> Paying for quality can be waaay above what even an above-average earner would want to pay, and with little guarantee about the quality. There is your problem

> Paying for quality can be waaay above what even an above-average earner would want to pay, and with little guarantee about the quality. There is your problem buddy. There are still masses of companies making high-quality products in the UK but the issue is that most Brits expect to pay the same price as Primark. It is totally illogical: why would you expect an adult in the UK to make clothes for the same wage (i.e. produce a product that costs the same) as a 9-year old in a Vietnamese sweatshop? Whether it is worth it is really up to you but I have not come across a British company making products where the extra price isn't worth it (ignoring the ethics of having small children make your clothes)...and that is why they exist. Yes, most Brits don't pay for this stuff anyway but the companies that focus on quality generally operate in areas where that premium pays (your assumption is presumably that high prices are just about corporate greed...this isn't the case). You can buy a pair of a suit shoes made by a child and they won't last very long. You can buy Church's and they will last until you die. I also don't really think most people in the UK being poor. Relative to what most UK workers produce, they are paid a fucking bomb and are able to consume (and do) almost all of their income. The issue is that they spend their money on cheap tat (this is something in the national psyche, Brits love the idea of getting something for nothing...from what I have seen, other countries will pay for high quality products).