After Taylor Swift's June '23 Eras Tour concert at Wembley, she wore a crochet mini-dress to dinner at Chiltern Firehouse in London, a look that instantly went viral. The piece sparked debate within the crochet community, spotlighting uncomfortable truths about fast-fashion pricing and the hidden cost of handcrafted labor.

I recreated this dress as an experiment in valuing handmade craftsmanship. Originally sold for NZD $201, it actually represents 35 hours of skilled labor by a crocheter with over 25 years' experience. At U.S. minimum wage, this time equates to roughly NZD $426.54; in New Zealand minimum wage, that jumps to NZD $822.50. This raises a provocative question: how do we truly value skilled craft?

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