Here's a couple I like that aren't over-the-top expensive or bespoke:

  - LL Bean
  - Patagonia
  - Everlane
  - Lands End

My general rule of thumb: Try to stick to natural fabrics (cotton, wool, linen) for most things. Synthetics can be good but most are really cheap.

If you're willing to pay a little more, there are some small shops still making stuff in America that you can feel good buying and will last a lot longer than your typical fast-fashion goods.

Once you get your sizing dialed in on a few "nice" brands (thrift stores are great for trying several brands, just go in knowing which ones you're looking for) you can wait for sales & seconds (shoes) & used (thrift stores, ebay) & overstock and such. Most are rip-offs at full price but are priced about right (still much higher than fast-fashion, but not insane) at 30-40% off, which isn't that hard to find, and are great deals under that. Now that I know my sizing in a few reasonably consistent much-better-than-fast-fashion brands I just wait for their sales, order a few pieces a year online, and the clothes show up. It's great.

I was looking for an excellent fleece to fit my needs, but I didn't want to spend big $$. I wasn't having any luck, so on a whim I splurged (a bit) and bought a fleece from one of the names listed above.

- I bought it from an outlet store so despite its high price it was still discounted

- It's incredibly well-made

- The "cut" of it is great, as in it fits my form really well

- Its pockets are deep

- It's warm

Zero regrets. It's absolutely one of my favorite clothing items and hopefully something I'll maintain for a long time.

Fleece is one of my exceptions-to-the-rule re: polyester. That said, there's a big difference between investing in a nice, well-made fleece jacket that you know will last many years, and one that is likely to get destroyed pretty quickly. I'm happy to spend 2x as much on the jacket if it will last 2-3x as long.

Especially because, as you mentioned, more expensive jackets are sure to have better features (bigger pockets, better cut/shape, and a higher-quality fabric).

> - The "cut" of it is great, as in it fits my form really well

I find it odd how much better off-the-rack fit tends to be on more expensive clothes (for men, anyway). You'd think that'd be one thing the cheaper brands could easily duplicate, and that the main differences would be fabric quality & construction, but no.

> I find it odd how much better off-the-rack fit tends to be on more expensive clothes (for men, anyway). You'd think that'd be one thing the cheaper brands could easily duplicate

Cheaper bands target a wider range of body types per SKU, which naturally produces worse fit on average.

Everlane touts themselves sustainable and ethical but there's a lot of greenwashing in their marketing. See also https://www.eco-stylist.com/we-tested-everlane-and-they-fail...

Thanks for the information!

> My general rule of thumb: Try to stick to natural fabrics (cotton, wool, linen) for most things. Synthetics can be good but most are really cheap.

For me, buying cheap stuff that has to be replaced often is the price I'm willing to pay for fabrics that feel comfortable and don't irritate my skin.

I absolutely cannot tolerate the feeling of cotton on my skin, and if I have a choice, everything I wear would be made out of rayon and spandex.

Three sources of very durable clothing are:

+ Expedition-clothing brands like Fjällräven, whose clothes are meant to serve a person for years trekking in the outdoors.

+ Specialist shops for clothes for certain professional and industrial careers

+ Military surplus shops.

While none of these are good sources for clothes that will make you look trendy and stylish to impress, they are great options if you just want some solid shirts and trousers to wear on an everyday basis.

I don't know if I've just lucked out with my Uniqlo purchases, but I could also recommend them for good-looking basics that last a long, long time.

I've had a couple pairs of Uniqlo jeans for several years now, and they don't have any of the wear in the crotch my Levis used to get. When I was buying Levis, I might get two years out of them before the fabric at the crotch thins and eventually rips. The Uniqlo jeans are showing almost none of that wear (both regular jeans and skinny jeans).

Same with their t-shirts and polo shirts. The necks haven't stretched, nor have they gotten any holes under the sleeves.

One of the two pairs of chinos I own from Uniqlo has started pilling, though, which is too bad, but still has lasted better than the last pair of chinos I bought at Macy's.

Again, ymmv, just my experience, but my wardrobe is now mostly Uniqlo and I'm buying a lot less replacement clothing (at least for basics) than I used to.

Also, the less you dry clothing at all, the longer it'll last -- I line-dry as much as possible, and toss it in the dryer on the no-heat mode to tumble it a bit if it needs it.

