Activewear: You Get What You Pay For
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Built in-obsolescence is becoming an increasingly frequent and frustrating encounter in our daily lives. At the risk of sounding like our parents, it really is true - they don’t make them like they used to. The standards we have set for fast fashion activewear brands in particular, are very poor. Most fast-fashion items will never be worn more than a handful of times – manufacturers know this, which translates to poor quality fabric, not resilient enough to last more than 5 trips to the laundry basket. At Gym Grow Gain, we hold our products to higher standards than this. We believe in providing activewear that lasts - throughout busy workdays, school runs, workouts and any other challenges life kicks up. We decided to write this article, because identifying poor quality activewear isn’t always easy - keep an eye out for the flaws listed below to avoid being fooled by fast-fashion. The Clothing is See-through: Though quality doesn't always correlate with fabric thickness, being able to see straight through a piece of clothing might mean it's made from cheaper material. Try holding an article of clothing up against a bright light. If you can see right through the fabric or the outline of your hand through the piece, the fabric weave isn't very dense and is not likely to be durable. Clothing Begins to Ball Quickly: If the cotton T-Shirt or training top you just bought is already showing signs of balling, it’s probably not made of quality fibers. Cotton is a natural fiber that’s actually quite resistant to balling. When a new cotton garment is already showing signs of pilling, that means it's likely a cotton blend or that the cotton fibers used are of poor quality. Clothing Doesn't Retain Its Shape After Being Stretched: Most high-quality fabrics should retain their shape after being stretched. Referred to as "recovery" - It is extremely important if the garment is meant to be tight-fitting or structured. If you pull a piece of clothing between your hands and it looks different or saggy after you let go, it will likely not fit the same way after a few wears or washes. This might not be an issue in items like loose shorts or draping tops but could be a problem in garments such as form-fitting tops or leggings. Check the Seams: A seam is the line where two pieces of fabric are sewn together, and they are a good indicator of the quality of clothing. You can check the seams by looking inside the clothing item and examining the joints between the fabric. Try pulling the seams gently and If light comes through, that seam is poorly finished. Look at your patterned clothing and try to spot if the pattern matches at the seams. Patterns like stripes or plaids that don't match up at the seams likely indicate that the manufacturer was not willing to use extra fabric, or spend the extra money to ensure the pattern was continuous.