for what it's worth

design study | three tops | same pattern | different value

For What It's Worth investigates how time shapes value in fashion. I made three versions of the same top: fine lace crochet, chunky crochet, and sewn pre-made lace, thus translating labour hours into monetary terms to make visible what's usually hidden: time as material.

Pattern creation | from motif into repeat pattern

Black lace crochet in progress with a ball of yarn and a crochet hook

Small fine lace crochet motif next to a ball of thin yarn — Fine lace crochet | 7.5 cm x 7 cm | 2.5 mm hook

Large chunky lace crochet motif next to thick yarn — Chunky lace crochet | 29 cm x 24.5 cm | 15 mm hook

Hand-drawn crochet chart of the motif on grid paper

same top. different versions. different value.

Fine hand-crocheted black lace top on a hanger

21 hours

hand-crocheted | 2.5 mm hook

291.90 € vs. 5.46 €

Chunky hand-crocheted black top on a hanger

4 hours

hand-crocheted | 15 mm hook

55.60 € vs. 1.04 €

Machine-sewn black lace top on a hanger

30 minutes

machine sewn | pre-made lace

6.95 € vs. 0.13 €

Calculated using the German minimum wage of 13.90 €/h versus a Bangladesh wage of 0.26 €/h as reference.

Model in the oversized chunky crochet top, side view — Oversized crochet top | less delicate, still handmade

Model in the fine lace crochet top, front view — Fine lace crochet top | craft as luxury

Model in the machine-sewn lace top, side view — Machine-sewn lace top | off the rack

Full written article available upon request.

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