We all have them: favorite clothes that we want to last longer. Some might have holes, others have lost their shape and some might just feel a little out of date. Darning and patching of clothes is problem solving that involves a creative challenge. To mend can become a fun and interesting craft project at the same time as old clothes are being salvaged, maybe with a new attitude or other qualities that give them a new role in the wardrobe.
Katarina Brieditis
We produce more clothes than we need, we buy more clothes than we need and we throw away more clothes than we have to. It doesn’t have to be that way. By giving our existing clothes some time and love we can continue wearing them rather than throwing them away. The pile of clothes that need mending gets a new value, it’s no longer a chore and a task, but an exciting crafts project where you can add a personal touch to garments. The most sustainable clothes in your wardrobe is the one that is already there.
Katarina Evans
These quotes are from a Q&A about “why we mend” with Selvedge magazine, August 2021. The two Katrinias are textile designers from Sweden: www.brieditis-evans.se/en-GB/about.
The practice of mending has been getting a lot of media attention lately. There are articles, books, videos, workshops all about how to mend and the new approach – visible mending. The August 2021 issue of Selvedge is completely dedicated to the craft of mending.
Mending of course has a long history. It used to be that fabric was all hand woven and therefore of great value. People didn’t have an array of clothing hanging in their closets so taking good care of what they did have was essential. In more recent history, such as The Depression of the 1930s and WWII, clothing was expensive and not all that easy to find even if one did have the money. Women remade suits, hemmed dresses, and darned many a pair of stockings and socks. But then in the 1950s manufacturing increased, inexpensive manmade fabrics hit the market, and the price of clothing decreased. Soon we were a throwaway society and no one had any idea how to darn a sock.
Today we are facing climate change and the fact that the fashion industry is one of the biggest contributors to the destruction of our planet. People, even fashionable ones, are rethinking their closets and figuring out that a little mending is what’s truly fashionable.
Check the label for natural fibers – blended fibers break down more quickly. Check the stitching is secure and straight – holes are better avoided than repaired. Check that patterns match at the seams. Check the garment comes with spare buttons- you may be thankful for this later. Avoid over-washing and air dry rather than tumble dry, as the lint you take out of the dryer is actually your clothes disintegrating. Ask someone to teach you how to sew on a button and darn a hole to extend the life of your clothes.
OverDressed for Life 