I think this is true of their men's clothing, but not necessarily their women's. My girlfriend's Uniqlo clothes have not lasted as long as mine and they are visibly more cheaply made. For example, one trip, we bought the same coat at the same price, but where mine used three lines of stitching, hers used only two. Her coat started losing down almost immediately. I just pulled the coat out of the closet to wear again this year, but hers only lasted two seasons.

> Specialist shops for clothes for certain professional and industrial careers

I've found that the clothing from LAPG to be very well made, and if you are looking for something that can even be worn in the office (business casual), they have that covered, too.

Their stuff is regularly mentioned in certain forums by people in those professions (LEO, TLAs, etc) looking for good clothing that has a lot of functionality and durability in the field, but still looks good in the office.

I found them after wanting a better quality and longer lasting pair of cargo pants (and later, shorts). I wanted something I could use for outdoor hiking activity, and only found that later they still looked great after a period of day hiking, that I could wear them around town afterward if needed.

I found what I needed, and they have proven their durability, comfort, and capability - more than enough pockets to carry what I need, easy access to all of them, plus a lot of extra strength features needed for hiking and other more strenuous activities.

They sell similar clothing that looks even nicer; ie - same kind of pants but without all the extra pockets - or they have some that are well hidden. Also shirts that look like regular short-sleeve button-downs, but with breakaway side seems for quick access to a side holstered weapon (all meant to allow LEO to "blend in" on certain assignments I guess?).

I found their stuff to range in price - the pants and shorts I bought cost much less than stuff I could purchase at name-brand stores, and have lasted much longer than anything from them as well. LAPG also sells some much more expensive clothing, some of which will make you double-take on the price. Maybe it is just that good - but I've never ventured up to those areas.

Despite being seen as the stereotypical tech-worker uniform, Patagonia seems to use well-sourced, high quality material (and they have repair centers).

I’m familiar with Patagonia, but I’ve mostly seen them as an outdoor clothing company, not anything that I’d consider (non SV tech) business casual/smart. Are there any companies that make that sort of stuff that aren’t evil? Like more what you’d find at GAP or a department store, but not made by slave labour.

I personally like American Giant [1] and Flint & Tinder [2].

Neither has as wide a selection as GAP, and are more on the casual side, but have stuff that can work as business casual. The latter is menswear only, so if you're female not so useful.

[1] https://www.american-giant.com

[2] https://huckberry.com/flint-and-tinder

Costco.

Wait hear me out. I haven't tried jackets or outwear they sell, but they always stock up of decent quality underwear, t-shirts and jeans. Their Levi's last me about 4 years.

You have to be careful with Costco,and a lot of stuff that they carry regularly drops in quality after becoming successful there, but you can find really good stuff there.

Winter is coming so if you're in the market for light-weight fleeces I'd recommend the Fjallraven Keb fleece (http://bit.ly/2os5DNh) and the Patagonia TechFace (http://bit.ly/2osecHV).

REI stocks a number of more-or-less equally high-quality options (http://bit.ly/2orY7C2)

If you're bored of Dockers, I'd suggest grabbing a pair of ABCs from Lululemon, in brown (http://bit.ly/2oAN4qr) and black (http://bit.ly/2mfiYb1)

If you're not sure what you want, other than to browse items of decent quality without getting ripped off, hit up Nordstrom Rack.

If you like the ABC pant, try the Rhone commuter.

Just ordered. They better be good!

The key term you are looking for is "High-street brands" (step below Luxury)

https://www.google.com/search?q=high+street+clothing+brands

Uniqlo

I would second Uniqlo, and also suggest GAP. But honestly I am not really aware of either of their ethical records, but have found their clothes to be a good balance of price and quality, and they are about the only shops I can find as a Mid-20s male where you can buy good quality 'foundational' items, rather than fashion fads.

Banana Republic has, in my experience, better quality 'staples' than the GAP. They have excellent sweaters and quarter zips, for example. I have a weird body shape (I look like a Belter) but haven't had any issues finding things that work

They're part of the same parent company (Old Navy, GAP, Banana Republic).

Uniqlo epitomizes fast fashion.

Not really, their product ranges and styles are fairly static and basic. Zara or H&M are fast fashion, Uniqlo is decent timeless basics