The Dark Side of the Summer of Crochet
By Yuka Miyamoto
The ‘70s called — and they’ve claimed summer 2022 as “the summer of crochet.” The DIY-wave brought on by the pandemic was the perfect opportunity for the bored and restless to pick up the hobby, a movement fueled by figures such as Harry Styles, Ella Emhoff, and Tom Daley. Now, the trend has punctured the mainstream market with more brands coming out with playful crochet pieces, perfect for the anticipated coastal heat. However, in a rapidly shortening trend cycle, a major question is the ethicality of fast fashion crochet.
Many consumers are aware that e-commerce brands such as Shein, Fashion Nova and Zaful have questionable ethics. These companies have amassed their fortune and attracted customers through low prices that fail to reflect fair payment for the labor that goes into producing them. When it comes to crochet, these pieces cannot be replicated by machine “because of the free-flowing nature of the crochet technique and the dexterity needed to make crochet lace patterns,” according to a journal article published by the MIT Press. The pieces we see on these sites are all made by hand. Nevertheless, these websites still manage to offer crochet pieces at ridiculously low prices; for Shein, they average around $10 for a top.
In order to maintain such low prices for high-effort and time-consuming production, workers are often severely underpaid under the fast fashion business model. On average, fast fashion garment workers receive 19 cents for every top that costs $31; simply calculating, for a $10 top, workers would receive a mere 6.3 cents. Although the process timeline varies depending on size and complexity, it could take anywhere from an hour to a full day of nonstop crocheting. Mass producing a product as elaborate as this, all the while getting paid per item without a fixed wage, is indicative of the exploitation that runs rampant in these fast fashion companies’ factories.
Another issue is these companies’ penchant for stealing designs from small creators. Last year, Bailey Prado, an independent knitwear designer for her eponymous label, had 45 of her designs stolen by Shein. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “The way @sheinofficial copied my whole life….. ” and pointed out the company’s poor execution of her designs. Though Shein removed most of these items from its website, the garments averaged $20 apiece when they were for sale. “I was shocked and didn’t feel like it was real. I was simply in shock,” Prado told Dazed of the experience. These products are retailing on rip-off e-commerce sites for a tenth of the original designer’s price, resulting in exploitation of talent with little ramifications.
There are rarely any legal consequences for these massive empires built on both the physical labor of critically underpaid workers and the labor of love of independent designers. Factory workers have little means to oppose their employers. As for designers, many are daunted by other small brands’ experiences with high legal fees and overwhelming paperwork that large corporations impose on them. There is little way to prevent these brands from stealing designs, but it is possible to demand accountability. The only course of action is to take to social media in hopes of calling for the rip-offs’ removal from the websites. Social media accounts such as @diet_prada, which now boasts an impressive 3.1 million followers, have undertaken the role of the fashion vigilante, demanding justice on behalf of the defenseless.
While it is enticing to turn to these affordable sites when shopping for trendy pieces, our purchases won’t be without their consequences. Whether it be the workers, the designers or the environment, fast fashion never exists without exploitation. In many cases, the alternative comes at a high expense; however, for this summer’s hottest trend, the route of DIY-ing remains. If there is one thing that should be carried over from the pandemic era, it is the hands-on creativity it inspired.
Many consumers are aware that e-commerce brands such as Shein, Fashion Nova and Zaful have questionable ethics. These companies have amassed their fortune and attracted customers through low prices that fail to reflect fair payment for the labor that goes into producing them. When it comes to crochet, these pieces cannot be replicated by machine “because of the free-flowing nature of the crochet technique and the dexterity needed to make crochet lace patterns,” according to a journal article published by the MIT Press. The pieces we see on these sites are all made by hand. Nevertheless, these websites still manage to offer crochet pieces at ridiculously low prices; for Shein, they average around $10 for a top.
In order to maintain such low prices for high-effort and time-consuming production, workers are often severely underpaid under the fast fashion business model. On average, fast fashion garment workers receive 19 cents for every top that costs $31; simply calculating, for a $10 top, workers would receive a mere 6.3 cents. Although the process timeline varies depending on size and complexity, it could take anywhere from an hour to a full day of nonstop crocheting. Mass producing a product as elaborate as this, all the while getting paid per item without a fixed wage, is indicative of the exploitation that runs rampant in these fast fashion companies’ factories.
Another issue is these companies’ penchant for stealing designs from small creators. Last year, Bailey Prado, an independent knitwear designer for her eponymous label, had 45 of her designs stolen by Shein. In an Instagram post, she wrote, “The way @sheinofficial copied my whole life….. ” and pointed out the company’s poor execution of her designs. Though Shein removed most of these items from its website, the garments averaged $20 apiece when they were for sale. “I was shocked and didn’t feel like it was real. I was simply in shock,” Prado told Dazed of the experience. These products are retailing on rip-off e-commerce sites for a tenth of the original designer’s price, resulting in exploitation of talent with little ramifications.
There are rarely any legal consequences for these massive empires built on both the physical labor of critically underpaid workers and the labor of love of independent designers. Factory workers have little means to oppose their employers. As for designers, many are daunted by other small brands’ experiences with high legal fees and overwhelming paperwork that large corporations impose on them. There is little way to prevent these brands from stealing designs, but it is possible to demand accountability. The only course of action is to take to social media in hopes of calling for the rip-offs’ removal from the websites. Social media accounts such as @diet_prada, which now boasts an impressive 3.1 million followers, have undertaken the role of the fashion vigilante, demanding justice on behalf of the defenseless.
While it is enticing to turn to these affordable sites when shopping for trendy pieces, our purchases won’t be without their consequences. Whether it be the workers, the designers or the environment, fast fashion never exists without exploitation. In many cases, the alternative comes at a high expense; however, for this summer’s hottest trend, the route of DIY-ing remains. If there is one thing that should be carried over from the pandemic era, it is the hands-on creativity it inspired.