Does Taylor Swift's 'Cardigan' Merch Actually Suck? Here's What Fans Thought

On social media, the question now ripples: does Taylor Swift's 'cardigan' merch actually suck? When content creator Mallory Brooks—better known online as @plzdontbuythat—pulled back the curtain on Taylor's merch line, the backlash was swift. Millions of Swifties watched as she dissected every flaw in the beloved (and expensive) sweater series.

Brooks is a parallel designer, making her qualified to conduct the review, and apparently, Swifties have given her their blessing to do so.

Swift has a total of eight cardigan merch, which is retailed from £38.80 ($49.00) to £59.40 ($75.00).

The most affordable is the first one, which is the 'Folklore' cardigan, the most expensive is the 'Fearless', and the newest one, which is for her new album, 'The Life of a Showgirl', is priced at £55.30 ($70.00). Basically, almost all of her album has a cardigan except for 'Evermore'.

Based on the data release and analyzed by Kyla, but much better known as @midnightrainswift on TikTok, the icon's official cardigans have increased by 43% in price since Folklore in 2020.

The Material and Quality

For the material of Swift's merchandise, based on Brooks' video, the fabrics used are synthetic. Bravado uses acrylic, polyester, nylon, and polybutylene terephthalate or PBT.

This whole cardigan saga obviously started with Folklore, and that version was made of 50% acrylic and 50% polyester. But in later drops, the fabric blend changed — it's now 50% acrylic, 28% nylon, and 22% PBT. This is apparently an improvement, since nylon is more durable than polyester, it mimics the feel of natural fibers, and the addition of PBT enhances elasticity.

However, this 'upgrade', according to Brooks, still has a terrible quality, and these are not great fibers, especially for the environment.

As we know, synthetic fibers are made out of plastic, meaning they're non-biodegradable and producing them emits greenhouse gases, but the thing is, it's way cheaper than natural fabrics, which is probably why Bravado goes with this material.

With this in mind, we can't expect the best quality, and some fans do agree. Hardcore Swifties who collect these cardigans say they find them 'itchy', and the sizing is inconsistent, even though they ordered the same size in every drop.

On her video, TikTok user @therealshadykady said that it wasn't the material she's hoping for 'The Life of a Showgirl' cardigan.

Meanwhile, Comments on Brooks' video said 'The speak now cardigan was truly the most heinous, poorly made piece of clothing I have ever seen/purchased. I am generally particular about clothing, so idk why I bought it, but it was EVEN WORSE than I expected. Like, egregiously bad. I will never buy any merch from her again.'

One even questioned Swift, saying, 'Yes, we Swifties accept this message ☺️now I am wondering why she allows her name to be printed on garbage materials. She is a billionaire, I want better 😫.'

Other Swifties are even suggesting that the cardigan should be made from cotton or wool, confident that fans would still buy it even if it came with a higher price tag.

Considering these experiences, obviously, quality is not the top priority, and maybe Swift is not caring as much as she should, since she does have a lot on her plate.

But some Swifties did enjoy these cardigans, claiming it's not itchy at all.

Taylor Swift in 'The Life of a Showgirl' Cardigan

While all of this buzz is happening, the global icon was seen rocking the sparkly orange cardigan for 'The Life of a Showgirl' tracklist. Unboxing videos confirm it arrives in a glittery orange gift box that matches the garment's theatrical aesthetic.