most clothes are made in sweatshops, whether they are cheap or not. in expensive stores, it just means the designer gets to make even more money. as long as we arent being wasteful about it, buying essentials at these stores isnt going to make much of a difference. the only way to avoid polluting the environment and giving workers fair prices is to buy at either thrift stores, or look for organic fair-trade products. this works out well until you need a bra or a basic pair of jeans. i just try to buy fair-trade or thrift whenever i can, but if they dont have something it forces me into a more conventional store.