As Swifties call out a decline in quality, an apparel designer explains why Taylor Swift’s merch has become so “underwhelming”

Fans question the quality and design of Taylor Swift‘s merch, including the viral cardigans. An apparel designer breaks down why fans should think twice before purchasing one.

Swifties complain about the quality of cardigans

In a TikTok video posted by Swift fan @itslovelytobelovedbyyou, a woman showcases several of the singer’s cardigans. Swift typically releases a cardigan as part of her merch line for each album, which are highly sought after by fans.

Unfortunately, the fan says the new The Life of a Showgirl cardigan is a disappointment.

The caption reads, “The life of a showgirl cardigan was supposed to be creamy with orange and green accents.” She continues, writing that she notices Swift’s merch designs becoming more “plain.”

However, the wash instructions for the cardigan seem to concern her the most. “Not to mention the fact that the washing part would be a tremendous amount of work to maintain the integrity of the cardigan,” she writes in the caption.

It’s unclear what the TikToker expected, but the cardigan is made of 40% acrylic, 28% polyester, and 27% polyamide. Instructions say to hand-wash separately from other garments.

So, why is Taylor Swift merch underwhelming?

In another TikTok, apparel designer @plzdontbuythat critiques the quality of Swift’s merch, validating fans’ hesitations.

She notes Bravado, which her label Universal owns, makes all of Swift’s merchandise. While Swift likely gets to sign off on the merchandise before it goes on sale, the designer says the singer may not take much time to review the quality.

“It’s probably one of the worst blends of fibers you can have on a sweater,” she says, pointing to the plastic fibers like acrylic and polyester used in the cardigans. “They could’ve used natural fibers.”

@plzdontbuythat SWIFTIES, YOU DESERVE BETTER. YOU GOTTA GET TOGETHER AND DEMAND MORE. 🤍 Shoutout to @Kayla | Taylor Swift Data for this wonderful cardigan visual ✨ #fyp #taylorswift #plzdontbuythat ♬ original sound – plzdontbuythat

She claims that the fibers are nonrenewable and will “shed microplastics forever.”

Since the release of the first Folklore cardigan, priced at $49, she notes that subsequent cardigans have increased in price but decreased in quality. The cardigans all feature different synthetic fiber blends and sizing, which may add to fans’ dissatisfaction.

“Quality control is clearly not at the top of the list of priorities with the insane variety of shapes and sizes that you see from each drop,” she notes. The designer suspects that the $70 cardigans only cost $10 to $16 to produce.

What do Swifties think of the merch quality?

In the TikTok comments, viewers agree with the apparel designer’s assessment of the merchandise’s quality.

“The speak now cardigan was truly the most heinous, poorly made piece of clothing I have ever seen/purchased. I am generally particular about clothing, so idk why I bought it, but it was EVEN WORSE than I expected. Like, egregiously bad. I will never buy any merch from her again,” one writes.

“I have found my people. Her merch is atrocious. I’m a huge Swiftie, but I’m also careful with overconsumption. I’d love a cotton cardigan without any overt branding or embellishments, though,” another says.

“The quality of my TTPD cardigan is god awful. I stopped buying merch because of it,” a third adds.

Meanwhile, TikTok account Supply Chain Gals chimed in with their own video of a merch mishap.

They captioned the video, “There is a serious issue with Taylor Swift’s current merch vendors. As Swifties have been pointing out, the quality has gone downhill in Taylor’s beloved cardigans. They RIP and snag so easily.”

Despite the TikTok pile-on, there are plenty of fans who happily and obsessively collect Taylor Swift merch, specifically the cardigan collection, all over the internet. A quick search through YouTube shows many dedicated Swifties sharing their collection.

So, if an artist’s merch quality is underwhelming, but it’s the only option, do you treasure it regardless? The Swifties stay divided.