[cschwarm]

> So why the decline in quality on so, so many things that we buy?

The common answer is information asymmetries. The seminal paper is Akerlof's "The Market for Lemons: Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism". [1]

Simply speaking, consumers can't determine quality before buying which makes buying low price the better decision, economically speaking. Suppliers can use branding or guarantees to counter this. Unfortunately, the first is also open to deterioration; and the second has high transaction costs for consumers.

In fashion, however, there are other causes as well. Clothes are not just bought for protection and comfort, but for communication as well, ie. advertising. In my opinion, this is why clothes signaling status work well for older men, clothes signaling aggression work well for younger man, while clothes signaling youth work well for women. Especially the latter drives the fashion market, and thus the need to cheap, disposable clothes.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_for_lemons