Patching or darning holes, stitching ripped seams, sewing a button, replacing a zipper, hiding a stain—there are so many ways to extend the life of a garment, if we have the time, ability, or money.
While mending was once a commonplace chore (one primarily relegated to the realm of women’s domestic work), today it can be reclaimed by all genders as a practical skill, a connection to ancient traditions, or an opportunity for customization. In doing so, we can build a stronger connection with our clothing, giving items “emotional durability” and changing our relationship with these objects through the process of repair. We are less likely to throw out a repaired garment and replace it with something new (Durrani, 2018).
As the Slow Fashion movement has brought mending back into wider practice again, mending has taken on new meaning, for some, as an opportunity for showing off creative expression and personal commitment to sustainability. Proponents of visible mending proudly sport their repairs as a rejection of the current consumerist fashion system, while seeking to remove the stigma attached to repair. “We can embrace mending as part of the life cycle of clothing and we can even celebrate it with thoughtful repairs,” writes Katrina Rodabaugh in her book Mending Matters.
Similarly, the Golden Joinery project in the Netherlands launched a series of workshops to highlight the beauty of repairs. Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, in which broken pottery is mended with gold, Golden Joinery asks participants to bring in garments to be mended with golden threads and fabrics. “Instead of hiding the repair it becomes ornament; celebrating imperfection” (Golden Joinery, n.d.).
Beyond Mending Matters, there are many books on mending. Here are few recent ones that discuss how and why to mend:
- Loved Clothes Last by Orsola de Castro
- Joyful Mending by Noriko Misumi
- Mend!: A Refashioning Manual and Manifesto by Kate Sekules
- Wear, Repair, Repurpose by Lily Fulop
Beginners can also start with these simple mending tutorials from Remake and Eco Age.
Not everyone has the time or ability to repair their own clothes, of course. Some brands offer repair services: Nudie Jeans mends its jeans for free or will send a free repair kit. Barbour also rewaxes and alters its jackets. Tell your favorite brands that you want them to provide repairs too.
There are likely many professionals in your area who can help you with these repairs as well. Your local dry cleaner is a good place to start, especially for alterations.
Unfortunately, with the rise of fast fashion there has been declining demand for professional mending (Diddi and Yan, 2019). “Planned obsolescence” is a deliberate strategy in many sectors of consumer goods, not just clothing. It intentionally creates lower-quality and difficult-to-repair products that then must be thrown away, which “denies decent work to local economies” (de Castro, 2021). As these professions have lost value in our communities, there has in turn been less incentive for young people to learn repair skills. With a concerted effort to seek out skilled menders, we can revive local repair economies and preserve these skills in our communities.
Sources
de Castro, O. (2021). Loved Clothes Last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act. Penguin Life.
Diddi, S., & Yan, R.-N. (2019). Consumer Perceptions Related to Clothing Repair and Community Mending Events: A Circular Economy Perspective. Sustainability, 11(19), 5306. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11195306
Durrani, M. (2018). “People Gather for Stranger Things, So Why Not This?” Learning Sustainable Sensibilities through Communal Garment-Mending Practices. Sustainability, 10(7), 2218. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072218
Golden Joinery. (n.d.) Workshop. http://www.goldenjoinery.com/#workshop
Rodabaugh, K. (2018). Mending Matters: Stitch, Patch, and Repair Favorite Denim & More. Abrams.