Russians will face a problem when buying autumn raincoats and down jackets

Finding good quality clothes at reasonable prices is becoming increasingly difficult.

A year ago, in the assortment of foreign stores – with the exception of those that declaratively closed their doors “one day” – one could still find impressive stocks of items from old collections that were in a hurry to sell at attractive prices. Of course, as in any sale, the choice of sizes was often reduced to extremes like XXS or XXL, but at least someone had the opportunity to buy new clothes in reserve. Now, after a year and a half of existence in the sanctions regime, one can no longer rely on old stocks – only on what appeared in stores during this time. Meanwhile, everyone wants to update their wardrobe by autumn.

A common misconception: they say that some elite brands have left Russia, the absence of which none of the “ordinary people” will notice – only, perhaps, well-fed majors will be upset … Not at all. Everything is exactly the opposite. The brands that left Russia – well, we are not talking about Chanel – were taken by mass character, thanks to which they could provide reasonable prices for things of decent quality. That is why on the shelves you could find sweaters made of 100% wool for 3-4 thousand rubles, high-quality cotton shirts for 1500 or, say, universal demi-season down jackets for 6999 rubles.

It is for these things that demand traditionally grows in early September – according to sales assistants of large stores, in early autumn, buyers come primarily for woolen pullovers and turtlenecks, raincoats and trench coats, jackets and cardigans. Those who think ahead are also interested in demi-season and winter down jackets and coats. With the latter, after the departure of the inexpensive Uniqlo, beloved by many Russians, the most problems arise.

As marketing specialist Snezhana Gurova explained in an interview with an MK correspondent, most Russian clothing brands still use any foreign elements in their production – materials, accessories or technologies to create “smart” clothes. This is completely natural (practically no country can exist in a “vacuum”), but this does not reflect well on the cost of finished things.

– Recently, we discussed with colleagues: one of the Russian brands, for example, sews unique insulated coats. They have their own technology, which is not inferior to modern Japanese or Korean. Here are just the prices for such coats at the beginning of the season – at least 30-35 thousand rubles. Then, at the sales of last year’s collections, you can buy cheaper, but most people choose a coat in September. This price may be justified, but not everyone is ready to spend 35 thousand on a coat, Gurova believes. – As for down jackets, they are even more dependent on modern technology. If this were not the case, then outwardly identical down jackets, natural Finnish and synthetic Chinese, would not cost fundamentally different money.

Russian brands that exist today on the principle of import substitution are really trying to compensate Russians for the assortment of things that they have lost. Some literally follow in the footsteps of their departed counterparts – and build their range in their image and likeness. Shops with basic clothing are very popular today – for example, the brand develops patterns for 2-3 models of skirts, trousers and jackets, complements them with knitwear and sews in several colors. This is convenient from the point of view of combinatoriality, but does not solve the price problem in any way. For example, a Russian-made autumn raincoat today will cost at least 12-15 thousand rubles, and a demi-season coat – at least 15-20 thousand, and even then rather synthetic, acrylic, provided that it does not have a very high content of wool. For a warm woolen or cashmere coat, you will have to pay about 30-40 thousand. Prices for Russian-made woolen sweaters – also a necessary thing in autumn – almost never fall below 5-6 thousand rubles, but for a cashmere jumper you will have to pay at least 10 thousand rubles.

At the same time, the services of buyers who are ready to bring clothes from departed brands from Kazakhstan or Turkey are still popular. They usually work in social networks: you just need to make an advance payment and convey the exact wishes for the article of the thing in the conditional “Dawn”. Therefore, those who are used to imported things still have the opportunity to get them.