People have been mending for millennia, but only now is the art form gaining notable traction within the fashion industry.
Sewing, crocheting and patchworking, examples of the applied arts, exist to maintain the wearability of clothing. Once considered purely functional, the act of repairing one’s clothes has now taken on a whole new sartorial cachet thanks to brands introducing repair services in their workshops and stores.
Household names such as Levi’s and Patagonia have set up in-store services for customers to send in their preloved items for repair. Thanks to a boom in consumer interest in sustainability, there has been an increased demand for clothing repair services, which is slowly but surely sparking a knock-on effect among fast fashion brands.
In response to mounting pressure to better their environmental records, brands such as H&M, Uniqlo and Zara are due to establish their own repair services for damaged garments. While we can still be sceptical that such actions will ever be effectively put into place, the fact that words like repair are now part of the discussion is a small step in the right direction.
Orsola De Castro, co-founder of Fashion Revolution and author of mending bible Loved Clothes Last, is one of the key figures promoting re-wearing and repairing in today’s age of polluting fast fashion. De Castro says: “Thinking longevity is way more important than thinking circular when it comes to the clothes that we wear. Circular thinking would define an industry. Thinking longevity is what makes you love the clothes that you’ve got. There are lots of things you can do with literally one snip of a scissor. Make two pieces out of one dress with just a cut. The whole point is to try. You can play with your clothes. You can see your wardrobe as a massive dressing-up box.”
De Castro’s message has been embraced by millions on social media. The hashtag #crochetforeginners has amassed approximately 330 million hits on TikTok, while #clothingrepair has 33 million.
Of course, not everyone has the skills to mend their own clothes at home. Hence, why these brands exist and also why dry cleaners are so useful. Most operate in-store mending services, meaning there is no reason to discard when someone else can revitalise.
If you want to curate a sustainable and cherishable wardrobe to last the years, discover the best brands that offer repair services below. After all, as De Castro says, “broken is beautiful” and damage allows us to play with our beloved apparel.
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Levi’s
Levi’s has several Tailor Shops worldwide, dotted across London, Manchester and Glasgow, which primarily focus on customisation.
The beloved denim brand showcases online DIY Style guides for customers, teaching them how to repair and upcycle their clothing. Such guides include how to paint camo print, how to crop a jean jacket, how to create a new wallet from scrap denim and how to tie-dye old T-shirts.
Visit Levi’s’ repair page here.
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AllSaints
AllSaints has recently announced its brand new sustainability scheme titled ‘Repair Rewear’. The circular initiative offers repair services for customers and includes leather (a material intertwined with the brand’s DNA), replacement of lost buttons, fastenings, studs and zip pulls, in addition to fixing buckles and belt loops.
Executed by the in-house team, the initiative is set to encourage AllSaints shoppers to cherish their items for longer. The service is free of charge for the first three months (until the end of August 2024) after which a small fee will be charged, depending on the type of repair needed.
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Fiorucci
Like Levi’s, Fiorucci also focuses on customisation. However this isn’t to say the brand doesn’t offer repair and mending services, you just have to get creative with it.
Visit the Fiorucci flagship store in Soho, and you’ll find a customisation station located at the back of the first floor. Here, you can have your Fiorucci pieces customised with badges, patches, prints and embroidery. Do you have a snag or tear you want covered? Patch it up with a retro Fioucci bag and nobody will ever know.
Visit the Fiorucci customisation page here.
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Fanfare The Label
Fanfare The Label is a self-professed conscious denim brand revolutionising the way shoppers perceive circular fashion. Founded in 2019 by Esther Knight, the award-winning London-based brand designs denim pieces to last a lifetime.
The brand has an in-store repair service, although it also offers a lifetime promise on all clothing so hopefully damage is a rarity. Fanfare has established an upcycling initiative for denim products such as pre-loved jeans, which allows the brand to revamp and reinvent them into unique one-of-a-kind pieces.
Visit Fanfare The Label’s repair page here.
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Patagonia
Patagonia’s stats speak for themselves. The sustainable brand repairs approximately 17,000 products a year, including both old and new Patagonia products. The Patagonia team introduced its Worn Wear Truck in 2013, which travels across Europe for events and acts as a repair hut for customers to visit.
For quick fixes such as small holes or tears, customers can repair the damage themselves at home with Patagonia’s Worn Wear Patch Kit. For larger areas of damage, the product can be sent to the Patagonia team for assessment. The repair specialists will match the materials used for your repair as closely as possible to your item, however, exact matches aren’t always guaranteed. But this is no bad thing, as an everyday Patagonia piece can be elevated with a contrasting panel or patch to make it really stand out. The repair process typically takes 4-6 weeks.
Visit Patagonia’s repair page here.
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Arc’teryx
Canadian brand Arc’teryx makes it easy for its customers to repair and rewear their old items. To use the service, find the product service request online and upload some images of the damaged garment that is covered under the brand’s Limited Warranty. The item can then be sent to the Arc’teryx team, who will repair clothing and equipment for future use.
Visit Arc’teryx’s repair page here.
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Schöffel
Schöffel is an outdoor label that calls on 15 seamstresses for its The Schöffel Service Factory. The brand offers product advice and modifications, with repairs taking just five speedy days to be returned to the customer. Package up your products and send them to the company for a fee and voilà, new and improved clothes are sent back to be worn for years to come.
In addition to Schöffel Outdoor, Schöffel Country also offers a repair service via a third party. If the the item is within the 2 year warranty period, Schöffel Country covers the cost of the repair. Any minor repairs for items in warranty such as a zip puller or popper Schöffel Country repairs in-house.
Visit Schöffel’s repair page here.
Buy now, Schöffel
Nudie Jeans
Inside each Nudie Jeans store is a repair shop to revamp damaged denim pieces. The Swedish label offers a free - that’s right free - repair service in-store. If you don’t live near a store, you can use the travelling mobile repair station which operates via the schedule online.
Free repair kits are available for members who live inside the EU, meaning you can mend your jeans at home with ease. You can also trade in any unwanted pair of Nudie Jeans bought from any website and get a 20 per discount on a new pair. Result!
Visit Nudie Jeans’ repair page here.
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Jack Wolfskin
Activewear pieces are highly likely to be damaged during outdoor adventures. Jack Wolfskin understands this and offers a three-step repair process courtesy of 25 in-house tailors. Simply return your product to any Jack Wolfskin store and expect a professional repair within two weeks.
Collect your new and improved product and there you have it, updated gear for upcoming escapades. The brand will repair damage big or small, from tears to broken snap fasteners and worn-out velcro.
Visit Jack Wolfskin’s repair page here.
Buy now, Jack Wolfskin
Aligne
Aligne has partnered with clothing and alterations platform SOJO to offer repair services directly to customers. These services include bespoke tailoring and repairs on a selection of Aligne items, whether you’re buying them new or they’re already in your wardrobe.
Simply book your service online and allow the SOJO team to get to work.
Visit Aligne’s repair page here.
Ganni
Ganni has also partnered with SOJO to offer free repairs and alterations. The It-girl label encourages customers to love their Ganni garments for longer, and you can do so by selecting a repair service from the list on the website. SOJO will then revamp your piece and return via door-to-door collection. It couldn’t be easier.
Visit Ganni’s repair page here
