Clothing expert discloses how buying acrylic knitwear from H&M can be very costly in the long term

Buying from a mainstream, popularly endorsed brand is what most people are comfortable with. They tend to believe that these brands make the clothes retain high quality. However, reality is a different story, as most of them find out how quickly these clothes get ruined after washing them just once. TikTok user Jennifer Wang–who goes by @wangjenniferr on the platform–recently shared a video warning people to avoid buying certain types of knitwear from big stores like H&M.

The video has gone viral with over 1 million views and 98K likes. Wang stitched the video with @majelleabell, who showcases what happens to her viral H&M dress after just one wash under ideal laundering conditions. The dress gets ruined, at which point Wang starts her video and says, "That video makes me so sad because these companies are literally robbing you in broad daylight by selling you those dresses." She recalls how she overheard some girls while shopping at the mall.

The girls were commenting on how the cloth material showcased at the store seemed very soft and assumed it was of high quality. According to Wang, this was the way they fooled customers into buying poor-quality clothes. She explains, "They make these synthetic fibers really soft. So when you touch it in the store, you're like, 'Wow, this feels really nice. I'm gonna buy this.'" But most people would be in shock after washing it just once.

Even if they took the clothes back to the store to complain about the quality and find some resolution, the store would essentially gaslight customers and tell them they didn't wash them properly. She gives out some advice: "They know what they are doing. So, if you wanna avoid flushing your money down the drain the next time you buy a knit item like a sweater or a sweater dress, avoid acrylic at all costs." Wang also adds that people should not buy polyester.

Wang mentions that some amount of polyamide or nylon would be okay, depending on the type of sweater. With that being said, the "safest route" for most customers would be to stick to natural fibers when they make their purchase. She mentions how wool would also look slightly different after being washed, but not as much as synthetic clothes. Furthermore, heat and friction would cause the plastic fibers in synthetic clothes to melt together and form a huge chunk.

People in the comments section found Wang's advice useful and shared their insights. @villea999 said, "Also, wool doesn't hold onto smells the way synthetics do, so you can keep it clean for long and wash less." @twinfashion2 shared, "I've been looking for more clothes made out of cotton and wool. Not gonna lie, everything is made out of polyester, it's so sad." Another individual, @hippobippo0, commented, "I really cried after spending $60 on an H&M jacket and I washed it according to the instructions and it was ruined. That's a lot of money for me." @jane.brennan_studio added, "Having worked as a designer for 10 years, this is so true, but having run a sustainable line, I can tell you people just don’t want to spend the dollars."