I buy a lot of clothes from charity shops with a focus on a list of brands I’ve vetted for specific lines of products. But anything I buy as a general rule can’t come from certain countries with ethical and quality violations (China, Vietnam, Singapore)

Start small and build up a list of brands that you can trust that are in your price range. Buying clothes that last isn’t cheap and costs significantly more to manufacture in a country like England, Italy, Japan, the US, etc.

Another point I look at is materials, looking for certain wools, silks, cashmeres, sea island cottons. Wool indicates more durability but looking at where the wool is supplied and what mills it comes from matters a great deal. Italian milled wool or Scottish will generally last far longer than a China milled wool that’s been shipped to Italy and then woven into a sweater or coat there. So you really have to look into a companies supply chain and find out where the textiles are being sourced.

Buttons are a big indicator for me as well. I find generally cheap companies skimp on buttons and use plastics, a company that is making a quality garment is going to be using horn, buffalo leather, shell, MOP. This is by far the quickest way to weed out a bad garment.