How To REALLY Tell If Your Clothing Sucks 

Dont want clothing that sucks ? Just only buy Bangers

antwon may be the “techwear guy” but atp he is simultaneously one of the best fashion commentary channels out there

Astute analysis. I'm an old guy who's still wearing many Dries van Noten and Comme des Garçons pieces purchased many years ago when I was able to and felt like spending money. I almost always waited for the sales and stuck to basic shapes and styles that don't really go out of fashion (being a male helps). I've also bought fast fashion and have maybe 50% regrets. I've also found surprisingly well-made stuff through a super market chain here in France, where I've found truly decent T-shirts and cotton sweaters that pass fashion criteria. But I also make clothing, and have been for decades, so I understand quality materials and construction, which is (as you state) a crucial factor in purchasing clothing. Having personal style is not following the trends-think of yourself as a fashion curator, and be aware of what looks best on YOU, not on some model or celebrity. And think for the long term.

yo antwagwan, thanks for the video. I feel like people don't talk enough about overconsumption and how to tackle that problem in the fashion landscape

You have to be exposed to high quality in order to recognise it. Truly high quality is never cheap (unless you happen to find it at a super deep discount or in a thrift store). I've studied tailoring and have been shopping for decades, so I don't really make mistakes when it comes to quality. It's a learning process. I still buy the occasional item that doesn't get much love though. 🙃

A little over a year ago I made my most expensive fashion purchase to date, a grey striped ACG alpine jacket for $330. I fell in love with the stupid edgy hypebeast techwear look as a teenager and never quite grew out of it (thanks mirrors edge :/) but even still I was pretty concerned I'd get spooked about it looking too edgy or out of date or not fitting right and that I'd end up not wearing it. It ended up becoming my favorite article of clothing by a long shot, I've been wearing it pretty much every day in fall/winter/spring and genuinely love the way I look in it. Fashion is about making yourself feel happy and cool, so catering to yourself first is important :)

Everything is about content and context. “Timeless” doesn’t mean anything without your own context. A pair of acronym cargo pants made of schoeller dryskin is not timeless in a menswear context but may be a staple in a more technical wardrobe. It’s important to be holistic about buying new clothes and consider every new piece of clothing as an “investment piece”.

trying stuff on in store helps out so much

ThisIsAntwon and The Iron Snail is the best team up this year!

This is very much the right mindset. Evolving your style through time and not settling for things that you only somewhat like, it’s a good habit to only get stuff that is perfect in every way for you and what you personally like, you end up wasting less money and getting better clothes. Recently picked up the eye jacket reduxes after eyeing them for a while, got them for a crazy 70% off, so the time waiting and evaluating that specific piece really paid off. Great video as always!

The quality of the video increased, bro! Amazing growth! Thank you!

Richard D. James is a legend of the music industry in the same way you are a legend of the Techwear clothing community.

Quality is an important factor but as you've often pointed out, the highest quality item won't work for you if it doesn't fit your specific use-case. A gore-tex shell might look cool but it won't give the best preformance in a +30°c city-setting. Likewise, you have to experience higher quality options in order to recognize and appreciate them. If you've only ever known H&M and Zara, a Shein piece might blow you away because "it's the same quality" for a much lower price-point. I've recently tried Veilance for the first time and now I feel like I can't go back because I just think "hell yeah" whenever I put that piece on. Likewise, I know it'll last me for a really long time as long as I take good care of it. People's expectations of quality clothes are also really skewed nowadays. As in, they expect quality to be cheap. My friends will compliment my fit and ask where I got the pieces I'm wearing, but be shocked at me telling them I spent 300€ on a 2nd hand Nike ACG poncho or 400€ on a skirt.

I feel like people are more sensible to "real" artisanal craftsmanship these days, with either unique or fine details, and less so to pure branding. Though it still only applies to some fashion/clothing niches, and it comes at a price that's harder to discern since more knowledge is required to know the backstory of a garment. And I'm not talking about makers that are more on the side of luxury than anything else, despite branding themselves as artisanal. Besides, I think people also tend to mix and match basic stuff that gets the job done like uniqlo t shirts - which are ultimately much more replaceable than other pieces - with finely crafted artisanal shoes or bigger pieces like jackets. Though that specifically is nothing new, but I feel like it's more pronunced now. At least that's how I see it. Focus on specific, great pieces with some oomph to them, but also get some standard stuff. Again, nothing new but it seems more prevalent these days.

