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Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\nCheap clothes have outperformed more expensive garments in durability testing conducted for the discount fashion industry.<\/p>\n The University of Leeds has worked with retailer Primark to test items such as jeans and T-shirts to set “standards” on how long clothing should last.<\/p>\n The university’s school of design assessed 65 products, and found a \u00a315 pair of women’s jeans to be more durable than their \u00a3150 equivalent.<\/p>\n Primark will incorporate the findings of the study into its guidelines and the chain said it hoped the results would help give customers better value for their money.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kate Morris, who led the research team at the university, said: “We have equipment that can mimic years and years of wear and tear of garments in a matter of hours.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had to consider how the garments are actually used. So, with jeans we focussed on things such as the fabric rubbing together and seam strength.<\/p>\n \u201cFor hoodies we look at pilling, which are the small bobbles that form on fabric.\u201d<\/p>\n And the team were “surprised” by the results, which showed that price was not necessarily an indicator of long-term quality.<\/p>\n The second-best performer in the men’s T-shirt category cost only \u00a35. Seventeen styles were tested.<\/p>\n Ms Morris added: \u201cHistorically people think that if you pay more, you\u2019ll get a longer life out of the garment.<\/p>\n \u201cWe found no correlation between price and durability. It doesn\u2019t mean that if you go out and buy something really cheap it will last forever, and vice versa. We are simply saying that there is no correlation between the two\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Primark, which has faced repeated criticism for its “fast fashion” approach, said it hoped its new Durability Framework would help people get more wear from their purchases.<\/p>\n Speaking exclusively to BBC Radio 4\u2019s You and Yours<\/a> programme, Vicki Swain, Primark\u2019s product longevity lead, said: \u201cWe developed the framework to ensure that customers know items are going to last, no matter how much they can afford to spend.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been investing in making our clothes more durable and also making them with more sustainable materials.”<\/p>\n Primark supplied the garments for the study but had no further input in the independent research.<\/p>\n Ms Morris said: \u201cWe did all of the testing, analysed all of the data, created a testing framework and fed that data back to Primark.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were not involved in any of the testing work.\u201d<\/p>\n She added that the University of Leeds planned to conduct more of its own studies to determine what factors cause clothes to last.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re doing a lot more research to find out what dictates durability within a garment, but that\u2019s not something we\u2019ve found out yet.\u201d<\/p>\n Listen to highlights from <\/i>West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds<\/a>, catch up with the latest <\/i>episode of Look North<\/i><\/a> or tell us a story you think <\/i>we should be covering here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/bbcx\/grey-placeholder.png\")
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Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Leeds](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/d2db\/live\/f2b4b970-979b-11ef-8884-db1c3079ff40.jpg.webp\")
Leeds Institute of Textiles and Colour<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n