A new sweater from Target is causing uproar and sparking debate on whether or not it was ethically made.
The item is the “Women’s Crochet Crafted Cardigan” from the store’s Wild Fable brand. The sweater is detailed with floral designs on the front and sleeves. It is also affordably priced at only $35.
However, TikTok creator @seatrick is calling out Target for the sweater, saying there is no way it was produced ethically if it’s being sold for that price.
@seatrick Thank you @mattrose1312 ♬ original sound – SeaTrick
The video, which has nearly 80,000 views, points out that crocheted garments typically have to be made by hand. There are apparently no machines that can easily replicate a crochet pattern.
Another user, @MattRose1312, mapped out the amount of time it would take a skilled crocheter to make this sweater and deduced that it would take over 17 hours.
“To get it at that $35, they would have to be paying $1.40 per hour,” @seatrick points out. “I’m going to take that a step further because that is the final sale price. That number is actually much lower because they aren’t just paying for labor and materials.”
People in the comment section of the video are not happy with fast fashion processes.
“The US has never developed an economy that doesn’t rely on a copious amount of slavery and exploitation,” one user wrote.
“This goes for pretty much all the clothing at target,” another person adds.
Some complained that low prices from fast fashion retailers hurt independent crocheters and artisans that wish to be paid fairly for their labor.
“hence why no one wants to me for anything I crochet because they gasp at the price I’ll charge them. they always say..I’ll go somewhere else,” one person wrote.
To which @seatrick replied, “Yep [grimace emoji] Low cost items like this hurt the entire market that way.”
TikTok user @seatrick mentions that the cardigan’s description does not specify if it was made by hand, but commenters who claim to have seen it in stores say the tag indicates the sweater is handmade.
In another video about the same sweater, a woman (@erstell.knots) points out that a Target staff support member confirmed the garment is handmade in the “Q&A” section about the sweater. The answer is listed under the item’s page on the Target website. Her video has reached over 36,000 views.
@erstell.knots #greenscreenvideo @target admits that these are hand crocheted and can’t be made on machine. #crochet #target #handmade #fiberart #fastfashionsucks ♬ original sound – April – Crochet Designer
While some are mad that Target is underpaying workers, others think the company might be lying about the sweaters being handmade.
“There are industrial machines by a company called Comez that can replicate crochet stitches. Looking at these, I don’t think they are hand made,” @GoFrogYourself speculated under @erstell.knots video.
The Daily Dot reached out to @seatrick via Instagram message and @erstell.knots on Instagram for comment. We’ve also sent an email to Target.
Source: https://www.dailydot.com/irl/target-crochet-cardigan-debate-tiktok/