55 Pics Showing How Skillfully People Mend Their Clothes, As Shared In This Online Group Interview

The group has 63.5k users who share how they mend their clothes using various techniques. Some of these people tried it for the very first time, encouraging others who might think that they don’t know how to do it or don’t have the means for it to re-think this option.

During the quarantine, a lot of people started looking for new interesting activities and hobbies, and repairing your clothes (and other stuff too) was one of those discovered hobbies. At first, it might seem that it takes a lot of time, as you have to know and master a lot of different techniques such as sewing, crocheting, embroidery, etc., but people who started doing this have shared a few tips and tricks that prove how fun it is to do something by yourself.

In one of her interviews, Orsola de Castro, who is the co-founder of Fashion Revolution and the author of the book Loved Clothes Last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act, shared why it’s important to fix your clothes instead of throwing them away and also gives insights on how and where to start. We’ve gotten used to being able to buy a lot of clothes for a small price, wear them for a little while and then throw them away. Why should we put effort into repairing something when we can get the same thing new? 

To make and produce clothing takes a lot of environmental resources. And the product that we get soon goes in the trash, which pollutes the environment even more. What de Castro suggests is that we should at least try to extend the “life” of these clothes. It’s totally okay if you’re not into arts and crafts. Finding the technique that is close to your heart and mastering it can take time, but surely pays off later.

Bored Panda also contacted de Castro to get a few insights on the matter. She agreed that more people now try to fix their clothes and added that in some places of the world, such as India and Africa, doing so is a normal practice that allows wearing the item as long as possible. The sustainable fashion activist noted that “we’ve been somehow bombarded with cheap clothing and with the narrative that says cheap clothing shouldn’t be repaired, that we may as well throw them away, which is a very very dangerous narrative considering how much cheap clothing are in stores.” She also added that what we really need is “cheap repairs in cheap fashion stores.”

These days, sustainability is one of the most accentuated aspects in the fashion industry. However, such important topics can soon become a trend that later goes away. We asked the activist what motivates people to fix their clothes: understanding the consequences of our own actions or this thing being another trend? She agreed that people could be encouraged for both reasons, but the most important thing to take into account is that “it’s integrated back into our culture.”

Changing one’s habits for the better is crucial as well as hard. Having this in mind, de Castro shared her advice on where to start to feel less overwhelmed: “Follow your instincts first and then look inside your wardrobe and make a start from there. Everything we wear should have a purpose and everything we buy should be bought because we really engage with it, not just because it’s there.”

We could say that clothes are only there for our comfort, but for some, it is a great way to express oneself. This is why the activist suggests digging deeper and trying to understand what is important for you as an individual: “It could be social issues and topics, it could be more environmental issues and topics, but without the knowledge to know what questions to ask, it’s going to get difficult to get the right answers.”

To fix things means that you have to have some additional supplies to do it with. People who have already taken a shot at mending clothes share that the best thing is to start with small “projects” and use what you have at home. Once you have more experience, you’ll be able to hop on bigger and more intricate pieces.