User blog comment:MrGrey27/Dust And Cinder's Dress/@comment-11188061-20140822003002/@comment-3146930-20140822031442

You are applying how things in our world work in comparison to RWBY, which may not have a proper translation. Sure most fabrics have come level of carbon in them and most clothes are flammable depending on the material, but I am not engaging in battle or hanging around open flames (however there have been times when I have burned holes in my clothes). Dust on the other hand is very sensitive and can react just from a sneeze. If I wanted to use Dust for combat, I would assume a high concentration level would be needed in the fabric in order to make it work effectively. This would also mean that you would be literally wearing a weapon and without training, you could freeze/burn/electrocute/drown themselves.

Also, despite us usually comparing Dust to fossil fuels in our world as they both seem to be used for the same things, the video makes it clear that even those in RWBY don't know where Dust comes from. There is also nothing stating that fossil fuels don't exist in their world. This could mean that Dust doesn't need to be used in clothes at all and is simply a practice. Why can't clothes just be made of good old fabric, assuming they have the same basic elements our planet does.