Part 2 of the Spotlight Series on Textile Repair & Waste Reduction
Prologue: how I became interested in textile repair
If you’re a millennial (like me) or younger - how confident are you with repairing and altering your clothes? When I moved from China to Canada in 2010, my mom had the foresight to get me a little sewing kit and a tiny tupperware for replacement buttons.
I neglected this humble duo for nearly a decade, until one fateful day, a button fell off my favourite shirt. It feels ridiculous to admit now, but I felt like such a proper adult when I finally sewed the button back on neatly (as opposed to my past attempts of criss-crossing a bunch of threads and hoping it holds). And yes, I did show it off to my Mom who was equal parts ashamed and proud of my “achievement”.
Since then, with the help of various online tutorials, I learned to do basic DIY repairs, like mending holes and tears, replacing/reinforcing buttons, and adding patches. Although I haven’t tracked the sturdiness of my own repairs, studies have shown that on average, a good repair can add 1.3 years to the life of a beloved garment.
My humble 14-year-old sewing kit next to a cool repair guide I found at a local street library
Learning basic repair skills has also widened my options at charity and thrift shops. A recent waste audit by researchers from Seneca College found that nearly 40% of what we throw out can be reused with some light repair. My personal experience echoes this observation. I love treasure-hunting in charity shops, and I’ve come across many high-quality pieces with only minor imperfections like missing buttons or small tears at the seams. The old me would put them back on the racks with a heavy sigh. But now, I know that many of these issues have simple fixes. When I look at my wardrobe now, some of my most cherished pieces once involved repairs.
A partial selection of DIY repairs in my wardrobe
Despite my small but mighty sewing kit, I’ve often had to turn to professional seamstresses/tailors for more complicated tasks like:
Taking a hem up or down (a common occurrence for me since I have short legs)
Altering the fit of trousers (especially for thrifted and vintage pieces)
Altering the fit of dresses (e.g. shortening dress straps, adjusting side/back splits
Sewing back and reinforcing belt loops (e.g. on trousers, dresses and coats)
Closing long tears along the seams/in the fabric (the most common one for me is ripped armpits on tops and jackets, but I’ve also taken leather gloves with open stitching to the clothes doctors)
Fix/replace zippers
Replacing blazer linings (this is a very time consuming step and therefore one of the most expensive repairs I’ve paid for - reserved for truly treasured pieces!)
The examples above are mostly about discrete/almost invisible repairs. However, repairs can also be a visible feature. In fact, fun and expressive forms of repair such as visible mending have seen a recent resurgence. I highly recommend this Life Kit episode by NPR if you’d like to learn more about this positive trend!
This summer, I started participating in in-person mending events to learn from, and speak to, the repair experts. Some menders are full-time professionals in sewing and fashion design, while others are seasoned hobbists. For example, the monthly initiative Mending.Night brings together a community of designers and professionals volunteering their time fix items or teach mending for free. The initiative sets out a template for community-building around shared value and interest in reducing waste, and has already sprouted mutiple chapters outside of Montreal. For me, it has also been a great way to meet new people and enjoy some fun conversations.
Earlier this year, I also participated in a clothing swap and repair session at my alma mater McGill, organized by Research & Sustainability Network (@RSN McGill). I learned how to use hand darning to reweave the fabrics over the moth holes in my sweater from the wonderful musician / sewing enthusiast Sophie Lane (@sophielanemusic). I also loved seeing so many students interested in learning about repair.
Items rescued thanks to the repair community!
At these mending events, I often heard comments like “I didn’t realize it’s this easy to fix holes” or “I’ve never seen someone sew”. It highlighted to me how repair has become a mostly forgotten skill. When I had the chance to chat with Helen Elizabeth Frank, the talented sewist behind HelenMends, she expanded on the potential reasons why people aren't tapping into the full potential of repair:
"Some customers don't fully understand what repairs are possible, for example they might not realize that buttons can be easily replaced.
There's also the point of social stigma, I want to provide a different possibility of looking at repair as taking care of things instead of it being associated with poverty."
Helen also commented on the different motivations for people to visit a professional repair service: "Some people are true zero-wasters and would bring items on its last legs, in those cases I might recommend repurposing the fabric into something else like cushions if repair is not feasible or worthwhile because it will break again soon. Some people know how to repair clothes themselves but may prefer to have it done professionally to save time."
