[a1pulley]

I'm willing to spend, say, 5 or 10x what one would at Uniqlo or Old Navy to buy quality garments that will last a long time and be socially acceptable in upper middle class west coast cliques—i.e., I don't need tailored suits in my world. Where do I go?

[nico]

Patagonia is not 5-10x those brands, but they do promise to repair your clothes if you bring them in. So even if the quality is not necessarily much better, at least they’ll help you make your clothes last.

[dendrite9]

Have they gotten better at that? I had a favorite pair of ski pants replaced instead of being repaired several years ago for a relatively minor zipper replacement. The cost of replacing a zipper is ridiculous compared to the cost of the zipper or even the pants. Probably because the pattern is not made with zipper replacement in mind. I was content to pin that pocket or add a flap and button over the zipper.

[nico]

Good point. I couldn’t say, but I think most people never even consider the possibility of bringing the stuff back for repair.

Hence, I guess the demand for repair work is probably very low, and they might not have good processes in place to do it.

From a pure transactional perspective, it’s nice that they are essentially selling a clothing service for which you pay only once per item. But from an environmental angle, it sucks that they might not really be fulfilling their promise.

[ip26]

They have started designing their garments and sleeping bags to be more easily repairable. Especially around the zipper. It isn’t perfect but they seem to take it more seriously than any other company on the planet.

[dendrite9]

Good to know!

To be clear I don't fault them for making an assembly process where repair is not the highest priority. But it took me a while to appreciate why that little zipper repair was difficult enough to offer a replacement instead.

In many ways I suppose repairs always will be more expensive. The staff who know how to make the item may no longer work there, you cannot set up stations and a process, and every repair will likely be different. And without additional shipping, the employees doing the repair will be paid more than the original workers.

An acquaintance who owns an outdoor apparel company told me he doesn't want to make pants because the warranty and repair expectations are much harder to deal with than upper body items.

[dumpHero2]

While I share the sentiment and willingness to do the same, the convenience of using the washer and dryer is immense! I cannot bring myself to separate clothes into lots based on their washing instructions, nor can I bother to hang dry them. Even the best quality clothes become rags very quickly in a dryer.

[caboteria]

L.L.Bean sells high-quality clothes, although it's an east coast brand so it might be a little dowdy for the west coast.

[loeg]

> socially acceptable in upper middle class west coast

Buy Uniqlo and save 80% of your budget.