Or maybe people don't want to wear the same thing for more than five years and like to change their style up from time to time without giving an arm and a leg. You're lamenting the wonders of economic efficiency and industrialization, not a "more-is-better" culture. And you may not be trying to sound elitist, you are elitist. Please go to your local old navy give the same speech you wrote here to the single mother trying her best to buy her kids some decent looking, fashionable clothes while also putting food on the table and try to tell them you're not trying to be elitist.
If you think you can get 5 years out of Old Navy clothes, good luck to you in that. This is not about being inexpensive, which is why I shared the link to everlane. It's about being CHEAP. The clothes are cheap and fall apart. There is no wonder of modern supply chain there.
And save your "single mother" speech. Really. This site has nothing to do with buying for your children. This is aimed at adults. That's obvious. Besides, why exactly is it virtuous that the single mother is emphasizing style over economy here?
I regularly get cheap garments to last five years. The quality gap is no that broad and certainly not justified by the extra expense. Anyways, since when did fashion need to be durable? More often than not people change their style to fit the fashion trends long before they wear their clothes out. Plus, clothes can be easily repaired if you're that frugal.
