Price and value in vintage clothing

CZK 3,000 for a vintage leather jacket seems like a lot of money. 300 CZK for a T-shirt from fast fashion seems like a little. But which of these things is really more expensive? It depends on how you count.

Cost Per Wear (Cost Per Wear) CPW = cost per piece ÷ number of wears. A leather jacket for CZK 3,000 that you wear 100 times a year for 10 years = CZK 3 per wear. A T-shirt for 300 CZK, which you wear 10 times and then falls apart = 30 CZK per wear. A cheap T-shirt is ten times more expensive.

Where vintage adds value Leather, wool, silk, materials that improve with age and whose CPW decreases with each passing year of wear. In addition, vintage pieces can be sold: a good leather jacket for 3,000 CZK is still worth 2,000 CZK after five years. Fast fashion is worth zero after five years.

Where CPW doesn't work The piece you buy and don't wear. A fashion trend that went out of fashion in a season. A piece that doesn't fit and you hope you "get used to it". CPW assumes you actually wear the item, so honesty is key when purchasing.

How to apply this when buying vintage Before buying any piece, ask yourself, "How many times will I wear this? What specifically?" If the answer isn't at least 20-30 wears, the purchase probably doesn't make sense, regardless of price. If so, then even CZK 3,000 is a good deal.