers and usually pick it up there in the summer on clearance. It can still be pricey but working outdoors, at 7K ft, year round, it's not something I skimp on. Plus 2xl sizes tend to be hard to come by in this part of Colorado.

[Shipwreckgirl]

I have a friend who makes organic hemp and cotton clothes for women - this is her site:  [Mod Edit: Potential Spam Link Removed.]
 They are all handmade.

[Ashyukun]

I don't know about it being fair trade, but I've been very impressed by everything I've gotten from the Duluth Trading Company (http://www.duluthtrading.com/). Their firehose pants are some of the most comfortable and functional pants I've ever owned- the only problem with them is that I originally bought them to use as work pants for doing auto repair, but they look so nice that I wear them as work slacks to the office instead!

[Ashyukun]

I don't know about it being fair trade, but I've been very impressed by everything I've gotten from the Duluth Trading Company (http://www.duluthtrading.com/). Their firehose pants are some of the most comfortable and functional pants I've ever owned- the only problem with them is that I originally bought them to use as work pants for doing auto repair, but they look so nice that I wear them as work slacks to the office instead!

I've been seeing those commercials a lot lately!  So they are actually pretty nice?  Do you have to order online?  Are there ever good sales?

I got given a pair of the Firehose pants for Christmas by relatives after I'd put it on my Amazon wishlist (how my family usually finds out what I'm interested in gift-wise since even I have triouble with that sometimes...) and was very impressed with them. A few months back I ordered two pairs- one each of a different color than the tan I already had- of the DuluthFlex Firehose pants and they fit and feel even nicer (though I worry that the material just doesn't feel as sturdy as the regular Firehose pants). They're very smartly designed with lots of very useful and USABLE pockets and loops. The flaps to cover the pockets have velcro hooks- and there are both loops to hold onto them on the outside of the pockets AND on the inside, which means if you frequently use those pockets and don't want to have to always be opening the flap you can just stick it out of the way and ignore it.

I've only ever found them online, and unfortunately haven't ever seen much in the way of sales or coupon codes. But if they hold up as well as they claim (and that I believe they will) I won't have to replace them for far longer than my usual pants (which will be impressive given I have some I've had for over a decade...).