In the last year and a half I started shopping for most of my clothes secondhand bc I realized that vintage clothes are better and the prices can’t be beat. All my clothes are designer now too bc I’m able to afford it at the same prices as Zara clothes. I’m talking $35 leather Versace pants, $40 gold lamé Giorgio Armani pants, $200 100% camel hair Yves Saint Laurent coat. These are items that cost thousands of dollars and I got them for disgustingly cheap bc they were vintage/used.

This is why I became a minimalist. I have 5 black tees, 5 white tees, 1 black button down, 1 white button down, 3 pairs of jeans in light wash, dark wash, and black, and some basic wardrobe essentials like a spring jacket and top coat. Black boots, brown, and white sneakers.

This reminded me that I was going to give you that Christopher Raeburn jacket, not a mistake purchase, love Raeburn so much, but its too tech-y for my style and would be better for you

Thanks for making this excellent video, Antwon! I think you make some excellent points. My biggest takeaway is that it takes a significant amount of time and education to find quality clothing AND specific styles that work for you. Perhaps you've done a video on this topic already, or have a video from another RU-vidr to recommend, but I'd love a video covering "essential" recommendations at various price points. After 10+ years of being intentional with my clothing purchases, I know what fits I most enjoy, colours, and styles that work for me, but it's still confusing at times to know what brands to "trust". And I frankly don't have the interest, time or education to methodically review brands and specific items like you and others like the Iron Snail etc do. Gun to your head, what are the best quality jeans you can buy for under $200 USD? Same question for tees, crewnecks, rainjacket at various price points. I love how large the fashion world is and how much room there is for self expression and creativity, but it'd be great to get some high quality basic recommendations from an expert like you. We all need a regular fit white tee, a regular fit pair of jeans etc.

The oldest secret in fashion: It's not what you wear, it's how you wear it

When I was poor, fast fashion brands made it possible for me to buy clothing at all. A lot of items would last just as long as higher quality clothing. Fast fashion is bad as a concept, but not all fast fashion clothing is as bad as you might think. Nowadays I find it easier to find cheap vintage clothing of higher quality though. The only problem is that a lot of fast fashion end up in secons hand stores making it harder to find the good items.

I don't get the appeal of fast-fashion, dropshipped garbage honestly. While yes, they are more affordable but it is just on a surface - if the garment is shit and disintegrates faster, you are forced to buy new stuff making spend more on a distance. I've tried H'm and Asos and those sorts of brands and they are rarely worth it, better stick to Uniqlo for basics and then wait for sales to pick smth more substantial. Additionally, I think people are forgetting about tailoring and repairs. I get it - if your stuff is 20 bucks it is easier to buy a new item, but if you buy better stuff, you'll incentivize yourself to take care of it. Just recently made a huge row of repairs and maintenance for my clothes, spend around 150 bucks but I practically have a whole wardrobe of garment s for more seasons to come. For example, in 2019 I bought Jordan 1 Pine Greens and since then been rocking them non-stop and just them resoled, repainted scratches, new laces and new insole. As a result, the new is literally is almost as new from the box and probably I will wear it for 5 more years, which would not have been the case otherwise.

10:35 !! Me with the Nike RTFKT sneaker 🤦🏾‍♂️ hence why I sold them !

10:54 i mean if those pants are just a waste of space for you i would gladly take them of your hand, btw great video like always

8:46 you talk about a concept in marketing called planned obsolescence and i think more people should be aware of this when buying clothing these days, there are simply things DESIGNED to keep people buying the same thing over and over again, a dirty trick in business that applies to almost every product we have these days

Recently I bought a dress from a very small brand from a "backwoods" area of my country. I bought it because the design was very unique, the brand is clearly marketing and designing for a certain niche and I wanted to support that creativity. However, when I got it it was evident that they were contracting their small batches from a factory that was employing fast-fashion sewing methods. The fabric is... fine (100% cotton but that sort of lower quality feel you talk about here) the "idea" is still there and cool but the construction quality was bad. But instead of returning it I decided to re enforce all the seams on my machine and make some tweaks; add edge-stitching (collar sits better), make the skirt hem deeper (better drape) and such. Now I have the original concept, but actually sturdy enough to last. So while I agree it's best to try and avoid badly-made clothes, I think if you find something that you really like and the key issue is something you know you can fix with skills you already have... Maybe see if you can salvage it instead of landfill it.

