The Fashion Racket Is A Rip-Off or Why I Only Buy US or EU-Made

The Following is a Yelp review that I just posted.  It's on the Theory clothing store (Maiden Ln.) page, but it could just as easily be on Betsey Johnson's page or Elie Tahari's or St. John's or Calvin Klein's or on any/all big name fashion house pages.  (*Please see helpful links at the bottom.)

"Made (Not Just "Designed") In USA" Matters!

"Full Disclosure: My review concerns the quality - or lack thereof - of "Theory" clothing, not the store.  I'm sure the shop is lovely: it's on (high-rent) Maiden Lane.

"Theory" is a fairly pricey, off-the-rack (it's fairly mass-produced) clothing line.  It always has been and remains so.  And, I wouldn't have a problem with that IF the quality of the materials/fabrics and the quality of the workmanship were still... well, Quality.

Please Note: "Theory" clothing used to be manufactured in the United States of America - specifically in New York City!  Theory CEO Andrew Rosin was crowing about this fact in interviews as recently as 2012.

In Case You Missed It: If you remember, not that long ago, most of your favorite clothing lines were manufactured in the USA or somewhere in Europe.  And, there was a standard of quality that buyers could rely upon: predominately natural fabrics/textiles that felt substantial/didn't feel "cheap"; clothes were often lined, any visible stitching was even and unbroken/patterns were lined-up; and the clothes lasted.

Today, if you look at the labels of most - if not all - of your favorite higher-end clothing lines (including Theory), they all say (with rare exceptions) "Made In China".  And, even THAT might not be a problem IF it weren't for the fact that - across the board - the quality of the materials/fabrics and the quality of the workmanship of the clothing produced under these labels have all gone down the toilet!

But, the thing that really pisses me off - and should piss You off, too - is that we're all still paying the kinds of prices we were paying when the clothes were "Made In USA" or "Made In France" or "Made In Italy" and they actually looked and felt like it.  Hell, even mall-store brands were being manufactured on either side of the pond!

As I said, the problem isn't just with Theory - it's virtually all fashion magazine- and runway OTR-level labels (Betsey Johnson, Elie Tahari, St. John, Calvin Klein, etc.. Levi-Strauss from China is abominable.)

The Problem: They're ripping you and I and everyone off:  We're still paying premium prices and they're giving us garbage.  And, we (well... you. I boycott "Made In China"/ only buy "Made in USA" or UK) just keep taking whatever crappy scraps they deign to give us.

Also worth noting: The sea of plastic and "pleather" footwear that has replaced leather uppers and leather-soled shoes/boots is impractical, tragic and environmentally-toxic (now, often promoted as "VEGAN", but at same price point as before).

Many of those clothing labels/companies were making millions of dollars, before.  Now that they've moved manufacturing to China, many are raking in billions of dollars.  And, still, they expect us to keep giving them our hard-earned money for crap-quality clothing?

I - for one - am sick of it.  And, I hope you are, too!

I'm not giving them my money anymore."

"Made In USA" Matters Helpful Links:

1.) THE AMERICAN LIST: A guide to great things still made in the U.S.A.

2.) 35 Fair Trade and Ethical Clothing Companies