Yeah...Sigh. I’m taking this one step further and I’ve suspended most of my yarn purchases, because it’s an issue at those box stores too. I’m supporting smaller businesses, going to the creative reuse more and planning my projects to wear as long as I can fit in them.
It does, pretty much everything on the shelves at the box stores is acrylic or some other kind of acrylic blend or mercerized cotton. It's great for getting started and if you depend on the laundromat and need that guarantee that your clothes won't warp, but I do worry about the effects of micro-plastics.
Also, a lot of those big yarn brands politics are not great. Obviously Hobby Lobby is terrible, but the other two box stores aren't that much better. They are very performative with their outreach, and in some cases, don't stock materials and patterns from marginalized crafters consistently across their stores. They also won't locate in poor neighborhoods, despite being a key way some of of us make income.
People throw away 81 pounds of clothing per year? What? What are they wearing? Where is the money coming from, for these constant shoppers? I have lost a lot of weight this year, and I resisted buying new (thrifted) jeans until I literally could not stand up without the ones I already owned falling off, because...money. My husband and I both need new work clothes - particular professional garments that are only made by a few companies. The bare minimum we will be able to purchase them for is $50/shirt, and his will be more like $70 each, when all is said and done. I keep putting off the purchases, because who has that kind of money?
The scary thing is 81 pounds is the average! Folks like you and I are pulling down that average, but that also means there are people throwing away 200 pounds.
As for the cost, many of these fast fashion brands are popular specifically because they are so cheap. I just took a quick look at men's clothes on H&M's website, and they had shirts for $12 and pants for around $20 for sale prices. They price clothes so they can be impulse buys, like splurging for a quick meal or a fancy latte. It causes young people especially to churn through their wardrobes very quickly with trends- often wearing items only once or twice before discarding.
Yeah...Sigh. I’m taking this one step further and I’ve suspended most of my yarn purchases, because it’s an issue at those box stores too. I’m supporting smaller businesses, going to the creative reuse more and planning my projects to wear as long as I can fit in them.
I'm still learning about the yarn world, but it seems like sourcing from small businesses results in better quality fiber too.
It does, pretty much everything on the shelves at the box stores is acrylic or some other kind of acrylic blend or mercerized cotton. It's great for getting started and if you depend on the laundromat and need that guarantee that your clothes won't warp, but I do worry about the effects of micro-plastics.
Also, a lot of those big yarn brands politics are not great. Obviously Hobby Lobby is terrible, but the other two box stores aren't that much better. They are very performative with their outreach, and in some cases, don't stock materials and patterns from marginalized crafters consistently across their stores. They also won't locate in poor neighborhoods, despite being a key way some of of us make income.
Performative outreach seems to be an issue in nearly industry. It's so bad.
People throw away 81 pounds of clothing per year? What? What are they wearing? Where is the money coming from, for these constant shoppers? I have lost a lot of weight this year, and I resisted buying new (thrifted) jeans until I literally could not stand up without the ones I already owned falling off, because...money. My husband and I both need new work clothes - particular professional garments that are only made by a few companies. The bare minimum we will be able to purchase them for is $50/shirt, and his will be more like $70 each, when all is said and done. I keep putting off the purchases, because who has that kind of money?
The scary thing is 81 pounds is the average! Folks like you and I are pulling down that average, but that also means there are people throwing away 200 pounds.
As for the cost, many of these fast fashion brands are popular specifically because they are so cheap. I just took a quick look at men's clothes on H&M's website, and they had shirts for $12 and pants for around $20 for sale prices. They price clothes so they can be impulse buys, like splurging for a quick meal or a fancy latte. It causes young people especially to churn through their wardrobes very quickly with trends- often wearing items only once or twice before discarding.