And even my new Gucci Horsebit 1955 handbag has issues now- 1 of the seam broke after wearing for 5min after purchasing it, and all 4 click buttons cracked after unbuttoning for 2/3 times to change the strap length😢 Prior to that, I had to exchange the handbag as their front buckle was not cut properly and not properly aligned when it was stitched onto the bag. Talk about luxury...

Love the change in the show. Its not just the hype

Shoutout for the Aphex Twin reference. I still listen to some of his 90s stuff even.

Yeah, a really good t-shirt is a great item to have. I have a heavier weight Uniqlo x Bostom museum t-shirt and i really like how it feels. Same with a t-shirt i biught from Daft Punk's official store, great texture

I just mainly go thrift shopping and I can not stress it enough, but if you feel like you can't find good clothes, just go there. I kid you not, I found an Saint Laurent Biker jacket once, and I got it for like 50$ (They didn't know what brand it was). Still own it til' this day.

Us guys are lucky in that fashion trends dont change much. I own a few garments , especially shirts that i have had for years and i have looked after and they still look good in 2024 matched with clothing items that i have bought this year.

my biggest weaknesses for clothes: I love jackets and vests, they're my favourite piece in an outfit. but living in australia it's mostly too hot to wear them with any sort of regularity I love corduroy. years ago it was really rare to find, so I would snatch up any piece I could get my hands on. Now that it's come back into fashion somewhat, I'm getting spoiled for choice and I'm needing to be more choosey and not follow that knee jerk reaction of grabbing it just because its corduroy and of course: been fat. you'll hear time and time again it's so hard to get anything stylish or well made if you're past a certain clothing size. And the bigger you are the more slim the pickings. It's very easy to panic buy something because it's so rare to find something that fits, but that usually ends up with tonnes of cheap graphic tees that peel and flake off after a couple washes. And last of all, been a broke bastard. It's very tempting to buy the cheapest stuff. Everyone knows it doesn't last. Eventually I added one higher quality item, then eventually another. Over the years the cheaper stuff has been rotated out and replaced at least three times while the better stuff is still like new. Been able to compare those side by side really helps put it into perspective. It's very easy to be in the "beggars cant be choosers" mindset, and it does work in the short term if you truely have no other options (been there, had to completely replace my wardrobe after water damage/mould outbreak). Fast fashion preys on that mindset of FOMO the most, it's designed to build anxiety and destroy your self esteem. Putting together a more sturdy, long lasting wardrobe is a lot of work, but does WONDERS for the mental health. 100% the best thing I've done for my peace of mind.

Thank you for talking about gsm, I feel insane these days with everyone equating high gsm with quality

Every video articulates exactly what I need to hear 😂

I have some Versace shirts. Sorwith gold detailing, thar stayed gold, hasn't cracked or peeled.... and a couple that have janky stitching and a misaligned pit seam. (But all were at least half price)

Can’t agree more, people nowadays tend to look for what’s nice & trendy rather than long lasting pieces cuz they want to look “fresh” every day/week Also, What is that field chair at 9:25 👀 Been looking for something like that for a while

What I have been realizing is just bc you like a piece of clothing doesn’t mean you need it. I have definitely bought to much clothes lately and I liked them all but I don’t love any of them so I end up passing over newer stuff in my closet to wear older stuff that I just like more. So now when I am thinking of buying something I have to like it so much that I will actually want to wear it over something else that I already have in my closet

thank you for referring your audience to shift fashion group there's so much to learn from that dude my god

I'm content with making my own clothing or wearing tailored clothes. Most fabrics are horribly chosen so finding my way to making Solotex tshirts @20 per bolt is cost effective

What can I do to put together functional techwear for the summer?

