clothes are so much worse now

Not what I was expecting, but fascinating to watch as a European/Scandinvian knitter :) I have a couple of tips on how to prolong the life of your sweaters/knits:
- "Invest" (I say invest, but they are generally quite cheap) in a depiller/fabric shaver. It is a little battery operated machine that shaves of the pilling on your sweaters/knits, even wool coats, so they look like new again.
- As a rule of thumb in the knitting community: the softer the yarn the more likely it is to pill (fabric density as you mentioned and ply, as well as other factors also play a role).
- Store your knits flat (not hanging) to preserve their shape.
- After washing your knits (based on the care instruction), lay them flat on a towel roll up the towel with the sweater and step a couple of times on your towel-sweater-burrito, then unroll and dry sweater flat. (towel-sweater-burrito is optional, but speeds up the drying, laying flat preserves the shape).
- Pure wool limits the build-up of odor and doesn't need to be washed after every wear.

Regarding quality: well-crafted handknit garments are often considered heirloom pieces, not just for the rest of the lifetime and a handknit sweater (of course depending on size, needlesize, complexity, skill-level etc.) is generally considered to take 30-40 hours to complete for a well-versed knitter.

As far as I know, wool prices for many Northern-European sheep breeds have crashed, this is due to consumer preferences for softer yarns in garments (a lot of merino) - so that is also something to consider. Given the often thinner fabric and proneness to pilling from softer yarn, this shift towards softer yarn could have something to do with the perceived quality decrease.

It was really funny to hear you say that the Aran sweater Ben is wearing is giving wearing heat-tech underneath (I'm paraphrasing). Most yarn from more hardy sheep, living in northern regions is generally coarser (however also warmer) , and I can imagine that the sweater Billy is wearing, given that the wool would be coarser, actually would inspire many people to wear something underneath, to avoid it being too itchy. On the other hand, most modern store bought sweaters are softer, and the chance that it could be worn next to skin is higher :) If I wear a sweater that is hand-knit in a coarser yarn, I generally tend to wear something long sleeved underneath.

I could say so much more, but will end here, but also the sheep-Grease made me laugh so much, so thanks for that :D

Such great video, very helpful info and as always super interesting. Love your channel so so much

Me thinking it was Charlie Puth in the thumbnail.

You should definitely chech out alpaca fiber sweaters or garments in general...they are also realy great

My sewing-loving self is once again rewarded in watching another Mina Le video✨❤️🙌
I am also also validated in my reflection that "truly" sustainable sewing and garment making is just next to impossible, given how systemically corrupt the entire textile industry is now.
But I still believe that sewing skills are helpful in reducing the toxic cycle produced by fast fashion.
Since i learned to sew, ive been making clothes for me and my family. The past years have made me learn the time and effort it takes to make clothes, and the intricacies of textiles. i really hope that more amd more people will learn to sew until it becomes more of a norm again.

We treat our Sheep in Iceland like family. They double the population. If you want a good legitimate wool article of clothing such as a Lopapeysa, mittens, or hats, the the Handknitters Association of Iceland 🇮🇸 is your go to.

Or buying from small businesses who craft their own clothing

I shop “vintage” and thrift :)

Exactly!!! Thats problem not only with clothes - its computers, phones, fridge, stove, any utencils really...... nothing lasts past the 2 year guarantee or less!

Im sick of it!

About acrylics and other synthetics: I have an acrylic cable-knit sweater that I've had for almost 20 years. The number of fast fashion disposable items that sweater has prevented me from buying far outweighs any damage to the environment it's caused. Any wool would probably have been damaged in the laundry or by moths by know, not to mention have been way more expensive.

You popped up on my "new to you" recommendations. What a very well researched and informative, interesting video! I have now subscribed, more like this please!

If Otzy's clothing was so great at keeping him warm and safe, then how come he's dead and not here typing at a computer. Checkmate.

Finding full natural fiber knits is so hard. There's a fancy chain in my country that keeps high street and luxury brands, and even there I couldn't find knits without plastic in them. Like an isle was labelled cachemere sweaters, but when I checked the labels they were all acrylic blends. I'm talking 150-200€ sweaters. Like I'm not paying that much for an half plastic sweater

Finding full natural fiber knits is so hard. There's a fancy chain in my country that keeps high street and luxury brands, and even there I couldn't find knits without plastic in them. Like an isle was labelled cachemere sweaters, but when I checked the labels they were all acrylic blends. I'm talking 150-200€ sweaters. Like I'm not paying that much for an half plastic sweater

I've learned from watching a few such videos that I'm... not a typical clothes consumer. Still, I wonder if a relevant factor this video seemed to ignore is maintenance and the ubiquity of washing machines. For me it's basically the number 1 reason I actively seek out synthetic fabrics and hesitate to ever buy wool even when I otherwise like the clothing. It doesn't matter how awesome a piece of clothing is if I eventually stop wearing it because it's gotten to the point it really ought to be washed but doing so is just too much of a bother.

From a knitter from Ireland...thank you Mina for a well researched and informative video....your Irish history is spot on...

Sis, im on clothing degree and hear about Otzi every day 😂😂
And hearing czech name here is...strange and amazing at same time

It’s just Planned Obsolescence

Companies don’t make more money if they make quality items you can keep for 10+ years & seldom buy anything else. They make it cheap ON PURPOSE so it wears down fast and you have no choice but to run out & buy more.
Doesn’t matter the brand, status, price, or the reputation the clothing has, capitalism wants your money.

