How long should a school blazer actually last?
Durability is a laboratory measurement, not an adjective. Here are the tests that produce it, why a single number can mislead you, and the rules about to force the figures into the open.
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Beyond the fabric
Stories, ideas and insights on sustainability, circular design and conscious living.
6 posts in Care and Longevity
Mend, don't replace: what happens when a government pays for repairs
France funded around 250,000 clothing repairs in six months by taking a few euros off the price. It turns out mending was never a skills problem. It was an arithmetic problem.
Read moreThe tumble dryer is quietly wearing out your child's uniform
Heat and tumbling do more damage to school clothes than washing does. Air drying roughly halves shrinkage, and one study put the lifetime saving at around 1,800 euros.
Read moreWhy your next washing machine will have a filter, and what to do until it does
France has required microfibre filters on new washing machines since January 2025, the first mandate of its kind. Here is what it changes, and what works on the machine you already own.
Read moreGrowth, not wear, is what kills most school uniforms
The average family spends hundreds a year on uniform, and most of what gets replaced is not worn out. Fit planning is the least glamorous longevity strategy there is, and the most effective.
Read moreThe 30-minute, 20 degree wash: why quicker and cooler beats hot and long
One study changed how I do my family's laundry. A short cool cycle released up to 52 per cent fewer microfibres and up to 74 per cent less dye than a long hot one.
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