Athleisure: Destroying Fashion & the Environment 🫠

After grandma died my mom found some 40+ years old cotton fabric in her things - a whole bunch of it, purchased long ago "to do some sewing" and never used for anything (grandma was a bit of a hoarder). Mom didn't want it to go to waste so she took it to a seamstress to at least make some bed linens out of it. The seamstress was AMAZED at the quality of the fabric and straight up said "you won't buy cotton like this anymore, all the manufacturers that made it went bankrupt long ago." That's FORTY YEARS after it was manufactured. The fabric is not only still usable and in good condition, it's BETTER than what's available today. It's just so freaking sad :(

As a man in the Trades, I cannot agree enough. Something you didn't touch on was the flammability. I work with open flames and torches and will ONLY wear 100% cotton cloths, REAL leather jacket and shoes, because the thought of my Polyester clotha melting to my skin rather than just catching fire my personal nightmare. I can also confirm jeans seem to wear out a lot faster than they did 10 years ago.

As an actual female athlete, finding nice, durable athletic wear in a sea of athleisure clothes is becoming increasingly difficult. Athleisure clothing does not handle actual hardcore workouts.

Another problem with adding stretchiness to all clothing items is that they are relying on stretch for fit rather than good design. It also allows for greater error in the manufacturing process, and variation in how well it’s sewn while still getting a product that technically fits.

It bothers me SO much that 100% cotton clothing has become almost impossible to find. I loathe tee shirts that are made of blended fibers and I especially loathe jeans that are anything more than pure denim. I tried linen but find it too rough for my sensitive skin, so, I’ve long since given up on fashion and buying new clothes because, in the end, it’s all about how I feel wearing something. All these discarded man made fabrics should be bagged up and used for insulation as they’re not all that different from what is currently in use.😊

What I can not wrap my head around is how these fabrics fall apart so easily that you end of constantly tossing them....yet they're so persistent that they never decay in the landfill. How are these two thing's true at once! Weird eh.

The "10% polyester/spandex/acrylic/elastine" on every label nowadays frustrates me to no end. I once managed to find a pair of 100% cotton sweatpants at a thrift store and it was the highlight of my day.

"the fabric that haunts our nightmares, our sweat glands, and our waterways" - I cannot think of a better description of polyester!

One of the biggest polyester problems I've noticed is in women's suits. My local semi-luxury clothing store sells suits for about $400 combined (blazer + trousers) and it's all proprietary polyester fabric. And it's not even well made — single-fold hems with serged edges. I blame athleisure for making people forget what good quality feels like.

I told my partner "I just watched a fascinating video on athleisurewear" and got a "who are you and what have you done with my leggings phobic girlfriend" look! Personally i think if we want to have comfy clothes to lounge around the house in we should bring back wrappers and tea gowns!

Abby mentioned it briefly in the case of wool, but I was watching another video that explicitly said opened my eyes about how so many synthetic fibre "innovations" like temperature regulation, moisture wicking, odor resistant, cooling properties etc are all basically trying to emulate qualities of natural fibers. Cottons, linens, hemp, etc are innately more cooling, more moisture wicking than plastic.

"Millennials don't like/buy wool" because WE CAN'T AFFORD IT FFS! If I had the money, I would have so much more wool and linen in my closet, but my tiny budget only allows for cotton and polyester unless I get really lucky at the thrift store.

I can tell you where fashion went. It shifted from the clothes to the body. These leggings and tank tops do nothing for our appearance, so you better have the perfect body or you’re out. Thanks for the rant, Abby. Edit: I have nothing against leggings. I have one of these free leggings patterns up and I am currently wearing one. Cotton sweat as under layer for warmth under a dress. So nice and cozy. 😊

For anyone seriously trying to save their clothing from early failure, please consider not using a tumble dryer. I understand that hanging space may be limited, especially for families with children, and those in smaller spaces. It takes some getting used to and maybe another shower/curtain rod and some hangers, but it makes a big difference in fiber loss and elastic degradation.

It's been so difficult to go shopping at any name brand store. I'm that person reading every single label to see the fiber content. I won't buy it unless it's 90% natural fiber or more. Which means 90% of the time I walk out of stores with nothing. I feel so defeated. So I've started collecting patterns so I can start making my own clothes with 100% natural fibers. This world we live in is so back-wards where plastic is being hailed as the best "fiber" to work out in. Sigh

I’m so glad someone said it!!! I remember when I first made the connection that polyester was plastic. I was horrified. We see so much of a push to “reduce plastic” and “recycle plastic” regarding plastic bottles and packaging but I never hear a push to reduce or recycle polyester fibers. Unfortunate.

I am in my 50s. When I was younger, in my teens and 20s, I lived in sweatpants and t-shirts. I shopped in them, I exercised in them, I lounged in them. I didn't wear them everywhere, but I wore them every day. They were made out of cotton, both jersey t shirts and the sweats, and they had an elastic waistband. They were comfy and I wish i could find more cotton based textiles. What I have noticed in the decades of wearing things and washing them is that I have no option to buy high quality clothing. It does not matter that I spent more money on it, or that I bought a reputable brand, it is going to have holes in a handful of washes. I don't engage in fast fashion trendy consumerism, but I am forced to be a part of the problem because the consumer option of buying longer lasting textiles at any price is a problem. It forces me to think about purchasing clothing much more than I want to. Nothing is more frustrating than buying knickers that I wore 4 times and the crotch is completely gone, even the cotton fibers are substandard.

History and fashion is so weird! In the 1960's my father was pulled into the majors office to explain why his wife was seen grocery shopping in pants without gloves! 60 years later I saw a man in on a a bath robe and boots picking up his kid from school! I still can hear my grandmother saying that we did not go to town in play clothes! I still find it hard to go out in sweat pants!

I went to a paper mill in Massachusetts several years ago. Historically, they relied on the rag industry to make their paper. Denim, in particular, was a great material. But once they started infusing the denim with stretch, the mills were no longer to use denim waste anymore!

abby using a cocktail making long ass spoon as a ‘microphone’ with her actual mic attached it hysterical to me. queen of practicality