Would be cool to do a video looking at specific, individual or classic items by non-techwear labels that have adopted tech/military details: Rick, Julius, classic D&G or Helmut Lang come to mind

maybe you did this already, but I'd love an 80/20 for the people like me who want to look and feel better in their style, but without going down the fashion rabbit hole. I have too many obsessions in my life already, I can't add fashion as another 😅 What 20% of shit should I focus on to get me 80% of the way to feeling my best in what I'm wearing?

11:00 why do you have a spotify monitor?

Great video Antwon! I’d love for you to make a Technical Wear Capsule Wardrobe video. I used to buy quality but lately have fallen for quantity as I’m in a change of wardrobe (styles). Have a good day! ✌️ (Ps. Can’t believe you have two of the biggest Lego Star Wars sets, a 3 monitor setup and all those technical garments! I know you work hard!)

great vid!

The only other person I've heard make an Afex Twin Reference is William Montgomery from Kill Tony 😂

it ain't that much worse it just depends where you buy from i have bought so many high quality stuff from brands this year (aelfric eden, h&m not everything though, bershka mostly jeans though)

Yeah, Scottish cashmere 3-ply sweaters cost cost me 2000 quids. That might just be a wee bit more than what you can buy on Shien.

My brother got the same hair cut, back in the early 2000’s 😂

Nice vid!

Can you please do a review or look at some clothes from diesel

Criminally insane hairstyle

back streets back Antwon I like denim. I like the Iron Snail. I also happen to like stuff that is made well too. I'm unbothered by the cost of it, I'll happily withdraw from purchasing something for the entire year just to own that one piece that is made well and made in a country that appreciates the maker. I remember Iron Mike talking about the PBJ DLAI type 2 in his video and I bought that, I'd rather it be crafted by way of elaborate harvesting, fermenting, weaving lore than made in Portugal. Siuuuuuuuuuuuu. Not hating on "European" production but that context shan't float my boat. Its all about value, I value 10123 but I don't value it more than £100, maybe its just about finding things that you can love without losing a reason to love the garment. Big up the Kappa beanie hat I had to return as a kid.

Seize the means of production and make your own clothes. It’s the only way. Plus no overpriced designer bs.

yay First! Feels bad if someone figures out their clothes sucks after being informed by this video~

Hi Antwon, what did you study? Whats your degree?

What boggles my mind is how as young as 5 year old items are “old” now😅

hi antwon

You guys still buy clothes? I grow the cotton and craft it into the clothes myself Sucks to suck I guess

persona?

Because people use clothing to mask their lack of personality. When fashion changes so to just your "personality". Old fashion items remind you of how shallow and soulless you really are

Man said “Pra-durr” 😂😂

Reusing a-words for the intro🤦‍♂️ what has this channel become

Irrelevant to the content but that's a nice lego collection you got there

What's stopping me from setting trends instead of following them?

antwon!!

Let’s start a Scottish-based brand called Sheid.

shein has lead in its clothes don't wear this stuff too often, temu probably has that too

dude u are so funny

Kith. Nuff said.

So to summarize ? What’s the answer to that question?

Reminds me of the Shoe Event Horizon from Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Tone it down with the use of the Vine Boom, okay?

When u post your fit to 4chan and they tell u to “rope yourself”

Any GENDERED clothing really puts me off of Techwear. I believe that Gender is separate from Sex, but I don't see any Techwear brands making PURELY Unisex clothing? Hard to find Queer Techwear clothing especially when Techwear is meant to hide or obfuscate Identity

Don't let someone from social media, Hollywood, or a magazine tell you how to dress. Figure out what actually looks good on you, and skinny jeans or JNCOs don't. I promise. The cuts and measurements, not the size. Size measurements vary, even within the same company, based on cut. Then, research to find quality and buy once cry once. One final note. Avoid synthetics if you want the garment to last. 90+% of the clothes you see people wearing, that are actually vintage, are made from natural materials. There are more durable versions of most synthetics, they're usually found in more expensive labels, that make up the 10% you do find.