Plastic Fantastic? - Topic of the day 3/25/25
The common sentiment online is that plastic is bad in clothing, usually because of environmental impact, poor quality (whatever that means to you), or its use by fast fashion retailers. But is there "good" clothing made of plastic, or designers that have made good clothing from plastic? Is there a point where the benefits of the design outweigh the drawbacks of the use of plastic? And if so, how do you address these negatives?
31 Replies
You mfs are sick
:blushcatto:
plastique the goat
Techwear is probably the biggest example of clothing that can't be achieved without synthetics.
But there are a lot of uses for synthetic in blends for structural integrity or performance.
one of the comebacks of the century tbh
as for plastic with a c**
i am not sure we can come back from it
we have plastic in the balls
a fear of plastic in your garments to me signals a weakness of mental and physical constitution and a failure of moral character
I personally love Nylon bags, they’re super sturdy, lightweight and if they’re dirty you can just throw them in the wash
Amazing
I love plastic for athletic gear! And insulation!
Great point, I would have not survived winter without my 1 million pairs of Uniqlo Heattech socks
I’m agnostic towards plastics mostly but I tend to dress in a style where “natural” materials tend to look better imo
I tend towards natural fibers but its mostly a texture thing
I recently picked up a wool/poly blend pant. Beyond the practical pros of poly, it allows the pant to achieve a smoother and more uniform finish. It definitely changes the vibe of the pant to more of a modern one. It also feels really lovely swishing against your legs.
On the other hand, I use a pair of prana zion pants for hiking, which are mostly nylon with some elastane, and I just hate the way those feel on your legs. It's some weird mix of that static clinging feeling mixed with the slickness of the synthetic that bothers me
On the other hand, I use a pair of prana zion pants for hiking, which are mostly nylon with some elastane, and I just hate the way those feel on your legs. It's some weird mix of that static clinging feeling mixed with the slickness of the synthetic that bothers me
Prefer the feel and aging of natural fibres but I've found higher end synthetic mixes to be really great materials. The wool/poly mixes in an EG tweed suit or the tropical wool/poly in Lemaires flowy SS fabrics are both incredible and the synthetic element does not detract. EG wool poly is bomb proof while being lighter than similar appearing pure wool tweed.
newbies, for lack of a better term, will hold thoughts that synthetic = bad/cheap, but also that quality = longevity/durability, which is pretty contradictory. though it makes sense since you mostly just parrot things you hear without critically examining when you first start learning
:bloberm:
I'm slightly thinking that someone suggested this based on my plastic convos a few days ago
no bestie this is a constant convo happening across multiple channels of the cord
Me too, if something has synthetics I vastly prefer to touch it in person before I buy it so I can ensure I won’t have sensory issues with it
But like that’s a me problem
Plastic :mryuk:
Plastic, Japan :letsfuckinggo:
A bit of poly really helps alpaca sweaters. Also poly is needed for the plisse stuff, I think. As others have mentioned, it’s good for weather resistance.
I think plastic in general really is a feeling it in person or trusting the brand thing, it can be great but i would be more cautious if I wasn’t super sure the brand is known for good fabrics
The fact that plastic is so durable is half the problem. I go to pretty extreme lengths to stick to natural materials, I prefer my clothes to be gently composting as I wear them.
i have 6 spoons in my brain already so it’s whatever at this point
vintage plastic. my flared jeans are 35% dacron, and my lee flares are 100% dacron. the jeans are dying a bit, but for 5 dollars i’d rather wear them then them be trashed
what do u do with them
Not much can’t access that area
The lee flares are very good, and made me think "huh, maybe I really need to get over my anti-plastic feelings"
they are sensory hell for the first few days, but after they break in they are only sensory purgatory
been trying to find more pairs because i love the cut tho
Environmental concerns aside, once I started paying attention I realized I simply don't like how it feels on my skin. Natural fibers simply feel better (unless we are talking about super coarse wool). It feels almost impossible to avoid it completely, outerwear, gym clothes etc. I've made some select purchased that I like (e.g., Patagonia sweater)
Long story short, I am to be thoughtful about it now. I don't avoid it, but if I buy something plastic now it was a reasoned decision. That wasn't true a year ago.
Speaking of strange vintage plastic:
I just ironed a 1950s Dress made of an unknown material and the pattern transferred onto my ironing board?????
looks good though!
surprising that its still good though
Yeah dress is just as before surprisingly