Latest news with #MendinPublicDay
The Guardian
24-04-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Outfits of defiance: would you wear shoes made from rugs?
In 1942, the British government's Board of Trade launched a Make Do and Mend scheme. It was one of several campaigns encouraging the public to save resources during the second world war by learning basic sewing skills alongside taking on bigger projects such as remodelling men's clothing into womenswear. Today, Fashion Revolution, a non-profit social enterprise founded in the wake of the 2013 Rana Plaza factory disaster in Bangladesh, is gearing up to launch its own Mend in Public Day. This weekend participants from all over the world will be able to join free local community classes to learn how to mend and stitch. However, this scheme is aimed at addressing not scarcity, but overconsumption. Cheap prices and a fast-paced trends cycle has made fashion the most polluting industry after oil and gas, causing 10% of global carbon emissions. Microfibres from synthetic clothing are found in food chains, while in 2023 a photo taken from space of a mountain of clothes in Chile's Atacama Desert went viral. We live in an era of social media clothing hauls and a 'wear once, then toss' mentality. It's often cheaper to buy a replacement of a stained item than it is to get it dry cleaned, and the same is true for rips and tears. Even the threat of tariffs on fast-fashion giants such as Shein and Temu is unlikely to significantly deter garment gluttony – their prices are so low (Temu once sold boots for $0) that they will still be deemed cheap with higher duties added. Fashion Revolution describes the scheme as a protest. 'In an age of throwaway fashion, repairing our clothes is a revolutionary act,' they say. 'While the fashion industry operates on a global scale, its impacts and required solutions can vary by region, calling for localised action.' But this collective action is not just about repairs. They are also encouraging upcycling – reusing existing garments or discarded materials to transform them into new products. Luxury designers such as Ahluwalia, whose knitted ribbed tops made from deadstock fabrics have been worn by celebrities such as Doechii, and the French designer Marine Serre, who transforms old terry cloths and silk scarves into dresses and jackets, are proof that upcycling is cool not crusty. Many smaller independent UK brands are driving the change. World Secrets makes clogs using antique kilim rugs, while Helen Kirkum sources secondhand trainers from charity retailers and then deconstructs and remakes them into shiny new versions. Then there's Pikol Clothing, which crafts White Lotus-esque holiday shirts from vintage tablecloths, and Spilt Milk, which makes everything from fisherman vests to bishop-sleeved blouses from pretty vintage textiles. For those who are staring at moth-eaten cashmere jumpers ('tis the season) or party dresses with ripped hems, a newly launched upcycling app, Loom, is hoping to be part of the solution. The platform lets you upload a photo of your damaged or unworn item then connects with you designers offering everything from visible mending to dyeing and redesign. In a world where fashion trends take off then burn out within days, repairing and reworking something you love could just be the ultimate act of defiance. Sign up to Fashion Statement Style, with substance: what's really trending this week, a roundup of the best fashion journalism and your wardrobe dilemmas solved after newsletter promotion To read the complete version of this newsletter – complete with this week's trending topics in The Measure and your wardrobe dilemmas solved – subscribe to receive Fashion Statement in your inbox every Thursday.
Fashion United
24-04-2025
- General
- Fashion United
'Mend in Public Day' - when repairing one's clothes becomes a revolutionary act
Just a generation or two ago, it was common practice to mend an old garment at home – broken zippers, torn knee or elbow areas, ripped hems, loose buttons – none of this was a problem. Every household relied on their darning and sewing utensils, and many even had a sewing machine. Difficult cases were handed over to the trusted tailor, which could still be found on almost every street corner. Today, the situation is different – garments with even minor problems like a loose button end up in the back of the closet and later in the trash. Why is this? What has changed? Home sewing machine. Credits: Eduard Kalesnik / Pexels On the one hand, people hardly have time to sit down and mend clothes. On the other, repairing clothes is no longer a 'cool' leisure activity; it has gone out of fashion, and with it, the skill. After all, it is an art to mend a hole so that the repair is barely visible and it is covered for good. Or to sew a hem straight back on, or even to make clothes tighter or looser. The main reason, however, is that clothing (unlike most other consumer goods) has not become more expensive over the decades, but rather cheaper. This is due to factors such as mass production, globalisation and the rise of fast fashion. This means that while a t-shirt cost 10 to 12 euros (or whatever the equivalent in the local currency was) back in 1980, it can be had for half that price today. This has resulted in people buying two or more t-shirts instead of one; in fact, we buy more of everything, we have too much - pants, shirts, t-shirts, skirts, outerwear, etc. Our wardrobes are bursting at the seams and when an item of clothing is no longer usable because it has a stain, a button is missing or a hem is ripped, we throw it out instead of mending it. We are secretly relieved to have reduced our clothing heap a little. 'Mend in Public Day' on 26th April So the question of mending does not arise for most consumers. Unless it becomes a public, revolutionary act. Like this Saturday, April 26, for example, when the non-profit organisation Fashion Revolution is once again calling for a 'Mend in Public Day' as part of Fashion Revolution Week, a whole day dedicated to collectively repairing and beautifying garments. For those who have forgotten how to sew, darn and be creative with a needle (or perhaps were never taught), there are instructions, tips and tricks. Sewing kit. Credits: Suzy Hazelwood / Pexels In the UK, US, Canada, Europe, Asia - worldwide, in fact - Fashion Revolution is organising its 'Mend in Public Day' again, which was a hit when it was started last year. In many cities around the globe, it will be all about repairing and beautifying clothes as a communal activity. Materials are often provided, as are snacks and drinks, as well as information about garments and the garment industry. Clothes can also be swapped. Detailed information about what is happening in individual cities and where one can swap clothes, repair them, participate in discussions and learn more can be found in the 'Events' section of the Fashion Revolution website. Fashion companies offer repair services Fashion companies have also realised that it is more sustainable to offer repairs for the garments they produce than to bombard customers with ever-increasing quantities of new goods. Just yesterday, for example, Hamburg-based fashion group Tom Tailor announced a partnership with Dutch repair platform Mended, and resale platform Vestiaire Collective has been collaborating with the repair and alteration platform Sojo since June of last year to provide Vestiaire customers with access to tailoring and repair services. Swedish slow fashion brand Asket, British footwear brand Dr. Martens and outerwear specialist Patagonia all offer repair services. Even clothing retailers with great ambitions for worldwide market penetration such as Decathlon and Uniqlo, are now focusing on repairs: Decathlon through repair workshops in stores and Uniqlo through its Studios, which offer repair, alteration and donation options.
