MEND AND MAKE DO - IT’S LONDON REPAIR WEEK
This week is London Repair Week, a celebration of the art of repairing clothes and other everyday objects, featuring events, tutorials, tips and tricks and more to encourage Londoners to consider repairing their clothes — whether they do it themselves or outsource it. Repairing is a big part of sustainable fashion, and helps to make your clothes last for years and years, which is the opposite of fast fashion (though, by all means, if your not-so-eco clothes have a few rips, definitely repair those too!!!).
Repairing — not only clothes but other everyday items as well — used to be such a common practice as recently as my parents’ generation. It was taught in schools, often passed on from parents or grandparents to children and was viewed as the norm. If your dress had a hole in it, you didn’t immediately ship it off to the nearest clothing recycling bin, but you sewed it back, patched it up, did what you had to do to make it wearable. It helped people both value and take care of their possessions, rather than throwing them out in favour of the next new shiny thing. Unfortunately with the rise of fast fashion these skills have fallen away, so make sure to look for someone reputable AND to start getting into the basics yourself. You don’t want to pay good money and create more admin when all that is needed is a simple stitch or button!
I inherited my gran’s sewing kit as well as Nick’s great Aunt Joan’s, who you might have heard me mention before. My friends and I marvelled the other day as we combined the bits and pieces from the kits — zips, buttons, hook and eyes and both had little kits for mending nylon tights, complete with assorted flesh-coloured nylon threads for the perfect match. We couldn’t help thinking how absolutely valuable this kit would have been, an essential in the same way we might think of wifi or a phone.
In a time when we think of luxury and quality as items that are branded and developed using the latest technologies, but that don’t stand the test of time, we need to learn to fix things. Can you glue back your broken plant pot or chipped vase? While in the West we see the result as an inferior product, in Japan they make an art of it by showing off the “scars” and the story of an item by piecing it back together with molten gold through a technique known as Kintsugi. You can also find more affordable alternatives — this kit is a great way to get started for example. In the meantime, how about some maintenance? From seasoning a pan and oiling wooden chopping boards to descaling your kettle and giving the washing machine a thorough clean, there are many projects you can take on that lend longevity to everything in your home.
As for your clothes, if you’re not exactly a dab hand with a sewing machine or even a needle and thread, there are many options for you to still enjoy the benefits of repairing your clothes. The easiest option for those with limited time is to check if your local dry cleaners offer invisible mending — a mending technique that consists of repairing the fabric so that it’s almost impossible to tell it was even torn in the first place.
If you were about to clear something you’re attracted to out of your wardrobe because “it just didn’t sit right” or was “a bit tight” then make it a dream fit by talking to a seamstress about what's possible before deciding to just discard (somewhere it can be rescued hopefully — not landfill!). FYI be sure to vet the establishment if you take in anything precious — I once got a very dodgy skirt alteration at a local dry cleaners… and then risked it again years later with some net curtains that needed taking up which I didn't think could possibly go wrong but I ended up with curtains of two different lengths…
The next option is to take advantage of a more luxurious solution like The Restory, who offer shoe and handbag repairs on all your most prized accessories that you wouldn’t trust just anyone with, and Clothes Doctor, who will repair, alter and launder all your clothes expertly, as well as offering online mending tutorials and private sewing sessions. My friend Kelly Eastwood swears by Total Wardrobe Care in Hampshire. Also check out ethical wardrobe refresh queen Charlie Collins, who shares these nuggets amongst others:
Blanc Living for eco dry cleaning in Marylebone, Chelsea, White City and South Kensington or for home collection
Sharon Fernandes (shanonaf@gmail.com), who has worked for many prominent design houses, for specialist garment restoration
Sophie Rist at Agnes LDN can help you find ways to upcycle your clothes — you can also follow her on Instagram, join her Facebook community or sign up for her workshops
Finally, the most affordable, satisfying and sustainable option is to learn to sew yourself! There are plenty of YouTube tutorials and books out there to get you started, or you could enroll in a course through City Lit, Sew It With Love or UAL. Love Your Clothes have some wonderful resources to help you learn too. Don’t forget to check your local community centre too — they can be a true goldmine! And when it comes to hemming or rehemming items — whether skirts, trousers or curtains — don’t forget iron-on hemming tape is a pretty neat invention!!