Clothes and shoes made to last a while

[Slyjoe]

I bought a "Tommy Hillfiger" Jumper, and a pair of "Base London" Chelsea boots before Xmas, both cost thee thick end of £100.
Both looked fantastic out of the box, however the heel fell off the boots this week, and the Jumper looks like a bedraggled sheep.
I've returned them both now.
I bought a wool Belstaff jumper a while ago, and that still looks fine, but was towards the £200 mark.
Is there any item of apparel that's actually built to last now?
Please reccomend shoe and clothing manufacturers that are going to last me a good few years, I don't mind paying a few quid for longevity and quality.

[Countdown]

For shoes I find Clarks are pretty robust. For clothes Next and JD Sports.

Asda aren't too bad tbh

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

I got my trousers from the middle isle at Lidl. I think they were £8 about 7 years ago.

Still going strong!

[chip*]

They are "fashion" items hence the crap quality.

When l worked, I wore shoes from Church's and alike, but for social outings, I have a couple pairs of Oliver Sweeney for the job which has lasted years (you can get them re-soled and scrubbed up for a fee).

[Ussrcossack]

Shoes from Northampton

[Truckosaurus]

Indeed. For shoes/boots you just need to get ones with a proper sewn-on welted sole that can be replaced when it wears down.

[Louis Balfour]

Slyjoe said:

I bought a "Tommy Hillfiger" Jumper, and a pair of "Base London" Chelsea boots before Xmas, both cost thee thick end of £100.
Both looked fantastic out of the box, however the heel fell off the boots this week, and the Jumper looks like a bedraggled sheep.
I've returned them both now.
I bought a wool Belstaff jumper a while ago, and that still looks fine, but was towards the £200 mark.
Is there any item of apparel that's actually built to last now?
Please reccomend shoe and clothing manufacturers that are going to last me a good few years, I don't mind paying a few quid for longevity and quality.

For knits try Paul James Knitwear and Peter Gribby. You won’t have heard of either, which is why their stuff is well priced for good quality.

[steve2]

I am a Timberland fan as their jumpers and shoes do seem to last well, also Next jumpers

[chip*]

Countdown said:

For shoes I find Clarks are pretty robust.

Clarks is not quite for me, but I only buy Clarks school for both my girls for this very reason. They are hardy and still look brand new when my oldest girl hand them down to her younger sister

(As part of my save the planet, I donate the outgrown but usable shoes back to Clarks for their own charity so some other less fortunate kid can use them).

Edited by chip* on Wednesday 15th January 12:51

[Slyjoe]

Louis Balfour said:

For knits try Paul James Knitwear and Peter Gribby. You won’t have heard of either, which is why their stuff is well priced for good quality.

Thank you, I'm not especially worried about "Labels" as such, I'm tight, I just need timeless, but quality.

[StevieBee]

Schöffel.

Really nice stuff normally found in those Country Stores where you can pick up a Combine Harvester and 20 gallons of agricultural grease at the same time.

I've had a couple other quarter-zip jumpers for a good few years and they've kept their shape and colour, outlasting the usual Polo/Boss stuff.

[droopsnoot]

Countdown said:

For shoes I find Clarks are pretty robust.

I've got some Clarks shoes on the go at the moment. The old pair have virtually no grip on some bits of pavement even when it isn't snowy or icy, but they weren't a well-defined tread in the first place. The new ones have more tread, but even though I've been wearing them around the house for weeks on end, they just take the skin off my heels the first time I walk to the pub and back in them.

I bought some generic shoes from Shoe Zone recently and got about a month before one of the heels fell off, but because I'd bought them five or six months before I started wearing them I didn't feel I'd get away with taking them back. Prior to that, I used to buy a particular pair of black Oxfords from them for £20 a pair and they were great - didn't need breaking in, did a decent mileage - but they don't do that model any more and the new ones were rubbish.

[LordGrover]

Humes Outfitters.

[Upinflames]

Another one for clark's shoes, I've got a pair of brogue boots that are on their 3rs soles and the leather is fine.

Barbour make good jackets

Levi jeans

[Mr Pointy]

Try Cotton Traders for stuff like jeans & polo shirts.

[Slyjoe]

Upinflames said:

Another one for clark's shoes, I've got a pair of brogue boots that are on their 3rs soles and the leather is fine.

I never realised that Clarks were made to be re-soled. Always thought they were throw-away.

[RC1807]

Genuinely a case of “they don’t make them like they used to”, in a fast fashion world now.

Today I’m wearing a RL Polo cotton oxford shirt and a Hilfiger lambswool jumper. I bought both from Century 21 in NY in 2005, and they’re still going strong!

Shoes: Northampton made, if you can. Loake are my favourite. EU prices for them are painful.

[Animal]

I wear DMs at work because they have a wide toe box which makes them comfortable to wear all day. However, the leather uppers are terrible quality. I'm on my second pair in 3 years because the leather just cracks and splits - now matter how often I either polish them or use Doc Marten's own leather cream on them. By contrast, the pair of Timberlands that have lived mostly in the boot of my car for the past 5 years still look fine.

I have a Murphy & Nye jacket that's probably 10 yrs old and it's still in perfect condition, likewise any clothing I've bought from Filson or Carhartt seems to be pretty durable.

[caseys]

Clothing - https://communityclothing.co.uk/ - got their T-shirts and socks. Bought the lady a lovely jumper for Christmas.
Boots - redwings or https://williamlennon.co.uk/ - Goodyear welt construction of both so long as long as you look after the uppers you can just resole them for the rest of your life. Also handily do wide fit if you need it
Jeans - Hiut - free repairs for life - https://hiutdenim.co.uk/ got 3 pairs so far of various gauges of denim and they’ve lovely to wear once the stiffness fades.

All nice stuff that’s built to last that doesn’t leave you looking like a walking advert for a brand.

[Jamescrs]

Base London shoes are an awful fashion brand not built for regular wear, something like Jones Boot makers or Loakes last a lot better but you will pay a premium for them