Visible mending is spreading from hobby crafters and community workshops into major clothing brands, according to a BBC Business report. Fashion retailers including Levi's, Uniqlo and Primark are now offering repair services or workshops, and some brands are selling stitched or patched garments.
Alice Brown, a 27-year-old forest ranger from Lincolnshire, has built a following online by needle-felting animals and insects over holes and stains. She says she sees damaged clothing as a challenge. Jayne Eagle, who runs workshops in Brighton, calls repair an "act of rebellion" against fast fashion. She links the revival to a backlash against overproduction and its pollution, carbon emissions, water use and poor labour conditions. She dates the trend's rise to about six years ago.
Retailers are taking different approaches. Uniqlo's head of sustainability, Maria Ledous, says the brand wants to help customers extend the life of their clothes. Uniqlo offers decorative mending using Sashiko techniques. Primark's longevity lead, Vicki Swain, says affordability and durability should not be opposites. Outdoor brand Finisterre says about a fifth of its mends are designed to be eye-catching. Toast says about a third of its customers choose that option.
Levi's is rolling out a workshop programme this year. The company says its research shows younger customers want to repair more but do not know how. For now, its workshops focus on traditional mending, such as sewing on a button, rather than visible repairs. Some younger participants at a London launch event said they would rather hide repairs. Paul Dillinger, Levi's head of global design innovation, argues that more creative repairs will appeal to customers as they build skills.