One of the things I love about mending clothes is that the damage is always going to be unique to you depending on how and where you wear your clothes, whether you’re clumsy, how old they are or even whether the moths have had a feast (they always create their own solar system of holes!
This keeps mending a creative challenge for me that is very fulfilling, but it also raises its own issues along the way. One of the hardest things to work out when I set up my repair service was how I could explain and offer a range of different mending techniques all in a vaguely cohesive pricing structure even though I knew every photo of a garment I'd be sent may require a different approach.
It’s taken a few years to hone in on but I now have a set up that works really well for the kinds of repairs I take on. Knitwear repairs are my favourites to work on but I also love the creative outlet that denim and woven mends offer too.
If you’d like to get in touch about a well loved garment in need of repair you can fill out my repair service form and we can then chat through your options.
If you’re completely new to the idea of having your clothes repaired (especially in a visible way) then it can be really daunting to imagine how your clothes will look post mend. It’s important to understand that once there’s a hole or a tear in fabric, it’s almost impossible to erase that, and so visible mending acts as a way to turn that damage into a creative and intentional scar - one that adds to the character of the clothing whilst acknowledging that it is no longer the brand new item it once was.
These mends can be totally unique to you just as the damage was; whether it’s by picking your favourite colours for the stitching or by drawing attention to a moment in time that you want to remember. For example this year I have taken on a handful of garments from different people that were damaged by their dogs and for me these mends tell such a great story. A sentiment I come back to again and again is that these mends act as a way for us to turn our clothing into a scrapbook of our lives.
