Why Mid-Luxury Clothing Costs More (And Why It's Actually Cheaper)

Apparently Moths Won't Even Eat Our Clothes Anymore

My sister called me the other day about a conversation she had just had with her coworker.

The coworker, early twenties, had heard that moths don't really eat clothes the way they used to. The theory: so much of what we buy now is synthetic, and moths just aren't interested. They want wool, silk, and cotton. Polyester? Hard pass, even for a moth. Her coworker thought it was kind of bleak. A whole closet full of clothes, and not even a bug wants in, what has happened to fashion these days?

Now, is that airtight science? Probably not. But as a little snapshot of what's hanging in most of our closets right now, it lands, and it kicked off a conversation I do wish more people in their twenties have.

"Okay but those brands are just expensive"

When my sister brought up that there are mid-luxury brands, ours included, that lean into natural fibers and only use synthetics when they're recycled, her coworker hit back with the obvious one: yeah, but those cost more.

She's not wrong, we are more expensive.

But the price of a garment is about countless factors, from fabric kind and quality to the construction quality as well.

You're paying for it to actually last for years

My sister explained this to her coworker, and I want to share it with other young shoppers who might not realize this.

When you spend more on a mid-luxury piece, you're paying for a better fabric AND a better-made garment. Both. The seams, the finishing, the construction, the fiber. That combination is the reason it survives more than three washes.

So instead of the $25 shirt from TikTok Shop that pills, twists sideways, and basically dissolves by the second wear, (or generally just looks and feels cheap) you get something that lasts you years. And usually the design is more timeless, so it doesn't expire after a season either. You just... keep wearing it. Wild concept.

Let's actually do the math

Just to call out this point, $25 here, $30 there, $40 again next weekend because you "have nothing to wear." Do that every weekend and check the damage at the end of the month. You've easily dropped a few hundred dollars. And most of it won't make it to next season.

Now flip it, spend $150 on one good piece this month, and another next month. A few months in, you've got a little capsule of pieces that last, that go together, that you reach for on repeat. It's the same money you'd have blown on disposable, cheap stuff, except now you have a closet that looks and feels luxury and lasts you. It will also make getting dressed easier and effortless because pieces pair together more easily and look refined.

Little PSA

So, to anyone in their twenties trying to shop smarter: that higher price tag isn't only the fabric. It's the quality, the construction, and the years you'll actually get out of the piece. Buy less, buy better, let your closet build into something that lasts (and that a moth would, respectfully, love).

That's what we're making at Triplicity. Natural fibers, recycled synthetics when we use them, built to stick around.

Come see what we're up to.

Xoxo, Arianna

These styles are made using plant based fibers: