///Hello! If you’re new, Anti-Trafficking Tuesday is a weekly post discussing modern slavery, associated social justice issues, and how these interact with modern handmade culture.///
Hello, my friend! Thank you for coming today. Let’s chat a bit, shall we?
I snapped this photo with my iphone while I was at Marshall’s last week looking for bedding. I’ll be honest, this stuff drives me crazy. Crazy! How on earth does a person (probably a woman) crochet a sweater vest in China & it makes it all the way to Michigan, USA where it can still make Marshall’s a profit at $20?? Standard retail markups would put this at $15-$17 profit, leaving $3-$5 for expenses. So, someone designed this pattern, got it into sizes XS-XL, another person crochet it, and other people loaded it onto huge barges that powered their way here with gasoline…all for $5? Or $3??
And I’m supposed to believe this happens without any human trafficking/sweatshop issues? Don’t get me wrong, I know the global economy is seriously skewed & that people can make things in other countries that are sold here at locally inexpensive prices & they are living well in their home country. I know this is possible. What some companies exploit, other companies & fair trade organizations have in their favor.
And the other hand…
As someone who values handmade because I value people, it’s hard for me to see how this works out well for the crocheter in China. If she were selling the sweater herself for $20 it would be a completely different story. But in a retail chain, it’s gone through many, many stages and people.
I must also point out that this is not a Marshall’s issue, but a basic retail issue. With crochet sweaters and all manner of lace being popular right now, you could find this in any store in the mall. This is particularly frustrating at a place like Anthropologie that charges more and ostensively markets to an educated, travel-loving crowd. They sell both regular designer and fair trade goods, yet mislabel their products prodigiously.
The other thing I noticed (because I was specifically looking for sheets) was this set with the “crochet” lace. This did not used to bother me. I thought that crafters kvetching about dumb stores that don’t know the difference between knit and crochet and various machine laces were being rather…uppity. I mean, yeah, I think it’s funny or sometimes annoying, but to expect people who aren’t crafty geeks to know the difference is a bit much.
I’m starting to change my mind. At least when it comes to crochet. As far as I know, there is still no machine that crochets, only people can crochet. I’m beginning to wonder if the garment industry needs some standard labeling laws like the food industry has adopted? It’s annoying in the beginning, but then everyone gets used to it and it’s so helpful over time. I’m not one to want more laws, but it seems like buyers should be aware of the difference between a machine knit sweater and a hand crocheted one. Or even a sewn shirt and a crochet shirt. They just don’t take the same amount of time to make and that time should be valued.
Questions like this have me shopping at thrift/vintage/consignment stores more and more. I don’t think everything in the mall is made by slave labor or in a sweat shop. The problem is, there’s a good chance that some of it has been and I don’t know the difference. It’s the not knowing that keeps me from buying a lot of new.
I was at Marshall’s to get a queen sheet set. A matching set is a hard thing to find vintage. And I do enough mixing and matching around here, I figured I’d at least give the man matching sheets. I’d love to buy these, but they just aren’t in my price range & making my own isn’t in my time budget. Maybe I should…just writing this has annoyed me that I haven’t been able to find a vintage/handmade or affordable option that I like.
One more thing. No, two.
Thank you for listening to me. I know time is short & I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read these longer posts. Really. I’ve seen so many craft blogs I’d never seen before lately that it amazes me anyone at all reads this blog!
Two, sometimes it seems like I’m over thinking things. Like, why can’t I just go out and buy sheets?! But I know the world is rife with labor injustices and I just don’t want to be a part of them. I think it’s the responsibility of those of us who have even a little bit of time to think about these things to be the ones to push for change since the rest of us are just looking to survive.
To whom much is given, much is required, yes?
So, what do you think about these issues? Have you even thought about them before? Do they bother you? Have you noticed similar issues while shopping that I’ve missed? What do you think about an official crochet label? Have these sorts of concerns ever changed your buying habits? And do you know where I should buy my sheets? Ha!
If you know anyone else who’d be interested in this conversation, or have good things to teach me, please pass this post along! I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below!
Related posts:
- Anti-Trafficking Tuesday: Krochet Kids
- Anti-Trafficking Tuesday: CNN’s Slavery-Free Project
- Anti-Trafficking Tuesday: What Does It Really Mean to Buy “Sustainable”?
- Anti-Trafficking Tuesday: Trafficking and Abuse are Always Shocking, But They Need to Stop Being Surprising
- Anti-Trafficking Tuesday: Art Therapy for Human Trafficking Survivors
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
As a *person* that crochets to help support her family, I would LOVE to see special labeling for crochet items. This would, at the least, create an awareness with the average consumer who, as you stated, does not know the difference between knit and crochet, does not know one may or may not be made on a machine, but the other MUST have been made by human hands. (As far as I know, and last time I checked Wikipedia on the differences between knit and crochet, you are correct in that there is no such thing as a crochet machine).
It may seem nit picky, but you are right… we are talking about human welfare, here. Dare I say it is even more important than, say, knowing the difference between “organic” and “natural” labeled foods. Used to be that most Americans did not know or care that there was a difference. Some still don’t care, but at least they know. And that is, of course, a decision each consumer must make for him or her self.
