Some brands just leave a bad taste in your mouth. This could be for a number of reasons: sometimes the company has questionable ethics; sometimes they become over saturated in the marketplace; sometimes they just produce crap clothes.

As with all my lists, this is not definitive, and I’m not saying that these brands don’t produce the odd quality garment now and then. But when they do it’s almost as if by some bizarre fluke – like when you buy a player pack on FIFA and inexplicably get a Messi amongst all the Tom Cleverleys.

Superdry

From my previous posts it may appear that I’ve got some personal vendetta against Superdry. I actually respect the guy who created the brand. He saw that there was a gap in the market for garish clothing with meaningless Japanese text inexplicably placed all over the clothing in big, bold font. Personally, I wouldn’t even use one of their shirts to clean the oil off my bike – but that’s just me.

Abercrombie & Fitch

This was once the Promised Land. You’d see the adverts featuring impossibly sculptured bodies wearing next to nothing and think ‘I want to be in their club. These clothes are my ticket in’. Then, as you got a bit older and wiser, you realise that: A) those rolls of fat are a permanent feature, and B) Just because an apple has nice skin, it doesn’t mean it isn’t bruised and rotten to the core. The recently ousted CEO of this company was a complete tool, the hiring policy wretched, and that massive logo they’re trying to shrink is actually pretty ugly. Steer clear.

Lyle and Scott

This is an example of where a decent brand has been hijacked. I used to like Lyle and Scott. With a long history producing mainly clothes for golfers, their jumpers and polos were made from quality fabrics and fit well. They were a bit niche, and you were happy to have the golden eagle logo on your chest. Then, slowly, they started to appear on the high street more and more… and more. When tracksuit wearing job dodgers start wearing it as a Friday night ‘going out’ shirt in town, you know it’s time to jump ship. Yes, I’m a snob.

Ugg

Believe it or not, they actually make men’s clothing too. Ugg is a mid-noughties trend that has, thankfully, gone away. Now they’re like that former X-Factor winner playing at your local civic hall: you vaguely remember them being popular, but they’re now completely irrelevant.

Crocs

Just… no.

G-Star raw

Maybe it’s because I’m not suitably ‘urban’ enough, or not too clued up on what the latest jeans trends are… but I just don’t get this brand. The jeans are always too distressed, have holes in them (purposefully), or are too tight in the wrong places. I’m getting too old for this jeans shiiiiiiiiiiiiit.

George/F&F/any other supermarket clothing brand

If you’re buying a dress shirt at the same time as you’re buying bog roll, you’re clearly not putting enough thought into your sartorial decisions.

Are there any brands you avoid?