How to Identify Quality Clothes Online & In-Store (No Surprises!)

How many times have you bought a garment thinking it looked fab and then got disappointed when you realised just how bad the quality was?

It used to happen to me all the time (especially when I was still shopping fast fashion), but a few months ago, I had the opposite experience.

When I looked for a Christmas present for my dad in a beautiful store in Amsterdam (De Mof, which has been operating since 1885!), the sales assistant showed me the difference between their premium cashmere sweaters—thicker and with more stitches, designed to last—and the throwaway ones from your typical high street chains.

It made me realise that, despite being the co-founder of this ethical fashion platform, I didn’t know enough about spotting high-quality clothes in real life. Therefore, I’ve been looking into it and getting better at it… and it’s been so worth it!

So, here’s my simple, jargon-free guide on how you can identify quality clothes online and in-store, too.

Why it’s worth learning to identify quality clothes and buying less but better

Some clothes look good in online photos or when you try them on in the changing room, but once you receive them or wear them in your day-to-day life… you realise they’re really poor quality: flimsy buttons, zippers that break, patterns fading, fabric so thin that holes start appearing out of nowhere…

And it’s on purpose: fast fashion clothes are designed to fall apart after a few wearings (so you keep buying more). Their cheap price tags also tend to hide an expensive human and environmental cost.

High-quality clothes, on the other hand, usually cost a bit more, sure, but:

• They’re made to last. So, you’ll get to rewear them +30 times. That means your cost per wear will be much lower, you’ll also save money by not having to keep buying more, and you’ll reduce your environmental footprint, especially waste
• They’re often made more ethically, too (for example, made by artisans or garment workers paid fair wages, with safe and kinder materials, and avoiding fast fashion’s toxic chemicals)

Do keep in mind that “more expensive” doesn’t automatically mean “ethical or high-quality clothes”. For example, many luxury brands use the same sweatshops as fast fashion.

But once you learn how to identify quality clothes, they won’t trick you anymore.

Things to keep in mind to spot high-quality clothes

In person

That’s the easiest one because, regardless of whether you’re buying new or second-hand clothes, you get to look at each garment properly and touch it.

So, you can follow all the tips I’m about to share in the next section.

Online

This is a bit trickier, and not all my upcoming tips will apply, but there are still plenty of things you can do to identify quality clothes online: 

• Check what the brand is telling you about that product (and not telling you) – For example, are they being specific and including measurable/verifiable terms (like “GOTS-certified organic cotton”) or vague greenwashing language (like “natural cotton”)?
• Watch out for too-good-to-be-true inconsistencies – A new cashmere jumper for only €15? That’s extremely unlikely to be good quality
• Look at different pictures and zoom in – For example, this will allow you to check smaller details and stitches. But if a brand only includes one faraway picture of the garment… that’s suspicious 
• Check the reviews – What are other consumers saying about that garment, especially after washing it or wearing it for a while?
• Look at the overall brand – Are they transparent about their production process and sustainability standards, or are they a fast fashion e-commerce in disguise?

3 main things you can assess to identify quality clothes (and avoid disappointment)

Material 

• 100% natural materials like cotton, linen, or wool (or at least 75% if mixed with a different one) are a good start (but don’t leave it at that!)
• Thickness and thread count - “Denser” and more opaque garments tend to last longer. With woven fabrics (= most clothes), as well as feeling them, you can check their thread count, if available: 200-400 tends to be a good balance between thick and breathable, in most cases. If, on the contrary, a brand is bragging about their “100% cotton t-shirt” but isn’t telling you its thread count or it’s see-through when it shouldn’t be, that’s probably bad quality.
  With knitted fabrics (like woollen jumpers), check how heavy they feel 
• Fit for use – Things aren’t always black and white. For example, an outerwear garment made with thick recycled polyester is probably better than a flimsy cotton one. Or just because a summer dress feels light, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s low-quality (= it has a lower thread count because it must be more breathable)
• Shape and wrinkles – If you knead the fabric, does it wrinkle badly or look wonky? That’s usually a bad sign

Make (is it well-sewn and well-made?)

• Patterns and prints – Do patterns match at the seams? If you gently stretch the material, does the motif ‘crack’ or look blurry?
• Loose threads – Another bad sign, especially if you spot multiple ones or in critical structural points
• Seams and stitchwork – Are they consistent? Do they look sturdy and neat? Turn your item inside out too, to check it properly 
• Button holes and attachments – Are the buttons aligned and their holes reinforced? Do they feel secure or like they’re going to fall off, eventually? 

Details, attachments, and embellishments 

• Materials – For example, are attachments made with sturdy materials (like wood, metal, or pearl for buttons, and metal for zippers) or cheap plastic?
• Sturdiness – Are they well-made and attached properly, or do they feel flimsy?

Finding ethical high-quality clothes on Project Cece 

Now you know what to look for to identify quality clothes. But fret not: it doesn’t always have to be time-consuming, especially if you want to focus on ethical ones, too!

At Project Cece, we brought hundreds of fair trade brands in one place, with filters to simplify your choice and descriptions showing you exactly what makes each garment sustainable. Most of the brands we feature include plenty of photos, too.

So, start shopping to find ethical high-quality clothes!