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Affordable doesn’t smell out of the box.
Cheap needs to be aired out.

Affordable isn’t hyper trendy.
Cheap looks out of place in a year… or a season.

Affordable uses proven materials which have been spun, woven and sourced with purpose.
Cheap may look “real” from a distance, but up close it’s just a (poor) facsimile of something else (wool, leather, another brand’s proven performance fabric, etc.)

Affordable holds up with reasonable care.
Cheap breaks easily, and sometimes for seemingly no reason.

Affordable isn’t afraid to set reasonable expectations.
Cheap overpromises and underdelivers.

Affordable naturally flows over your frame (what’s known as “drape”).
Cheap bunches, catches, and looks awkward when worn.

Affordable can be tailored, mended, or recrafted if needed.
Cheap isn’t worth the trouble or the cost to fix/replace worn parts.

Affordable is focused on the product.
Cheap is focused on their brand, social media, and image.

Affordable launders well.
Cheap shrinks like crazy or falls apart in the wash.

Affordable has some sense of originality and pride.
Cheap is often a shameless copy.

Affordable is where you can save some money, but you have to be smart, strategize, and play the sales/promo codes game.
Cheap is either never on sale (no room to cut) or always on huge Big GIGANTIC sale (because it’s artificially marked up so it can be absurdly marked down)

Affordable makes you feel good. Confident. At ease.
Cheap makes you feel… cheap.

In the end, affordable felt like it was a good, fair price…
and oddly enough, cheap was probably too expensive.

P.S.: We’ve all found some cheap gems at some point. So yes there are exceptions, but you get the idea.