So I got to thinking (ah, Carrie Bradshaw), was it the shoddy quality of that Primark smock that caused it to rip apart as I pulled it on? Or was it my expanding head full of complexes about cheap clothing which caused the black garment to split on the crown of my noggin?

With the advent of stores like Primark we can sate our need for fast fashion quicker than we ever could. We can buy Grazia’s "Hot Picks" before the ink's dried on the page. And Primark often gets it right. Key pieces like last year’s silver parka appeared in every fashion hot list from Wonderland to Woman’s Own. It looked too good to slag off. Someone at PHQ clearly has the beadiest of catwalk eyes.

If you look a little deeper than metallic finishing, however, there’s a common thread (groan) with cheapo clothes shops like Primark, Peacocks, Matalan and H&M (yes, even H&M, which prides itself on its "inexpensive and fashionable" ethos"). And here it is: their products don't last. They're usually good for a few outings but more often than not end up in the bin with the orange peel and tea bags.

Does this mean we should we take heed of a wise old sages like Vivienne Westwood – who says spend more, to make it last longer – or just do what the eff we want with our money? Here are the pros and cons of cheap, disposable fashion.

PROS

1. Price. Who in their right mind could begrudge spending 4p on a white T-shirt that’s going to sit under a jumper? Or a pair of pyjamas with cherries on? (Granted, pyjamas don’t usually count as "fashion" unless you’re an American exchange student on the way to Sainsbury’s in the morning.) Without a doubt, the price of disposable clothing is the glint in the magpie’s eye. Everyone can afford to wear something nice, even if it is just the once. And it isn’t class-dictated, either. Whether you’re getting by on hundreds of pennies or hundreds of pounds a week, shops like Primark create a haven for fashion lovers.

2. As I said, these stores are (nearly) as on-the-money as the high-street heavyweights, decanting key high-end trends onto store rails quicker than you can say "No, I don’t want the hangers thanks".

3. The shops look like an atomic bomb has gone off. Piles and piles of clothes litter the floor, the walls and the rails, meaning you can pretend you’re in a jumble sale, picking jumpers up by the collar and shouting “ere, 'ow much for this love?”

CONS

1. Yes, they may be cheap, but they fall apart in a second if you do anything other than walk around like a penguin, arms glued to your sides. Don’t even think about bending down in those leggings, either, unless you are quite partial to, ahem, feeling the wind beneath your wings. Rrrrrriiip.

2. Shops like Primark are creating a sea of insufferable ubiquitous-patterned boringness. What happened to individuality?

3. Think about it: these companies can only afford to peddle their wares at penny-sweet prices because they're making cutbacks elsewhere. A 2006 report into Tesco, Primark and Asda suppliers revealed that Bangladeshi factory workers "work from 12 to 16 hours per day and regularly work 80 hours a week", all for the princely sum of up to £16 a month. And that's one of the better wages. Which is why I don’t buy anything in Primark anymore. That, and the fact that you have to queue for about four days to pay for a G-string.

Blood, Sweat And T-Shirts, a documentary following six young British fashion lovers as they work in a clothing factory in Bangladesh, starts tonight (Tuesday), on BBC Three, at 9pm.