I'm the author of this post, Olof. There are many brilliant points and questions in these discussions. Since I would love to understand different views, experiences and questions, I'll promise to answer any and all questions you might have.
So if of interest, ask me anything! :)
I'm in Helsinki (GMT +2), so sorry about the latency that might cause.
Author here. I might very well be the outlier :) These remarks help break my bubble and put things in a broader perspective. For context, I'm a 41-year-old father of two, living and working in central Helsinki, Finland.
Working in Canada one summer, I recall people often asking why I had some many shoes :)
As to the rather large amount of clothes, some items are at my summer house (most Finns have a summer house to go hide in). This inflates total inventory.
Author here. Granted, absolutely. I think you have a great point. I understand this might seem downright neurotic. While I really am into numbers, or rather, finding out how things really work, to me, this has been more about learning R properly and doing so in a context of both novelty and perhaps some degree of relevance. In a way it has been my tinkering hobby to take my thoughts off the wicked problems I deal with at work.
But you're absolutely right that this has taken some accumulated amount of effort to build. If I had done this as a consulting project, it would have cost something like two decades worth of clothes. So as a total investment, hardly worth the while. But I would to think that perhaps something good comes out of this way of looking at it.
Now I'm in a way done and find that I look for the next thing to fill that new void in my mental real estate.
Author here. These are some great points. One reason my underwear shirts don't last as long is that I sweat quite a lot. I typically have to divest these shirts not due to wear, but due to them not looking nor feeling fresh anymore. This has led me to seek out the shirts that maximize use considering this. These are shirts that can take a hot washing and that withstand my kind of wear better.
I should clearly try out those Mack Weldon shirts.
I actually also keep wearing many of the clothes until they are really worn out. The exception is work clothes, mainly button down shirts. In this context, I consider something divested when I no longer can wear it in its original intended context (e.g. work). I might continue use at my summer home or digging in the garden. And likewise, eventually if not donated they also end up in a rag pile for cleaning, or into the cotton recycling that fashion stores have to provide.
Author here. I don't know in comparison to others, but I feel I really do sweat quite a bit. I guess this might cause significantly more wear than what might be considered normal. This is one reason I have had to find high quality fabrics so that they can take the constant washing and stay looking and feeling fresh. This is especially the case with underwear shirts, where I through trial and error have found the really good ones.
Author here. These effects, logic and estimate were nearly exactly my hunch before I started collecting data. I though they should last at least to 50. I has rather surprised to find I had overestimated use quite a bit.
And yes, mine would have been "wearable" too, only not at work anymore. I did keep wearing some of them in a rather casual way at my summer house for a while. But in that use, I considered them divested.
Author here. That is a great point. My own case is such that I wash each shirt (button down shirt) and underwear shirt after every use. I have to. I guess my fast metabolism contributes. I tumble dry the underwear shirts but not the shirts.
Washing certainly takes its toll. In my case, wear shows both "technically", as the fabric and details weakening, but also as a general decline in freshness. And i don't mean fresh-as-new, but rather pure whites turning yellowish. They become unfit for my work context. Some of this wear is from washing, some is from deterioration during long days at work.
I also was my socks after each use. Here it would seem washing really is the main source of wear as it is very evenly spread.
Author here. This is such a great discussion! I might have been unclear with what I consider what. In my categorization, shirts are button down shirts. https://hoverfalt.github.io/shirts.html They are part of my "uniform" if you like as a consultant. They tend to last 38-43 times. Then they start looking a little too worn for work.
Shirts with print, for me, would fall under T-shirts and tanks. The few ones I have, definitely wear faster.
My underwear shirts are the ones that tend to last 20-25 times. After that, they are no longer fresh. And I don't mean fresh as new, but rather unfresh to the extent of not being ok through a long day at work.
So if of interest, ask me anything! :)
I'm in Helsinki (GMT +2), so sorry about the latency that might cause.