Bored Panda works better on our iPhone app
Continue in app Continue in browser

BoredPanda Add post form topAdd Post
Tooltip close

The Bored Panda iOS app is live! Fight boredom with iPhones and iPads here.

TikTokers List Red Flags That Show This $35 Target Crochet Sweater Is Horrifyingly Unethical
5.5K

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

TikTokers List Red Flags That Show This $35 Target Crochet Sweater Is Horrifyingly Unethical TikToker Talks About The New Target Crochet Sweaters And Why They Are So Cheap‘There Is No Humanly Wage That Can Cover The Price Of This’: Person Calls Out Target For Their New Sweater That Looks Handmade But Costs Very LittlePeople Left Gasping At Low Price Of Target's Crochet Cardigan, TikTokers Reveal The Dark Side Of Fast FashionTikToker Talks About The New Target Crochet Sweaters And Why They Might Be UnethicalTikToker Talks About The Cost Of The New Target Crochet Sweaters And Why They're So CheapPerson Is Shocked To See This Crochet Sweater Costs So Little In Target, Calls Out Corporation For Exploiting Workers
ADVERTISEMENT

It’s not the first time Target’s 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 what’s wrong with it, and TikTokers have some eye-opening answers.

“Something’s fishy about it,” TikToker @seatrick said in a viral video adding that “everyone who’s 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 it’s 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

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: target

To find out what experts have to say about Target’s infamous crochet sweater and whether it’s 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 it’s 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.

According to Tiktoker @seatrick, there are multiple reasons why this price tag for a crochet piece like this is impossible

Image credits: seatrick

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: seatrick

Image credits: seatrick

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: seatrick

Moreover, The Knotty Ones had a number of their artisans take a look at Target’s 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.

“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 Target’s 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.”

ADVERTISEMENT

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, it’s 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.

Another  TikToker @Mattrose1312 calculated how long it would take to hand crochet a sweater like Target’s

Image credits: seatrick

Image credits: seatrick

When asked whether it’s possible to make such a crochet sweater with an industrial machine, Danute from The Knotty Ones told us that without carefully inspecting the product, they cannot be 100% sure: “our production team, our partner factories and our artisans themselves are not familiar with a knitting or a crochet machine currently available on that market that could create these patterns.”

Danute continued that if The Knotty Ones had to take an educated guess, “we would say that it’s most likely crocheted by hand. Even if some parts like cardigan cuffs could be made using a knitting machine, you have to remember that there are still real people sewing all the pieces together.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Then, @Mattrose1312 figured out the wage that Target would pay for a person to make it and the results were shocking

Here is the full video that @Mattrose1312 shared on TikTok

@mattrose1312 #greenscreen Also that 25min? Ive been crocheting for almost 5 years now. I have speed on my side. #target #DIYwithBlock #DuetDoWet #28DaysOfEucerin #crochet #knitting #fyp @target ♬ original sound – Matt Rose

Meanwhile, @seatrick continued to break down the problematic aspects of the crochet sweater that didn’t just end there

ADVERTISEMENT

Image credits: seatrick

Danute warns that with so many fast fashion options on the market, it’s easy to get a wrong sense of what certain items should cost. “If Target or any other fast fashion retailer is selling a piece of clothing for $35, it sets the bar for the market. Why would you buy something for $200 when you could pay $35 for a similar item, right?”

It’s no secret that not many of us ask ourselves ‘at whose expense?’ we’re buying such a cheap piece. “The reality is that it often comes at the expense of garment workers, the most vulnerable people in the supply chain,” she added.

Here is the full video from @seatrick that calls out Target for selling the sweater

@seatrick Thank you @mattrose1312 ♬ original sound – SeaTrick

The author later added some more details to it

@seatrick Reply to @seatrick ♬ original sound – SeaTrick

Yet another person pointed out that shockingly, Target admitted the sweater is hand-crocheted

@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

“I always say that we vote with our wallets. i.e. each time we consume a product or service, we support certain values and encourage certain behaviors,” Danute explained and concluded that everyone should try and “buy quality pieces that will last for many years, if not decades.”

People had a lot to say about this whole issue as they shared their thoughts in the comments

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on Facebook
Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Writer, Community member

Read more »

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Read less »
Liucija Adomaite

Liucija Adomaite

Writer, Community member

Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

Justinas Keturka

Justinas Keturka

Author, BoredPanda staff

Read more »

I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

Read less »

Justinas Keturka

Justinas Keturka

Author, BoredPanda staff

I'm the Visual Editor at Bored Panda, responsible for ensuring that everything our audience sees is top-notch and well-researched. What I love most about my job? Discovering new things about the world and immersing myself in exceptional photography and art.

What do you think ?
Add photo comments
POST
CatWoman312
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s why when your aunt or grandma gives you a crocheted baby blanket for your newborn you value the heck out of it. She may have only spent $10 on materials, but she spent hours making it.

Hanni
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All empires are raised and maintained on slave labor. Modern times are not the exception. They should teach this in schools.

Michael Fuhry
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But that might hurt the pwecious tender feewings of many of my fellow 'Merkins. Heavens to Betsy, we can't have that. Racists and neo-Nazis would be dying of the vapors here.

Load More Replies...
Alethia Nyx
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The irony that the people who make these "cheap" jumpers could never afford to buy them on the wage they would be being paid to make them.

Load More Comments
CatWoman312
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That’s why when your aunt or grandma gives you a crocheted baby blanket for your newborn you value the heck out of it. She may have only spent $10 on materials, but she spent hours making it.

Hanni
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

All empires are raised and maintained on slave labor. Modern times are not the exception. They should teach this in schools.

Michael Fuhry
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But that might hurt the pwecious tender feewings of many of my fellow 'Merkins. Heavens to Betsy, we can't have that. Racists and neo-Nazis would be dying of the vapors here.

Load More Replies...
Alethia Nyx
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The irony that the people who make these "cheap" jumpers could never afford to buy them on the wage they would be being paid to make them.

Load More Comments
Related on Bored Panda
Related on Bored Panda
Trending on Bored Panda
Also on Bored Panda