Buyer beware - UK research finds there’s no correlation between cost and durability

The researchers recommend that shoppers wanting hard-wearing T-shirts choose heavier weight cotton options, while those with a blend of cotton and synthetic fibres also perform well. Photo / 123rf

A T-shirt costing £4 ($9) lasts longer than one priced at nearly £400 ($895), a study has revealed.

Shoppers have been warned not to judge the quality of clothing “on price alone” after researchers found there was no correlation between cost and durability.

The £4 T-shirt was judged to be more long-lasting than a £395 alternative in a study by the University of Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour and Wrap, an environmental group.

Of 47 garments tested by researchers, the £4 T-shirt ranked 15th for durability but the £395 one came 28th.

Six of the 10 best-performing T-shirts cost less than £15 ($33), the study found.

“Most shoppers use price as an indicator of how hard-wearing clothes are – ‘the more I spend, the more I’m bound to get out of my purchase’,” said Mark Sumner, Wrap’s programme lead on textiles.

“But our study shows this is totally misleading. The most expensive T-shirt we tested cost £395 and ranked 28th out of 47, while a £4 T-shirt was placed 15th.

“The most durable T-shirt cost £28, but the one ranked second worst was £29. So, if you’re judging on price alone – buyer beware.”

100% cotton in top 10

The study involved the 47 T-shirts being washed and tumble-dried 50 times.

They were then assessed on how much colour fading, shrinkage, and “pilling” – small balls on a garment’s surface – had occurred.

The research found that more hard-wearing T-shirts tend to have a percentage of synthetic fibres in the composition such as polyester, polyamide, and elastane.

Cotton T-shirts tended to have higher shrinkage than synthetic ones, which can be exacerbated with tumble drying.

However, the research found four of the 10 top garments were made of 100% cotton.

Dr Eleanor Scott, of the University of Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour, said: “If circularity in fashion is to be truly effective, durability must come first”.

“Durability underpins the reuse and resale market, as well as keeping our loved items in use longer.

“Crucially, these findings show that durability is not a luxury reserved for the few – it’s achievable at any price point.”

Kate Baker, a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour, presented the findings to the Product Lifetimes and the Environment Conference in Aalborg, Denmark.

“This research is another step forward in the road to developing a way of measuring how durable the clothes we wear are,“ she said.

“Improved clothing durability is critical for the future of circularity and providing the opportunity for people to wear the clothes they love for longer.”

The researchers recommend that consumers wishing to ensure their T-shirts are as hard-wearing as possible choose heavier weight cotton options, while those with a blend of cotton and synthetic fibres also perform well.