When Did Clothes Start Having Expiration Dates? Breaking the Chain of Overproduction and Overconsumption

The Sale That Never Ends

At what point did we start treating clothes like groceries?
One month it’s “new collection,” the next it’s “final sale.”
We rush to buy before it’s “gone forever,” only to see another wave of discounts a few weeks later.

Black Friday, mid-season sales, end-of-season sales — it never ends.
And if everything is always on sale, was it ever truly worth its original price?

Fashion wasn’t supposed to be disposable.
Clothes don’t rot, don’t expire, and don’t suddenly lose their beauty after a month.
Yet we act like they do, because we’ve been taught to.

 

The Endless Cycle: Who Made Who?

As a retired fast-fashion shopaholic, I know this mindset too well.
I remember saying:
“Why would I buy it now when I can wait a few weeks and get it for a third of the price?”

I used to plan around sales, not seasons.
And I wasn’t alone, people know there will always be another sale, so they wait.
Meanwhile, brands keep overproducing, hoping something sticks.

The more they make, the cheaper it becomes, and they’ll always find a way to profit, through discounts or cheaper production.

So who’s to blame — the buyer or the brand?
It’s like the chicken and the egg: who made who?
As long as brands flood the market with endless new pieces, consumers will keep buying without thinking.
And as long as people keep chasing trends, brands will keep overproducing.

It’s a chain — and it needs to break from both ends.

Overproduction vs. Overconsumption

We talk a lot about overproduction, and yes, some brands are starting to take responsibility.
But overconsumption is just as damaging.
One can’t exist without the other.

Real change won’t happen unless both sides understand that no, we don’t need this much.

We don’t need a new outfit for every event.
We have washing machines, we can wash our clothes.
But of course, if a product is poor quality, it won’t survive more than a few washes.

So maybe that’s the next big shift for brands:
Why make more, when we can make better?

 

The True Cost of “Cheap”

If we create better pieces, we won’t need constant sales.
Because let’s be honest, those €9.99 dresses or €4 t-shirts aren’t really cheap.
Someone else pays the price: workers, the planet, and our collective mindset.

Cheap fashion costs more than we think.

The SANCY Way

At SANCY, this is our mindset.
Every time I talk about the brand, someone says:
“Oh, but your pieces are expensive… maybe I’ll wait for a sale.”

No.
Our products don’t go on sale — because they don’t expire.
They’re not overpriced — they’re priced at their true cost.

Each piece is made with love, intention, and in small, limited numbers.
We don’t overproduce.
We don’t waste.
We design consciously, for people who value quality over quantity.

 

A New Mindset

Fashion doesn’t need to move faster.
It needs to move smarter.

Because we don’t need new things every week.
We need a new mindset.

With love,

Angela