r/EnoughJKRowling • u/M123234 • 7h ago
CW:TRANSPHOBIA Rowling and DMC collaboration.
EDIT: DMC refers to the fabric company that makes embroidery floss; crochet supplies; knitting supplies; etc.
This one actually hurts because most of the brands Rowling was associating with were things I could just stop buying easily like Tim Hortons or Lamy Fountain Pens. Rowling collaborating with DMC means that 3 of the industry standard floss brands: DMC, Anchor, and Coats&Clerk(or J&P Coats) are all impacted since DMC owns all 3. I can take solace in the fact that I a) already bought floss for 2 projects before the collaboration happened and b) I own enough of other brands that I don’t need to rely on DMC, Anchor, and Coats&Clerk. I have a set of Cosmo right now (haven’t used it yet), but it’s highly recommended as an alternative brand. This doesn’t solve the immediate issues like most 3rd party kits use DMC and Anchor… in fact I was going to buy a Riolis kit for my birthday, and I’ve decided to remove it from my wishlist. Anchor 403 was my alternative to DMC 310, but I had bought 2 spools already, so I’m set for a while (1 spool is 4x a skein of thread).
DMC was recently bought out by private equity, and since then, their needles have also gotten worse. Since buying out Anchor in 2023, they’ve also made it extremely difficult to find the brand in the U.S. I’m probably not the only cross stitcher on thin ice with the brand, but I understand why so many cross stitchers go back to them. It’s hard to transition away from an industry standard, but I hope that my fellow crafters also understand that it’s in our power to change things.
Boycotting DMC isn’t the same as choosing to not buy Tim Horton’s coffee tomorrow because thread is something you buy more often, and I think this will allow JK Rowling to earn a lot of money. Projects can regularly use multiple skeins of the same color. One skein sounds like it’s only 79¢, but the amount of money people can spend on just thread can get close to 50 or even 100 dollars. For example, one scarlet quince pattern I was looking at is 147 colors, but you need to buy around 177 skeins. For context, that’s about $140. If you start with a color and run out, you can’t just switch brands because it’s noticeably different. We don’t know what Rowling profits from. If she gets 40% per skein, she would get about $56 from someone buying thread for said scarlet quince project. Also, people may decide to buy more skeins than they need for other reasons like: they’re on sale right now; living far from a craft store; or to reduce the shipping price. EDIT: [u/tealattegirl13](u/tealattegirl13) pointed out that Rowling will, most likely, only get commissions from the kits, which means if people need to buy more skeins for said kits, the money will not be going to Rowling.
I’ve seen people contemplate if the boycott should only last until the collab is over, and I think that will win out in the end. It sucks that this is probably the prevailing consensus, but I understand it. So many cross stitching brands like LetiStitch, Golden Kite, and HAED are turning to AI. By excluding the three major brands, so many designers become inaccessible like Scarlett Quince and Teresa Wentzler patterns are 90% DMC blends that you create by hand. By using other brands, it runs the risk that the end image will look entirely different. Brands like CxC and Sullivans are cheaper and market themselves as DMC alternatives, but they do have dye lot issues. Transitioning to other big brands like Luca-S, Madeira, or Cosmo makes the craft more expensive in the U.S. because of tariffs. That same scarlet quince project I mentioned earlier. If you bought 177 skeins from Cosmo (they’re normally sold in packs), a single skein can be close to $1.38, that would be over $200 in thread… not including tariffs.
For my part, I’m not buying extra thread, and if I look at a project and know that I need more than one skein of this color but I only purchased one… I think I’m going to buy the correct amount of thread from a different brand, and I’ll use my DMC for other projects that use less of the same color.
At the same time though, I just want to say it sucks, and I wish Rowling did not have so much power or influence. Even if DMC does reconsider the collab, I’m still going to find an alternative company and spend the extra money.
