Buy Well, Then Look After It

At Zegna’s autumn/winter show in Milan, the runway was lined with clothes from four generations of the family, including the founder’s first tailored jacket from 1930. The point, as Alessandro Sartori framed it, was that well-made clothing can become an heirloom. It is worth remembering as the heavy wool comes out of storage: the difference between a coat that lasts five years and one that lasts thirty is mostly care.

There is a market argument too. ThredUp’s annual resale report, published in April, found that the American secondhand market grew nearly four times faster than retail clothing in 2025. In London, Permanent Style’s second-hand menswear sale moved to a larger space in September after its first editions proved more popular than expected. Good clothes that have been looked after keep their value.

## The routine
- Rest it. Give wool jackets and trousers a day off between wears, on broad, shaped hangers.
- Brush, don’t wash. A clothes brush after wearing removes the dust that grinds into cloth. Dry clean sparingly.
- Fold knitwear. Hanging stretches cashmere at the shoulders. Hand wash in cool water and dry flat.
- Guard against moths. Store wool clean, in breathable bags, with cedar, and check it every few weeks.
- Look after shoes. Cedar trees after every wear, at least two pairs in rotation, and resoling before the welt is damaged. Suede needs less than people fear; Crompton says his heavy suede boots need only a quick brush, and not often.
- Use a tailor. A new button, a let-out seam or a rewoven moth hole costs little next to a replacement.

Houses such as Berluti built their reputation on leather that improves with wear. The same principle applies across a good wardrobe: buy fewer things, made properly, and they will look better in five years than they do today.