Old Navy

The community's view on Old Navy is deeply split by era: items purchased in the 1990s through mid-2000s are widely praised for outlasting expectations by decades, while products from roughly 2010 onward are frequently criticized for poor and inconsistent quality. A recurring theme is that Old Navy can still be a surprisingly good value when you find the right item — particularly 100% cotton or their PowerSoft line — but the brand is considered far too inconsistent to be reliably BIFL. Proper care (line drying, cold washing) is consistently cited as a multiplier for longevity regardless of the item.

Old Navy can deliver surprising longevity at a low price point — especially leather belts, PowerSoft activewear, and 100% cotton or linen items — but quality is too inconsistent and era-dependent to recommend without caveats; buying used or vintage Old Navy and avoiding synthetic blends significantly improves your odds.

Many users report specific Old Navy items — especially older purchases, leather belts, PowerSoft activewear, and 100% cotton basics — lasting a decade or more with proper care. The brand's price-to-durability ratio is frequently praised when items do hold up.

• Leather belts from late 1990s–2000s frequently lasted 15–30 years
• PowerSoft leggings praised for lasting years under heavy daily use
• 100% cotton and linen items notably more durable than synthetic lines
• Tech chinos and activewear offer strong value for the price
• Down coats and fleece jackets from early 2000s still going strong
• Flip flops and slides surprisingly durable for their extremely low cost

Quality is widely seen as having declined sharply around 2010–2015, with synthetic fabrics replacing cotton, thinner materials, and inconsistent construction becoming common complaints. Even within the same purchase, some items fall apart in weeks while others last years.

• Quality declined sharply after roughly 2010–2015 across most product lines
• Inconsistency within same style, size, and purchase batch is a major issue
• Synthetic and stretch fabrics degrade far faster than older cotton items
• Women's and girls' clothing noted as particularly poor quality
• New items sometimes literally translucent or shrink drastically after one wash
• Poor environmental transparency ratings for supply chain and raw materials

One user described owning Old Navy jeans and other clothing from the 1990s still in regular rotation 25+ years later, but noted that a pair of new shirts tried on recently were so thin they could see right through them — brand new, in-store.

A longtime Old Navy shopper noted that around 2008, their jeans were made of noticeably thick material, but by 2012 the same product had thinned considerably — capturing the brand's quality decline in a concrete, observable way.

Multiple users independently reported Old Navy leather belts purchased in the late 1990s and early 2000s still in daily use 20+ years later, with one commenter noting the belt outlasted around eight other belts bought since.

A user who works in childcare reported that Old Navy PowerSoft leggings outlasted every other pair of athletic or work pants they owned, surviving daily squatting, crawling, cat claws, and repeated high-heat drying.