Budget jeans more durable than luxury alternatives, AHC researchers find

The research aimed to assess how well clothing can withstand wear and tear

Researchers in the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures have partnered with high-street fashion retailer Primark to test and set durability standards for clothing, with surprising results suggesting that some budget items outlast pricier garments.

Commissioned as part of a wider project by environmental charity Hubbub and international clothing retailer Primark, the project is one of the largest studies of its kind. It aimed to assess how well clothing can withstand wear and tear, with the findings now informing Primark’s guidelines for product longevity. The research was led by Dr Mark Sumner (formerly University of Leeds, now WRAP) and co-investigated by Dr Mark Taylor, Yue Guo and Kate Morris at the School of Design. 

Testing 65 different products, the research team found that a £15 pair of women’s jeans performed better in durability than a designer pair retailing at £150. The study also revealed that price is not necessarily an indicator of quality, as other budget items, like a £5 men’s T-shirt, scored well in durability tests.

Kate Morris explained how the study worked to replicate the effects of prolonged wear on different garments:

“We have equipment that can mimic years and years of wear and tear of garments in a matter of hours. For jeans, we focused on things like fabric friction and seam strength, while with hoodies, we looked at pilling — the small bobbles that form on fabric.”

The findings came as a surprise to the team, revealing that higher price tags don’t guarantee longer-lasting products.

Morris added: “Historically, people think that if you pay more, you’ll get a longer life out of the garment. We found no correlation between price and durability. That doesn’t mean that if you go out and buy something really cheap it will last forever, and vice versa, but rather that price alone doesn’t dictate how durable an item will be.”

Primark will integrate the study’s findings into its new ‘Durability Framework’, aimed at helping consumers feel confident that their purchases will last.

Vicki Swain, product longevity lead at Primark, commented: “We developed the framework to ensure that customers know items are going to last, no matter how much they can afford to spend. We’ve been investing in making our clothes more durable and also using more sustainable materials.”

The University emphasised that Primark provided the garments but did not influence the independent testing process, with the research team conducting all analysis and interpreting the data in-house. Building on these findings, Morris and her team are now planning further studies to determine which specific factors contribute most to a garment’s lifespan.

“We’re doing a lot more research to find out what dictates durability within a garment,” Morris said, “but that’s not something we’ve found out yet.”

For more information about the University of Leeds' research initiatives in design and durability, visit the School of Design’s website.