A pair of £15 Primark jeans outperformed a £150 alternative in terms of durability, a new study has found.
The University of Leeds teamed up with Primark to assess the longevity of its items in comparison to more expensive alternatives.
Despite common perception, the study found that there is no correlation between price and durability.
The university’s school of design tested 65 products from various stores with ranging price points using technology that mimics years of wear and tear in garments.
The results revealed a £15 pair of women’s jeans from Primark are ‘more durable’ than a £150 equivalent, according to the BBC.
It comes as the fast fashion clothes shop pledged to produce items that are less harmful to the environment following backlash against fast fashion and its links to waste and pollution.
The Irish retailer plans to incorporate the findings into its durability framework to encourage customers to understand the quality on offer for their money.
Speaking in BBC podcast You and Yours, Kate Morris, who led the testing for Primark’s durability project, said: ‘We have equipment that can mimic years and years of wear and tear of garments in a matter of hours of days.
The study conducted by University of Leeds found that price does not necessarily correlate to improved durability (pictured: Stock image)
Kate continued: ‘So, in total, we had 65 garments in this study that ranged from jeans, t-shirts and hoodies.
‘We washed the clothes in domestic washing machines and tried to mimic the lifetime wash cycle.’
Kate and her team discovered that price does not necessarily determine a piece of clothing’s durability.
‘We found that price really isn’t an indicator of durability, and out of the 17 men’s t-shirts that we tested, one costing £5 was ranked the second most durable out of everything,’ she said.
The findings, including that Primark jeans trumped a £150 pair in terms of durability, ‘surprised’ Kate. She said: ‘I think because there’s this narrative that goes round that you expect expensive items to perform a lot better.’
Eco-conscious shoppers have directed their anger at Primark for years due to its fast fashion approach, but the store hopes the new research will change that.
Primark’s Longevity and Partnerships Lead Vicky Swain explained on the podcast: ‘The durability framework is new to Primark but our work on durability isn’t.
‘Durability has been a focus for Primark for well over a decade, we’ve been investing in making our clothes more durable and made with more sustainable materials of years now.
In a ‘surprising’ result, the study found that a pair of £15 women’s jeans from Primark were more durable than a £150 alternative (pictured: Stock image of Primark store in Shropshire)
‘In essence, we developed a framework to ensure customers can know that when they’re purchasing something that the items are going to last.’
For Vicky, her work on durability means the results are less surprising, and she is striving for shoppers to assign different emotional value to Primark clothes, treating items as they would ones from more expensive shops.
The company, along with online fashion giants such as Boohoo and Pretty Little Thing, has been at the forefront of the emergence of cheap fashions.
In 2021, Primark pledged to ensure all its clothes are made using recycled or more sustainable materials by 2030.
Since then, the store has worked to transition the materials of all entry price T-shirts to ethically sourced cotton.
The company also shared aims to halve its carbon emissions, pursue a decent living wage for garment workers and design its clothes to be recyclable and more durable.
At the time, Paul Marchant, Primark chief executive, said: ‘Our new commitments mark a significant acceleration in the pace and scale of change.’
Mr Marchant added: ‘Our ambition is to offer customers the affordable prices they know and love us for, but with products that are made in a way that is better for the planet and the people who make them…
‘(The changes require) us to think differently about how we do business. Right from how our clothes are designed and manufactured, through to how we sell them in stores.’
On any potential impact on prices, he said: ‘We believe that sustainability shouldn’t be priced at a premium that only a minority can afford.
‘Because of who we are, we believe we have the opportunity to make more sustainable fashion choices affordable to all.’