I Used To Care About Quality
I used to care about quality.
Now I’m Slightly Mad About It.
I’ve always believed in good stuff.
Not fancy stuff. Not status-symbol stuff. Just solid, honest, do-the-job, don’t-fall-apart-when-you-look-at-it wrong stuff.
I grew up thinking this was normal. Buy the thing. Use it hard. Fix it if it breaks. Keep it a long time. Hand it down. Repeat.
Then I started Fern & Feral—and in my quest to find or make products through USA manufacturers or suppliers, I accidentally pulled back the curtain on the modern supply chain.
Friends..... its disturbing.
The Lie We’ve All Been Sold (Including Me)
We’re told:
“It’s basically the same thing.”
Same shirt.
Same blanket.
Same bag.
Just cheaper.
What I’ve learned is that “basically the same” is doing a lot of lying.
Because by the time a piece of clothing, a blanket, or a bag lands in your hands, it has already survived (or failed) nine separate chances to be made well. Not only that, those 9 steps were all paid for.
Most things fail early. And on purpose.
How Things Are Actually Made (And Where It Goes Sideways)
Let’s walk it—quickly, plainly, no MBA required.
1. Raw Materials (Dirt, Animals, Oil)
Cotton, wool, alpaca, flax, hemp, leather, synthetics.
This is where quality is either born… or doomed.
Short fibers. Poor animal care. Over-farmed land. Cheap petroleum inputs.
You can’t “fix it later.” Bad in = bad out.
2. Fiber Preparation
Cleaning, carding, combing, retting.
Done carefully, this creates strong, even fibers.
Done fast, it weakens everything that follows.
Guess which one is cheaper.
3. Spinning (Fiber → Yarn)
Yarn can be spun tight and strong—or loose and weak.
Cheap yarn pills, snaps, and sheds.
Good yarn lasts decades.
Most consumers are never told which they’re buying.
4. Dyeing & Treatment
This step quietly destroys rivers when done irresponsibly.
Cheap dyes fade. Bleed. Break down fibers.
Good dyeing is expensive, slow, and regulated.
So guess what gets skipped.
5. Fabric Formation (Yarn → Fabric)
Woven. Knit. Felted.
Loose weave = faster.
Tight weave = stronger.
Only one of those holds up to real life.
6. Fabric Finishing
This is where things get… sneaky.
Chemical softeners can make terrible fabric feel amazing—for about six washes.
If something feels “buttery soft” right off the rack, ask why.
7. Cut & Sew
Stitch density. Thread weight. Reinforcement. This is where time costs money—and corners are cut visibly, if you know where to look.
8. Hardware & Trims
One bad zipper can take down an entire bag. Ask me how I know.
9. Inspection & Distribution
Fast fashion often skips inspection entirely.
Heritage brands inspect by hand.
One of these sends landfills their next shipment.
10. Sales and sellers
Change seller names constantly
Ignore IP and trademark rules
Disappear when chargebacks pile up
Find ways to make money by selling cheap things with their name or brand on it that are 10 times junkier than they should be and 10 times more expensive than the quality version should cost.
Here’s the Part That Actually Made Me Mad
This isn’t just about aesthetics or vibes.
This supply chain:
Exports jobs
Destroys domestic manufacturing
Pollutes aggressively
Creates dependency on disposable imports
Trains consumers to expect less
And then we all pay for it later:
Through environmental cleanup
Through lost skilled labor
Through economic fragility
Through buying the same item five times
Cheap isn’t cheap. It’s just deferred cost.
About Amazon (Because We All Use It)
Let’s be honest., Amazon is incredible.
Some things should be cheap:
Paper towels
Phone chargers
Random cords you lose twice a week
Convenience has its place. I’m not anti-Amazon. I am anti:
Disposable clothing
Fake “heritage” goods
People capitalizing on selling garbage
Paying once emotionally, five times financially
The Case for Being a Better Consumer (Not a Perfect One)
I’m not going to:
Make everything myself
Shop exclusively small
Spend money I don’t have
I am hoping to:
Buy fewer things
Ask better questions
Care where it matters
Choose:
The bag you’ll carry for 20 years
The blanket your kids will steal
The jacket that outlives trends
Let the rest be cheap.
Why Fern & Feral Exists
We didn’t start this brand to be loud.
We started it because we were tired of pretending:
All products are equal
All prices are honest
All shortcuts are harmless
They aren’t.
And once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
Final Thought (And a Gentle Challenge)
Amazon is great.
Cheap has its place.
But not everything should be disposable.
Buy less.
Buy better.
Support the kind of economy you want your kids to inherit.
That’s not radical.
That’s just… responsible.
— Sarah
