Should I buy cheap fast fashion or pay more for quality? Meet a man who spreadsheets all his clothes and shoes and calculates the cost per wear

American Jake Welch refers to a cost-per-wear spreadsheet of his clothes before he gets dressed, and he may have a point. Some retailers are taking note

Fast-fashion items may be cheap but don’t last, while clothes made with high-quality materials and workmanship cost more, but can be reworn many times

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Fast fashion or high quality clothing? While buying a cheap shirt seems like good economy, a more expensive piece is better made and lasts longer, and actually costs less over time. Above: Jake Welch looks at a spreadsheet that calculates the cost-per-wear of his wardrobe. Photo: AP

Published: 4:15pm, 18 Aug 2023

For Jake Welch, getting dressed is one big maths problem.

The 36-year-old brand director for an advertising firm calculates the cost-per-wear of his wardrobe by highlighting 200 items in a spreadsheet – excluding underwear and socks – and meticulously listing the price he paid for each as well as how many times he’s worn it.

The American updates the spreadsheet every night on his computer to determine whether his purchases were worth it – or not.

Lots of people thought Welch was weird when he started doing this 12 years ago, opting to ditch the cheapest items on the sales rack in favour of maximising the value of his purchases over their life cycles. But with inflation still a nagging problem, more shoppers are coming around to his way of thinking.

Jake Welch, a 36-year-old brand manager for an advertising firm, has created a spreadsheet highlighting 200 items of clothing and footwear. It shows how much he paid for each and how many times he’s worn it. Photo: AP

“I was actually onto something versus being a little loony,” says Welch, who presented his findings last month at a company meeting.