The low-cost t-shirts of Adidas, Zara and other big brands resist like the more expensive ones, the Altroconsumo test

A new Altroconsumo test reveals that low-cost t-shirts from brands like Zara and Nike are as resistant as high-end ones

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When we shop we are often led to think that low-cost clothing is automatically of poor quality or less sustainable than more expensive ones. But does this rule really apply? The answer is no or rather ... it depends! If we consider well-known brands such as Adidas, Zara and Benetton we can say that the t-shirts sold for a few euros are as resistant as the more expensive models sold by the same brand. To reveal it is a new test carried out by Altroconsumo, which compared the low-cost and premium t-shirts of 7 major brands: Adidas, Decathlon, Nike, H&M, Muji, Benetton and Zara.

We entered the e-shops of three sportswear brands and four casual fashion brands, each time purchasing two models of t-shirts, one low-cost and one higher-cost (which for ease we define "premium"), with the purpose of comparing them. - explains the consumer association - We have chosen a type of garment that is not subject to fashions and of which everyone has at least one example in their wardrobe, strictly dark in color (blue or black), in order to also check the degree of tightness of color. For the laboratory tests we opted for one of the more stringent protocols, which allows us to better highlight the differences in performance between the various t-shirts, since less “stressful” analysis methods are not sensitive enough to highlight. inhomogeneity.

Index

The test results

And the results of the test carried out in the laboratory turned out to be surprising. In fact, although there is a price difference between 80% (Muji) and 300% (H&M) between the t-shirts sold at low prices and the premium ones of the same brand, the results of the tests never show significant differences. of quality between the two versions.

Only for Zara and Nike is there a certain superiority of the more expensive t-shirt, but one cannot speak of a landslide victory.

In all other cases, the version that excels does it very narrowly: it is the premium one for Adidas, H&M and Muji, the base one for Benetton and Decathlon - adds Altroconsumo - In short, such important price increases are not justified by equally significant increases in terms of quality and resistance.

T-shirt low-cost e premium a confronto

Adidas

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Zara

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Nike

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H&M

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Muji

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Benetton

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Decathlon

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What does the resistance of a t-shirt depend on?

Generally, as revealed by the Altroconsumo test, the color is better resistant to washing in the high-end models, while in the wear tests it is the t-shirts of the basic line that obtain better results. But what does this resistance depend on? Maintaining the shape and size after washing and drying seems more related to the type of fabric than to other factors. This means that cotton t-shirts usually stretch or shrink more easily, while those made with synthetic fabrics tend more to shape alterations. The smallness of the sample of garments made of recycled material does not allow reflection on solid bases.

The new Altroconsumo survey confronts us with a fact: that a higher price is not synonymous with better quality, or at least not always.

"If the higher price, in the case of premium t-shirts, is only the result of marketing policies or is instead due to research and development costs or has served to better remunerate workers, or all this put together, only companies can tell us ”explains Altroconsumo.

In any case, to make our garments last longer, we too can do something, trying to wash them correctly, limiting the use of the dryer. Finally, it would always be better to recycle them or give them away instead of throwing them away when we no longer want to wear them.

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Source: Altroconsumo