近日，英国利兹大学的一项研究发现，快时尚品牌的衣服竟然比名牌衣服更结实更耐穿，尤其是T恤。花大价钱买的衣服比不上平价衣服，这一研究结果无异于对名牌服装的重重一击。难道名牌衣服胜出的仅仅是颜值和价钱？

If you've been shelling out for designer clothing in the hopes that it will be more durable¹ than cheaper options, you might want to reconsider.

如果你花大把钱买名牌衣服，期望它们比平价衣服更耐穿，你可能需要重新考虑一下了。

A new study from The University of Leeds suggests that low-cost clothing might actually outlast² pricier pieces.

利兹大学的一项新研究指出，廉价的衣服事实上可能比昂贵的衣服更耐穿。

The study was led by Dr. Mark Sumner, a lecturer in fashion and sustainability. Using samples of T-shirts and jeans from a variety of brands and price points, researchers measured factors such as seam strength, colorfastness, and how long it took for the fabric³ of each piece to develop rips or tears.

带头开展这项研究的马克·萨姆纳博士是时尚和可持续性专业的讲师。研究人员采用了多个品牌和价位的T恤和牛仔裤作为样本，衡量了接缝强力、色牢度等因素，以及面料多长时间会发生撕裂。

colorfastness[k?l?r'fɑ:stn?s]：n. 色牢度

Despite the popular notion that designer clothes are more sturdily constructed than off-the-rack items, the study found that fast-fashion shirts and jeans usually out-performed their luxury counterparts.

尽管大众普遍认为，名牌衣服比平价衣服制作得更结实，但是研究发现，快时尚品牌的T恤和牛仔裤通常都比名牌衣服更耐穿。

off-the-rack['?f??'r?k]: adj. 现成的

"Some of the garments performed very well across a wide range of tests — more often than not, the best products were 'fast-fashion' products," Dr. Sumner told The Telegraph.

萨姆纳博士告诉《每日电讯报》说：“其中一些衣服在大范围测试中表现很出色——这些衣服多半是快时尚产品。”

"Jeans from one fashion brand lasted twice as long as a designer label jeans, but cost one-tenth of the price of the designer jeans," he said.

萨姆纳说：“快时尚品牌牛仔裤的寿命是名牌牛仔裤的两倍，但是价格却只有名牌牛仔裤的十分之一。”

Insider网站截图 According to Dr. Sumner's interview with The Telegraph, designer label T-shirts were "the worst performing" in all of the tests. Surprisingly, T-shirts from an online fast-fashion brand held up the best.

萨姆纳在接受《每日电讯报》的采访时说，名牌T恤在所有测试中的“表现是最差的”。令人惊讶的是，质量最好的T恤来自一家线上快时尚品牌。

Of course, price isn't the only thing to consider when shopping for new threads. The fashion industry is a huge source of environmental pollution, with low-cost clothing contributing heavily to landfill waste and carbon gas emissions⁴.

当然，在购置新衣服时，价格并不是唯一要考虑的因素。时装行业是造成环境污染的一大源头，低成本服装严重加剧了垃圾填埋和二氧化碳排放。

According to the EPA Office of Solid Waste, Americans throw away more than 68 pounds of clothing and textiles per person per year. With trends appearing and vanishing in the blink of an eye, the average number of times a garment is worn before it is disposed of has decreased 36% over the past 15 years, according to a 2017 report.

根据美国环保局固体废物办公室的数据，美国人每人每年扔掉超68磅（31千克）的衣服和纺织品。服装潮流瞬息万变，根据2017年的报告，一件衣服在被丢弃前的平均穿着次数在过去15年间下降了36%。

Although some clothing items are estimated to be trashed after just seven wears, less than 1% of clothing is recycled to create new clothing. Plus, fast-fashion can come with ethical⁵ concerns depending on the company.

尽管有些衣服只穿了7次就被丢弃，但被回收用来制作新衣服的却不到1%。此外，快时尚产业的一些公司还伴随着道德争议。

But it's not just fast-fashion brands that are guilty of wasteful⁶ practices. Earlier this year, high-end design label Burberry acknowledged burning almost $40 million of unsold clothes, accessories, and perfume. According to the BBC, the company opted⁷ to destroy the items rather than sell them more cheaply in order to protect the brand's value.

不过，造成浪费的不只有快时尚品牌。今年早些时候，高端时尚品牌巴宝莉承认将未售出的价值近4000万美元（2.7亿元人民币）的衣服、饰品和香水烧毁。据英国广播公司报道，该公司选择烧毁货物而不是降价出售是为了保护品牌价值。

All in all, there's a lot to consider when purchasing new clothing. But, keeping those bargain jeans in your wardrobe rotation⁸ could be good for your budget and the environment — and chances are they can last just as long as the designer pair you've been eyeing.

总而言之，在买新衣服之前要考虑的东西很多。但是，继续穿你的廉价牛仔裤对你的财政状况和环境都有好处，而且，它们很可能和你看中的那条名牌牛仔裤一样耐穿。