We hear it all the time. In fact, we ask it a lot ourselves: Why is fashion so damn expensive? A lot of factors go into the cost of a garment, but what we tend to forget — at least when it comes to the high-end level of retail — is the time it takes to make each piece. (And don't even get us started on haute couture.)
At its spring 2018 show, Dior presented a slew of what the French fashion house's premiere female artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri might deem essentials of the nouveau feminist's wardrobe: denim, workwear, and more. But there's one look that's worthy of its own headline, even a month or so after the fact: a knitted romper that took 86 hours to make.
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That's right. It's possible that your go-to bodysuit, once the easiest piece in your closet, was just made complicated; all in the name of fashion, of course. Inspired by the work of feminist artist Niki de Saint Phalle, the knitted one-piece was composed of 27 motifs (see: a dinosaur, stars, a heart) and took a full week's worth of knitting to pull off. By the numbers, you're looking at 24 hours to design and conceptualise, 86 hours of knitting and embroidering, six people (including five dedicated seamstresses), and a pound or so of wool.
Though it's currently on sale for £5,000, its cost shouldn't change the fact that watching fashion come to life is something of a spectator's sport, and it may change your mind about stomaching sky-high price tags for clothes that double as art. Ever since Chiuri's takeover in 2016, sales for Dior continue to exceed 40 billion euros, with an increase in overall revenue by 12%. So hey, someone's buying it. While we continue to daydream about the magic that is high-fashion and its haute couture-like processes, watch the video below to see how the world's most elaborate romper came to life — and really, what makes fashion so cool.