When I brought up the notion of clothing repair being perceived as “women’s work", Helen added that: "I noticed that there is a tendency for guys to hold on to wardrobe staples for longer and they often ask me to extend the life of their well-worn items."
So there you have it - repairing clothes is practical, economical, creative, rewarding - it’s got something in store for everyone! In summary:
Step 1: learn to sew a button.
Step 2: learn to fix a small hole/rip
Step 3: check out if there's a mending event/service near you on the MTL Map of Repair to level up!
Why isn’t repair more mainstream?
Despite the variety of motivations I described above, there exists many barriers that are hindering the uptake of repair solutions. Many researchers have delved into this issue and here are some common barriers - see if you can relate:
Common barriers highlighted by research across North America, EU and UK.
Recently, there have been many encouraging developments around the world, ranging from more media coverage on repair, to successful partnerships between repair businesses and fashion brands, as well as policymakers creating new incentives for local repair. I can’t possibly recount them all (I had SO MANY browser tabs open), but I want to share a few of my favourite findings:
Make repairs look awesome (sometimes magical): For some ultimate repair therapy, I follow a few repair specialists on Instagram, like @alexandrabrinck, @visible_creative_mending, @therestory, and @the.seam.uk, to name just a few.
Make repairs more affordable: The Amsterdam City Pass for lower income households offers a 40% discount on clothing repairs from participating shops. Meanwhile, residents of France are eligible for a direct discount ranging from 7€ to 25€ for resoling shoes or mending clothes from a network of shops registered at the organization Re_Fashion.
Make repairs part of the local economy: Many of us are familiar with the neighbourhood small tailor shops or dry cleaners that also offer repair/alteration services. There exists another style of repair businesses that act as platforms connecting individual consumers and interested brands/retailers with local talents (e.g. UK-based SOJO and TheSeam, and Berlin-based Repair Rebels). What’s more, repair businesses like United Repair Centre (locations in Amsterdam and London) directly create local jobs on a large scale, by providing free training and guaranteeing a job upon completion to marginalized communities.
Make repairs part of the business model: Vogue compiled a global guide to repair - search your favorite clothing/footwear/jewelry brand on this page, and you may find that they offer repair services! You probably won’t be surprised to see that it is typically the higher-end brands who are offering repair services, given the higher costs and more complicated logistics involved.
Resellers are also starting to explore repair as a way to rescue more wearable clothing and improve the resale potential of certain high-value but well-worn items. For instance, the California Product Stewardship Council launched a textile repair pilot project in San Francisco, in collaboration with Goodwill and many other local partners.
The project highlighted that a trained eye - i.e. knowledge about how clothes are put together - is critical to evaluating whether it is technically feasible or financially viable to repair or redesign a piece of clothing. In fact, the data collected from this project reflected many barriers showcased above. In this project webinar, the team specifically highlighted challenges like training and technology for identifying higher-quality materials and segregating high-value brands, the complexity of repair and high cost per garment, and transportation and storage costs. As of May 2023, more than 700 pieces of repaired/redesigned clothing found a new home. For resellers, this represents a great opportunity to increase revenue by selling repaired items and divert even more textiles from landfills. For consumers, this goes to show that our decisions to repair and care for clothing can go a long way.
So, how much does it cost?
It is reasonable to weight the price of repair against the price of buying new (remember to factor in quality and durability in this equation). If you’re unsure about the price of repair, I’ve compiled an approximate price chart for common types of repair based on online sources and my payment history.
Repair work takes time, and depending on the complexity of your order, the turnaround time can vary. It’s always better to call up or visit with your item to get an exact quote. The following price information is gathered from various Canadian sources, including Altération Villeray (Montreal), Helen Mends (Montreal), L’Atelier Rosement (Montreal), Stitches Tailor Shop (Edmonton), and Perfect Fit For You (Toronto); plus additional references on the estimated time of a given task from Sew Guide and Sewing Society, ShunVogue and various other online posts on sewing and tailoring.
October is Canada's Circular Economy Month, and waste reduction is one of the focus areas. I hope that my personal journey from a repair newbie to enthusiast convinced you that everyone can learn and benefit from repairing instead of trashing our clothes! The wider team at Net Impact Montreal would also love to hear your repair stories and thoughts on the drivers/barriers/costs of repair - reach us at vivianweijia.s@netimpactmtl.org!
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