Brands got worse on purpose

Article

• Many legacy brands (Brooks Brothers, FAO Schwarz, etc.) are zombie shells post-bankruptcy
• Private equity buys brand names cheaply, licenses them, and ships inferior goods
• Site maintains a ledger of degraded brands and brands that still make their own stuff

Discussion

• Multiple commenters share recent burn stories: shirts dissolving in first wash, toys with rough seams
• Private equity cited as root cause; trademark system criticized for surviving brand death
• Costco’s reputation for quality taking hits; r/BuyItForLife and ledger site shared as resources

Discuss on HN