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the quality is getting worse/inconsistent
Totally agree. I was wearing my 2012 Winter Jacket last weekend and thinking what a quality piece of kit it is and how well it holds up year after year.
It is probably less that the quality is bad it is more that the garments are just less durable than historically.
motoko-
it's probably true, and probably also a conscious decision in some ways. i have not bought rapha in ages but i am still wearing my classic merino jersey bought in 2013. no tears, no stretch beyond normal, not sure what i can do... also have a winter jersey from 4 or 5 years for cold weather, it looks new.
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It is maybe with all this brands like Rapha, Cafe Du Cycliste, PAS, DeMarchi, etc. the same, that they just buy stuff in various factories at different times with various quality issues. I have to search for the names, some months ago I found 2-3 factories from Italy who probably produce for lots of brands. Still i prefer the Italy tag, even if the China tag could be better quality.
Glws
Madhias
Got mine in 2020 spring. Can't remember if they were made in Italy or in Portugal but somewhere in Europe. Got them to tailors to fix them up but so far haven't heard any updates regarding it - hope they haven't messed it up.
I've heard a similar thing happening (stitching coming off) to an acquaintance of mine just after a week of riding.
The worst thing about Rapha is that even though the quality is getting worse/inconsistent, I still feel like buying it over anything else because it just looks so good. 😩