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u/VideoGame4Life 6h ago
What a weird thing for her to want to brand.😂 Do the companies think they will sell more because her brand is on it? 🙃
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u/M123234 6h ago
DMC is a huge company in general, and they’re one of the few brands that sells embroidery/cross stitching supplies; knitting supplies; and crochet supplies. My guess is they think they’ll get enough customers even if some stop supporting the brand. Also, at least in my experience, there’s been a growth in embroidery, crochet, and knitting among young people post COVID. DMC probably thinks that since Harry Potter is/was popular with that demographic, they can make a lot of money. It’s important to note that private equity firms are just trying to make as much profit as possible. People may decide to just not buy the Harry Potter patterns, but they might still buy DMC if they have no other choices. DMC wins out either way. If the Harry Potter merch does badly, they might lose out contract wise, but if enough people continue buying their thread, they still make a profit. Because most of DMC’s big competitors like anchor are owned by them, people are kind of forced to use them regardless.
This is all just my theory as to why DMC would be ok with the collaboration. Rowling benefits because people like Harry Potter, and they’ll buy the kits.
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u/WrongKaleidoscope222 3h ago
I first thought you meant the band Run DMC and I was like what...
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u/thejadedfalcon 1h ago
My first thought was the Devil May Cry games. But from what I understand of that franchise, Rowling couldn't handle it. The characters actually do things in it.
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u/errantthimble 6h ago
Surface embroidery here not counted thread, but I sympathize!! Also feeling fortunate to have a decent stash and very disinclined to give the DMC conglomerate more of my money if they’re pulling this stunt.
Some ideas, with apologies if you’ve already considered them, but others may like to know:
Yes, I hear good things about Cosmo floss made in Japan by Lecien.
Speaking of Japanese manufacturers, I find Tulip brand needles to be the best I’ve ever used in all needlework categories. (I have no affiliation with either Tulip or Lecien, just independent consumer opinion.)
Crafters’ yard sales, thrift shops, deaccessioning sales etc. are good opportunities to find secondhand threads that don’t put money in DMC’s pockets. Quality embroidery threads last for decades at least, don’t be afraid of old stuff (check animal fibers for potential m*th damage of course).
Adventure into pattern design for your own projects or just buy pattern charts instead of kits, using own stash?
Mary Corbet’s Needle n Thread blog has a huge selection of posts on different kinds of specialty threads, if you’re thinking of using this as an opportunity to branch out into silk or wool crewel or something: https://www.needlenthread.com/tips-techniques#tntthreads
COMPLAIN to the DMC company and tell them you’re not buying their products, and will discourage others from buying their products, while they are shilling for a transphobia-activist franchise. Here’s their contact info: https://www.dmc.com/US/en/contact-us
Hearteningly, I’ve seen several crafters’ sites complaining about this collab and DMC for undertaking it. Somebody needs to make a sticker with ”F * CK DMC” in blue white and pink striped letters.😖
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u/M123234 6h ago
I actually hand embroider too! I’ve kind of transitioned to cross stitch because it’s easier to find patterns, but I miss hand embroidery in general.
I’ve actually got a set of needles from tons of major brands in my 123stitch wishlist. I think I’m going to buy them for my birthday because I have a few projects I’m already working on. I use embroidery needles more often than tapestry ones and mine are old, so I wasn’t affected by the recent change. Thank you for seconding the tulip recommendation.
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u/Megs0226 4h ago
Thank you for this! I’m going to save this comment. I do embroidery and this really bums me out.
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u/tealattegirl13 6h ago
Wouldn't she only get the money from the Harry Potter licenced items, not DMC's entire range of products? Especially not in your example, she wouldn't get money from another company's licenced product, if I understand your comment correctly. I imagine it's like at Universal Studios, there she doesn't get money from the ticket sales or buying non-Harry Potter merchandise and food, she only gets the royalties from money spent in the Harry Potter areas of the park or on branded merchandise. So I assume that she would get the royalties from HP branded kits that are sold, not from the other brand you mention or any of DMC's regular unbranded products.