The Repair Approach to Decreasing Fashion’s Impact

The options after the clothing gets sold

Resale tends to get the most attention when it comes to extending the life of a clothing item after it’s been out in the world and someone wants to get rid of it. Give it a new life. But what about the clothing that nobody seems to want because there’s a hole in it or the clothing that somebody doesn’t want to get rid of for sentimental reasons but it’s falling apart? When a clothing item has really seen the last of its life or sometimes before then, recycling is an option. But what about repairs? The repair industry has been on the rise, almost in conjunction with the rise of resale and the clothing care industry, but it has some barriers to entry that have kept it from seeping into the general populations’ clothing care mindset. 

The Barriers

Repairs require a consumer’s desire to invest in the repair (both time and money), a skilled mender to complete the repair, and a way of connecting the consumer to the mender. There are three main barriers that have kept repairs at bay, it is costly both for the consumer and the producer. If the consumer didn’t invest that much in their clothing item to begin with, then there would be less of a desire to go forward with a repair; alternatively, if the cost is so high that it is entirely prohibitive or akin to buying an entirely new piece. A second issue is that there’s a finite number of people with the skills necessary to make repairs. Finally, there’s difficulty around scaling the services of repair since they require very specific logistics—a unique clothing item goes from owner of the clothing to repair service and back. This can be difficult to do when big brands try to repair their clothing across the globe or when small brands don’t have the space or the reach to provide local services to their customers. 

The Innovations to Tackle the Repair Barriers

There are different ways of approaching each of these barriers but certainly the desire is there as funding for repair startups is robust and businesses push for repair and alteration services. Ultimately the culture of clothing returns is a huge cost for businesses, so there are motivations beyond the sustainability factor for a brand to ensure consumers love their clothing when they buy and repair services keep customers happy and returning. 

There’s an app that connects its users to local tailors, Sojo, and an app that provides on-demand clothing care services, Save Your Wardrobe. While these apps are looking to connect, there is yet another approach that means the clothing mender and the clothing owner connect directly or through brands instead of apps. For example, Denim Privé is a denim producer that held a mending workshop led by repair designer Pey Van Der Wel from Sashikodenim. Sashikodenim uses a traditional Japanese mending technique called ‘sashiko’ to repair jeans. This is all done by hand, one stitch at a time. Pey works on denim directly from users looking for a wearable piece of art. Elevating a favourite pair of denim to art extends its life not just because of the repair but because of the care and emotional investment that the owner starts to take with it. In an interview with Denim Privé, Pey showcased a pair of denim that had over 40 unique repairs on it in different designs and washes. It’s the work of small businesses like Sashikodenim led by artisans like Pey who aren’t looking to expand so much as educate the consumer on how to maybe repair their clothing themselves or at least view their clothing differently. 

Repair Don’t Replace

The name of the game is less waste and repairs is a burgeoning option in the sustainable fashion industry. Whether a big brand, a small brand, a producer, or a consumer, there are several options to evolve the clothing we already have along with us.