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> It's debatable whether the "consumers" won in the end. If "in the end" is now, it's pretty clear that automation has made clothing both better and cheaper.
by delichon 9mo ago
> It's debatable whether the "consumers" won in the end.
If "in the end" is now, it's pretty clear that automation has made clothing both better and cheaper. And paying $10 now for shoes of less than 1/5th value of $50 shoes much later, or not at all, can be entirely rational. Most of us make that kind of compromise frequently.
- thrance 9mo agoIs it really better if it's made by slaves in the Global South, from a mix of plastics and crops grown in an unsustainable way, then shipped across the globe, and made to last about seven washing cycles before being disposed? Debatable, as I said.
- SpicyLemonZest 9mo agoI just don't think that this is an accurate description of modern clothing. Cotton is not typically grown in unsustainable ways, and cheap 100% cotton clothing that will last for years is widely available at a variety of retailers. But a lot of people don't want that. They want comfortable stretchy clothing, accepting or not realizing the inherent tradeoff with durability. Or they want thinner, lighter styles at the very edge of what a 50/50 polyester blend can hold together.
- JohnFen 9mo ago> automation has made clothing both better and cheaper. Cheaper, yes. Better, most definitely not. We have traded quality for price.