Why thousands of men are complaining about clothes shopping in Sydney right now: ‘It makes me want to cry’

An Australian man has vented his frustration after being unable to find ‘simple’ men’s winter clothing in Sydney – and he’s not alone.

The shopper argued that there are hardly any decent options at cheaper stores, especially when looking for simple non-branded designs. 

He claimed Sydney is the worst place he’s browsed, saying all of the affordable retailers stock plenty of short sleeved options but very few long sleeved, well tailored pieces.

Popular stores like Zara and Myer were also out of the question for him as he wasn’t prepared to spend upwards of $60 on one basic buy.

‘I just want a plain long sleeve shirt that doesn’t have ridiculous text or branding on it,’ he ranted on Reddit.

‘There is unfortunately no ‘middle-ground’ high street clothing stores like Next or Marks and Spencer in the UK that offer decent clothing at average prices.

‘Basically [all I want] is the IKEA of standard clothing without brand labels or too out-there designs.’

Many said they were struggling with the same problem and put the issue down to high rent and the cost of living. 

‘Horrid perfect storm of 1) tiny population 2) high rent costs 3) high wages 4) isolated from other ‘fashion’ hubs such as Europe and North America,’ one wrote.

‘Because of decades of being exposed to this, men perpetually never learn to be adventurous when dressing. Every guy is a RM boots, Uniqlo carbon copy. Which further makes it’s harder for new brands to make any real foothold.’

‘Men’s clothing does indeed need more variety. Connor, YD and Tarocash are okay for business and going-out wear but not so much for comfy or even casual looks,’ another added.

‘City Surf used to be ok but now it’s hard to find a variety of T-shirts pants or shorts that aren’t all the same every year. Myer is a rip.’

Many said Uniqlo was the ‘only place’ they’d found success – even if it meant they dressed the same as their mates the majority of the time 

Others said in addition to the ‘dream Op shopping’ in cities like Melbourne and Brisbane, Uniqlo was the ‘only place’ in Sydney they’d found success – even if it meant they dressed the same as their mates the majority of the time.

Another recommended trying Australian brand As Colour, before options like Cotton On, TK Maxx, Uturn Outlet and H&M were thrown in.

Others ranted about the ‘pitiful’ state of men’s fashion in general in Australia. 

‘The styles are so boring… all grey, blue, white and black with no pattern, stripes or squares… Such depressing clothes, makes me wanna cry,’ one wrote. 

Even brands with deeper pockets are struggling to survive with a large number of well known Australian labels recently falling into administration amidst the country’s cost of living crisis.