After reading the fine print, one shopper was disgusted to see how much a so-called high-end brand was charging for cheap polyester fabric.
What's happening?
TikToker Fee (@feeeeesah) posted a video calling out the brand Meshki for their overpriced looks.
@feeeeesah It's so annoying finding really cute clothing styles only for it to be 100% polyster. And the price is still $200? No maam, no ham, no turkey. This is why if I'm spending over a certain amount I'm checking those fabric details! #fabric #onlineshopping #sale #depop #polyester ♬ original sound - Fee
"Nothing is more annoying than seeing a cute outfit online, going to the fabric and care details, and seeing 92% polyester," she vented. "The prices don't match the materials."
As she explained, a fabric made primarily of polyester means that "within two to three washes, they are not going to look like what they look like in that picture."
"And you're charging over $100?" she said. "You cannot fool me."
Commenters echoed her frustration. "I just started to look at the material, never used to care but it's an eye opener for sure," one person wrote. "People are basically being scammed."
Another agreed: "DRIVES ME NUTS!!!! And then the prices are OUTRAGEOUS."
Why is polyester so harmful?
As a material, polyester might be versatile, but that's about where its benefits end.
It's derived from petroleum — from crude oil — and turned into fabric via an energy-intensive process involving numerous other chemicals, several of which are known carcinogens, according to the Sustainable Fashion Forum (SFF).
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🔘 Giving me money back 💰
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🔘 Keeping my stuff out of landfills 🗑️
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Not only does this manufacturing process release significant amounts of planet-warming gases into the atmosphere, but in recent years, more scientists have been linking the synthetic fabric with increased risks of health issues such as asthma, infertility, and autoimmune diseases.
All of this makes it even more aggravating to shoppers like Fee and her followers.
"$100 for PLASTIC it's insane," one person vented.
"And it's luxury brands too!" another exclaimed. "Not paying for plastic thank you."
A third said grimly: "The world is melting I cannot do polyester anymore."
What are some alternative options?
Polyester is seemingly inescapable when it comes to clothing — it's in approximately half of all clothes, and it's in 80% of all synthetically made garments, per SFF. Fortunately, there are still options made from natural fibers, even if they take a little more effort to find.
As Fee recommended: "You're better off going to Poshmark or Depop and finding cotton pants and quality natural fabrics that will last you a lot longer."
Not only are the secondhand marketplaces she mentioned generally more affordable than buying new, but they avoid contributing dollars toward the pollutive manufacturing of synthetic materials.
"When I see 100% cotton on a website I get so giddy," one commenter enthused. "It's like finding a treasure."
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