Thanks for the helpful details! Most of my clothing is from clothing swaps. Free culture FTW

What a great jammed packed video with history, info and links! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

not otzi.. Ötzi....

My biggest issue with sweaters in particular is how much thinner and less dense they are made now as opposed to back in the day, especially the ones with a price tag I can actually afford to pay. When my mom was my age she had plent of absolutely beautifully made sweaters that were actually warm and made to last. My moms side of the family was never exactly the richest, though they also definitely weren’t poor, yet they could still buy good quality wool sweaters for a decent price. When I try to look for affordably priced sweaters now most of what I find is thin, crappy, poorly made sweaters that are barely warmer than a long sleeve tee. I live in Norway wich gets very cold in the winters and I need to stay warm, yet I never find clothes in my price range that are made to keep people warm.

"It's all important,so just go where the heart leads you" ❤ Such a beautiful way to put it. Yes, we can't fix everything on our own, but every little matters.

it drives me nuts how fabrics are just getting thinner and thinner and crappier. I still have clothes from the early 2000s that are fine, while stuff I buy now will disintegrate within a couple of years.

patagonia is selling polyester clothing just like the rest

I feel so fortunate to have been able to learn how to knit and to live in a region where there are many local woolen mills that primarily use locally sources wool. ❤️🐑

Love the video! However I feel like the camera lens looks dirty on your shots. I think it's just the style editing but I still had to clean my glasses bc that's what it made me feel like

currently getting my degree in visual arts and leaning towards textile art and the "artesanato" (I think translates to english as handcraft stuff??) vs art. This video came across me just right now where I'm knitting with scraps and got me thinking that of course handmade things right now are expensive bc the artist/personcrafter??? has to get not only the money for doing the piece but the time and still gotta pay for rent and life stuff, but maybe buying from local and artists that handknit is the best way to go for a less impacted world that is happening right now bc of fast fashion and industry stuff!

thank you sm for the video!!

Certified Organic is going to say very little about the sheep wellfare. It primarily will deal with ensuring the sheep was fed organic feed.

I wear almost exclusively second-hand clothes, as they’re just a lot more budget-friendly and often better quality if they’re older. I specifically try to avoid synthetic fabrics too- breathability and odor are big concerns for me. If I wear a synthetic blouse I need to wash it after one wear or it’ll smell like BO. A cotton blouse on the other hand can be worn multiple times and won’t smell at all. A very thin cotton long-sleeve blouse is actually a lot cooler in the summer than a polyester t shirt! And wool clothes are way warmer in the winter than synthetics too.

Baahsquiat 🐑 is my spirit animal how’d you know 🥹

A lot of waste is due to purchase mistakes: a super fancy dress that we have nowhere to wear, a garment that makes us look super pale under natural light, the aspirational pants that look great standing and uncomfortable to sit (we believed we would comfortably fit in one month), the bargain top that was too good to miss. It is a bit like kissing many frogs before finding the prince.

We've been making a lot of our own clothes lately. Quality is too hard to find now-a-days and we don't want junk clothes that barely last two months and aren't even comfortable.

can you please do a video talking about the clothes of the Coraline movie? it would be fascinating of you do an analysis of the clothes used by the Beldam

Thank you for this video!

The problem is second hand now gets upsold as 'vintage' which comes with a luxury pricetag so it's prohibitively expensive. All the good stuff in charity shops gets picked out and resold at a profit by vintage clothing stores and Etsy shops who contribute nothing except to extract an extra slice. Really hate the practice.

I'm glad I'm a man and most importantly ignoring any fashion, coz hiking trousers and regular t-shirts are still totally affordable and pretty durable and comfy as well, I've got all I need, now should I be happy about it or not?

Amazing video! So well researched and informative, take all the rest you need <3

Mina is my daughter’s name

Thank you this was a very interesting video, which I happily enjoyed while knitting a new aran cardigan, which is made from Scottish wool and will last a lifetime, the 100% wool yarn was a bargain at £50 or $60 dollars, but the true cost is the many many hours it will take to knit, and the 50 years of knitting experience I am using. Fast fashion, is destroying the earth and blighting the enviroment for many poor communities, but they rely on the money they earn in this trade, so we have a moral dilemma. Apart from those on a very restricted budget, who are buying for children, I would say most people need to buy less and pay more, so that they can choose fair trade, enviromentally responsible and socially aware brands, and they will naturally be better quality as they are designed to last, or you could buy second hand, or repurpose.

Ive read a lot of cultures would include flaws in their crafts (carpets, beadwork and knitwear) for religious reasons. Im pretty sure there was an Irish tradition to include a flaw in your knitted works else fairies would be attracted to the perfect garment and kidnap your loved one. Something like an intentionally dropped stitch could have been part of this tradition and makes more sense than a familial cable pattern since it would be truely unique and couldnt be copied by others the way a cable pattern would be. That said I gotta respect the tourism hustle

It's called "planned obsolescence" and it's intentional. Profits over people.

in the words of a wise woman:
"sometimes things that are expensive are worse"

Any thoughts on lambswool vs wool?

I bet it has something to do with capitalism

Your content is the bomb. I love how you incorporate real history. I'm Eastern/Northern European, I've had an original sweater like this, knitted by a grandmother. These things you only really get from old ladies, and that's how it needs to be. They use real yarn, care and love. Old, old tradition of keeping life, using what your farm and neighbouring farms provide. Survival skill extravaganza.

Good that you rested and took a rest !

I’m definitely going to look at this brand for my next purchase

C'est magnifique !