I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE this blog, and especially today’s post. So, thank you! Much love!
Amanda, thank you so much for chiming in. I agree – awareness for source material has risen greatly, but awareness about the conditions of the makers hasn’t kept up. And thanks for the blog love! :)
I agree, Elizabeth. It drives me crazy, too when I go to a store and see a beautiful crocheted sweater on the clearance rack for $20. I know how long it takes to make something like that and someone spent a lot of time and apparently wasn’t paid much to do it. On the one hand, I won’t buy something like this because it supports a corrupt system. On the other hand, the demand for crocheted pieces probably means someone has a job that wouldn’t have otherwise. I guess the best solution is to take the extra effort and buy fair trade items instead.
I think you’re right. Like I keep saying, I don’t think this is necessarily all slave labor, but the we just don’t know. The numbers don’t always add up.
Thanks for this post, Elizabeth. My mom taught me to crochet (and knit, etc.) when I was tiny, so I do know the difference between crochet and other forms of needlework and lacemaking, and I know how time-consuming crochet is. And although I’ve been baffled at how retailers can sell crocheted items so cheaply, I hadn’t allowed myself to give it much thought until reading your post. I will be more mindful from now on.
I also hadn’t given much thought to the inaccurate “crochet” label — I figured it was just labeled by some schmo who didn’t know the difference, but you make an excellent point about the implication of handmade. (I got an ad in my inbox today from Chadwick’s, advertising a “crochet-trimmed T” — which was partially accurate, as it seemed to have a combination of machine-made lace and crochet — but your post made me much more sensitive to the implications of the ad.)
Pam, you’re welcome. I think that’s the key – more and more customers/consumers really Seeing what’s going on, like what’s been happening in the food industry. Taking more responsibility and asking others to do the same is really the only way to make progress for all.
Thanks for that post, it doesn’t happen too often that people talk openly about the issue like that. I also don’t like to buy cheap clothing and things made abroad because I make them myself and I know how long it take to make it. But I do buy as cheap as possible in the second hand market and shops that support charities. This is all very important to me, but also you could point out that we too do not respect our time and talents – there is many many makers of handmade crochet (not only crochet, but I will point this one) that sell what they make for only cost of material so how to show people the value of handmade things? How to show people that crochet takes time when not only on high street we find cheap crochet but also at handmade markets?
Izabela,
Thanks for commenting! And great questions. I don’t have the answers, but I think continuing to discuss the time it takes to make things and pushing for better labor practices for all is key.
Elizabeth, it’s so funny that the first thing you said to me was that you felt like you were reading something you wrote, because at some parts of this post I felt the exact same way. I don’t crochet, so not that part (and I learned a lot – I didn’t realize that a machine can’t crochet and that everything I’ve ever seen that was crocheted is handmade). But the parts about feeling hesitant to shop at the mall and am I overthinking this whole thing? I’ve felt this way for a while. When I used to put together Operation Christmas Child boxes, I never wanted to buy from the Dollar Store because I was afraid I’d end up giving a child something they had made! And then I would think, “That’s just crazy, stop being crazy.”
Have you ever heard of betterworldshopper.com? They investigate companies and then give them a grade (A-F) on overall performance – how good they are to people, the environment, etc. When I have a bad feeling (or a good feeling) about a company, I look them up. It helps keeps me sane. :)
Haha! I’m glad you see what I was seeing about the writing. After I wrote that I thought, “She’s going to think I’m some crazy clingy person.”
And yes! I have done the shoe boxes too and thought similar things!! My thoughts were more along the lines of “So, I’m sending stuff “Made in China” back to Africa/India/ or even China? We buy cheap imports and then send it back to their kids? What?”
I know those boxes do a lot of good. I would still send them. Because I believe in tackling issues in both the small personal ways and the larger, international ways. When you are the kid getting the box, what is a band-aid on an issue that needs surgery is still a big deal to you. I just think it’s the responsibility of any who can to also be working on the larger issues at the same time.
I have not checked out that site, I don’t think, but have looked at Free 2 Work. I was thinking I needed to look at those sites more and put them here on the blog.
Thanks for taking the time to write such a great comment!
I’m seeing your blog for the first time – and can’t believe I’ve found someone with the same concerns. I’m a 72 year old crocheter, and appalled when I see crocheted items from the other side of the world. In my mind I see someone sitting in squalid surroundings with poor light – it could even be a child – with their fingers flying for as many hours as there are of daylight. It tears my heart out! I can’t believe the insensitivity of those making profit from such sadness. Humans treating other humans as less than – I was going to say animals, but animals have as much worth as humans, so that’s the wrong word. I guess I could say “dirt!” Please continue your quest to make the world aware of this horrible situation, one of the thousands that touch every area of our lives anymore. God bless you!! And thank you!
Ruth,
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you share the same concerns. Thank you tremendously for the encouragement.
I totally agree with you, I was just browsing for some fresh ideas and came across this nice site! Congratulations! I’m proud of your opinion!
Drikka.
Thanks for stopping by Drikka! Your own crochet work is amazing!