TikTokers List Red Flags That Show This $35 Target Crochet Sweater Is Horrifyingly Unethical – Bored Panda

Its not the first time Targets fashion department is making headlines. You probably remember how these floral farm dresses from Target got roasted so badly online that there was even a #TargetDressChallenge. This time, however, a cute little crochet sweater is in the spotlight. You may wonder whats wrong with it, and TikTokers have some eye-opening answers.

Somethings fishy about it, TikToker @seatrick said in a viral video adding that everyone whos ever tried to knit or crochet anything is gasping at that price. Turns out, this boho piece will set you back $35. Sounds like a bargain? Well, the low price hides something much more sinister as, apparently, no industrial machines could replicate such a delicate pattern, @seatrick claims.

Meanwhile, another TikToker, @MattRose1312, calculated the amount of time it would take to crochet a sweater like that, and its a clear red flag of human labor. All the arguments stack up and you can see how sinister fast fashion can be.

Image credits: target

Image credits: target

Image credits: target

Image credits: seatrick

Image credits: seatrick

Image credits: seatrick

Image credits: seatrick

Image credits: seatrick

Image credits: seatrick

To find out what experts have to say about Targets infamous crochet sweater and whether its really possible to make one for a retail price of $35, we spoke with Danute Rasimaviciute. Danute is the co-founder of The Knotty Ones, a sustainable knitwear label that celebrates the Baltic craft of knitting and the people behind their clothes. They employ female artisans in rural Lithuania to produce their knits, giving them a living wage, financial independence, and a voice in their households and communities. Danute told us that they use natural materials only and put sustainability at their core.

When asked whether its possible to make a crochet sweater for a retail price of $35, Danute said that the short answer is no. At least not without sacrificing the wellbeing of people making our clothes, she said.

Moreover, The Knotty Ones had a number of their artisans take a look at Targets crochet sweater and they estimate that it would take roughly 24 hours of non-stop crocheting. That is 3 full business days, assuming 8-hour working days, Danute said. There are multiple color yarns used for the cardigan, meaning that there would be a lot of loose yarn endings. All of these need to be nearly tucked and covered which is really time-consuming, she added.

Image credits: seatrick

You also have to take into account the cost of the yarn itself, labels, transport of all raw materials, photoshoots, transport to the stores, not even talking about Targets margin, Danute explained. We estimate that there was roughly 600g of yarn used for this crochet piece. The price for a kilo of cotton yarn could range anywhere from $3.5 to as much as $100/kg for more premium, hand-dyed sustainable yarns.

Danute argues that this definitely begs the question of how the cheapest yarns were produced and what people got paid there. When you do the math, its pretty clear that people who crochet the piece, assuming it was done by hand, made even less than $1 an hour, so literally cents, she told us.

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TikTokers List Red Flags That Show This $35 Target Crochet Sweater Is Horrifyingly Unethical - Bored Panda