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Testing will determine Primark's quality and sustainability guidelines
Inexpensive clothing outperformed more expensive clothing in durability tests conducted for the discount fashion industry.
The University of Leeds worked with retailer Primark to test items such as jeans and T-shirts to set 'standards' for how long clothes last.
The university's design school assessed 65 products and found that £15 women's jeans were more durable than their £150 equivalent.
Primark will incorporate the results of the study into its guidelines and the chain said it hoped the findings would help offer customers better value for money.
Leeds Institute of Textiles and Color
Researchers tested various clothing items, including t-shirts
Kate Morris, who led the university's research team, said: “We have equipment that can replicate years and years of wear on clothing in a matter of hours.
“We had to think about how clothes are actually used. So with jeans, we focused on things like fabric friction and seam strength.
“For hoodies, we look at pilling, which are the little balls that form on the fabric.”
And the team was “surprised” by the results, which showed that price was not necessarily an indicator of long-term quality.
The second best artist in the men's t-shirt category costs just £5. Seventeen styles were tested.
Ms Morris added: “Historically, people think that if you pay more you will get a longer lifespan out of the garment.
“We found no correlation between price and durability. This doesn't mean that if you buy something really cheap it will last forever, and vice versa. We’re just saying there’s no correlation between the two.”
Leeds Institute of Textiles and Color
Kate Morris from the University of Leeds led testing of Primark's sustainability project
Primark, which has faced repeated criticism for its approach to 'fast fashion', said it hoped its new sustainability framework would help people wear their purchases better.
Speaking exclusively to BBC Radio 4's You and Yours, Vicki Swain, Head of Product Longevity at Primark, said: “We developed the framework to ensure customers know the items will last, no matter what. whatever amount they can afford to spend.
“We have invested in making our clothing more sustainable and making it with more sustainable materials.”
Primark provided the clothing for the study but did not contribute further to the independent research.
Ms Morris said: “We have carried out all the tests, analyzed all the data, created a testing framework and passed that data to Primark.
“They were not involved in any of the testing work.”
She added that the University of Leeds planned to conduct more of its own studies to determine the factors that make clothes last.
“We're doing a lot more research to find out what determines the durability of a garment, but it's not something we've discovered yet.”
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