Why Pay for Quality?

Years ago, while I was surfing on St. Lawrence River, I wondered whether I should pay such a high price for a piece of equipment (I no longer remember which one). At the time, the founder of KSF, Hugo Lavictoire, told me a line his father often repeated to him when he was younger: “We’re too poor to buy cheap.” That line comes back to me constantly whenever it’s time to make a purchase. And it’s worth thinking about as the “deals” of Black Friday, Cyber Monday and the holiday sales approach.

With the growing popularity of fast fashion, the culture of quality is sadly fading. All too often, an exceptional product is seen as an expense rather than an investment. At Gentologie, we go against that trend by putting beauty and fine craftsmanship back at the heart of your everyday life. You can trust our recommendations: they are selected to meet your highest standards.

You should know that price doesn’t necessarily reflect quality. Admittedly, many quality items will cost more up front, but that isn’t true of everything, especially if you buy secondhand, whether it’s a blazer, a pair of shoes or even a car. As I told you at the outset, a high price doesn’t guarantee quality, but for certain things, particularly handmade artisanal products, you have to be willing to pay the fair price of the know-how. Pay attention to the details, the construction, the different fabrics or leathers used and the stitching, and the price makes sense.

When it comes to clothing, we also need to be mindful of what we buy. A pair of socks for a dollar, a T-shirt for ten dollars: how much are the people who made them are paid, and what are their working conditions? It’s not only about style; our values are also reflected in our clothes. If some people think it’s a big deal to see you in the same outfit twice in your social media photos, we have a problem. It simply means you buy quality clothing that won’t end up in the trash after being worn only once.

I’m fully aware that we’re in a difficult economic period, and I’m far from suggesting that you invest in a $5,000 pair of shoes if you can’t afford them. The shop Vadrouille (in France and online), for example, sells refurbished, second-hand high-end shoes at a fraction of the price. The price may give you pause, but their durability changes everything: well maintained, they last for years and spare you from endlessly replacing lower-quality models.

This isn’t just true of shoes; it applies to food as well. Low-priced food products often hide a downgrade in quality: the use of cheaper, lower-quality ingredients. Some countries of origin, for example, make massive use of chemical fertilizers that are harmful to your health and to the health of the people you cook for, unlike Europe, where agricultural standards are very strict. To consume better, also know that many farmers work in a completely organic way without paying for the official certification, which is very expensive.

Speaking of organic products, Daniel Vézina told me that, since visiting a banana field, he now only eats organic bananas because their peel absorbs the fertilizers I mentioned earlier. Be vigilant in your purchases, visit the markets, talk to the producers and ask them how they work.

Also, grocery flyer influencers very often present the week’s discounts based on price alone, not on the quality of the product. But what’s hiding behind a discounted product? Is it a lower-quality item? My advice: skip ultra-processed foods and fast food, and cook your meals with good basic ingredients.

The same is true of wine. Lower-quality wines often come from mass industrial production, meaning quantity rather than quality. They are frequently made from low-cost grapes pushed to high yields, then heavily corrected in the cellar with additives and corrective techniques. Grapes sometimes come from very productive vines (young vines or over-fertilized plots) and have little aromatic concentration, a lack of ripeness or unbalanced skins, and several grape varieties from several countries are blended together. A very small amount of ultra-pigmented grape juice concentrate is also sometimes added to darken the colour, give body and mask hollow aromas, not to mention sugar added during fermentation to artificially raise the alcohol level when the grapes aren’t ripe enough. It’s often said that the Quebec palate is very sweet, and these wines easily find buyers. So if a wine is among the best-sellers and its price is very low (this isn’t always the case), ask yourself some questions: look closely at its composition, its origin, its alcohol percentage and its colour.

In short, I know that on a first read this text may seem preachy, but if, collectively, we spoke with our wallets, whatever their size, in the choices we make, perhaps society would grow tired of poor-quality products and drive them off the shelves.