Quality Clothing: The Consumer's Perspective

In today’s competitive environment, retailers and manufacturers cannot rely solely on discounted prices or brand names to attract consumers. Textile consumers are savvy shoppers who expect to buy high-quality apparel at discounted prices. The importance of brands tends to depend on the shopper’s age, whereas the relative importance of price and quality remains fixed. In the minds of consumers, what defines high-quality apparel? Are shoppers willing to pay more for clothing they deem to be high in quality? Do consumers pay higher prices for apparel purchased on the basis of quality? How long do consumers expect specific apparel items to last? Do higher-priced clothes offer quality assurance that lower-priced clothes do not?

How Do Consumers Define Quality In Apparel?

Since 1998, Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor^TM survey has been tracking consumers’ perceptions of apparel quality. Respondents participating in the Monitor research are asked to define what characteristics are most important when they base clothing purchases on quality. Their answers vary, but fall into four categories: fabric, wear or fit, performance, and appearance or style. Fabric-related concerns include how well a garment is made, its weight, and the fiber content. Consumers also say that the performance, fit, and appearance after multiple washings are clear indicators of quality. Since 1998, fabric-related concerns pertaining to apparel quality have increased the most.

The finding that fabric is the most important attribute consumers consider in judging the quality of a garment correlates with results of earlier research conducted by Cotton Incorporated. Through its Importer Support Program, Cotton Incorporated engaged Werner International to conduct a study of mills and manufacturers to identify key factors considered by U.S. importers in making foreign sourcing decisions. The research indicated that 50% to 80% of defects in imported apparel are in the fabric, not in the garment assembly.