thefutureoffashion

Repairing Your Clothes: the Future of Fashion

Reading Time: 3 minutes

What happens in a society that makes common sense revolutionary?


In a world where speed defines everything – fast living, fast fashion, and a buy-and-discard mentality – repairing your clothes, taking the time to mend a tear or patch a hole feels almost rebellious. It’s an act of care for your clothes and a gesture of respect toward the environment. But how did we get here? Why does something as simple as repairing clothes, once considered common sense, now feel like a radical act?

Repairing garments isn’t new. It’s been a fundamental part of human life for centuries. Clothing was once valued, made to last, and cared for. People took pride in their ability to prolong the life of what they owned. This wasn’t revolutionary – it was practical. Yet, today, what was once common practice has become radical. What happened?

The shift from repair to replace


The answer lies in the seismic shift from a culture of quality and longevity to one of cheap, disposable goods. Today’s products, especially in fashion, aren’t designed to last. Quality has become a marketing illusion, displayed in glossy advertising but rarely found in the garments themselves. The reality is quite different: overproduction at the expense of labour and the planet, cheap materials, and an endless cycle of overconsumption.

Industries thrive on our desire for instant gratification, conditioning us to constantly seek something new, rather than appreciating what we already own. Garments are produced so cheaply that we’re encouraged to replace them, not repair them. And even if we wanted to, the poor quality of most clothing makes proper repair nearly impossible. This is no accident – it’s the system at work.

The lost art of clothing repair


In this era of fast fashion and superficiality, the knowledge of how to repair clothing has faded. The skills once passeddown through generations, the time it took to mend and care for garments, have largely disappeared. We’ve lost touch with quality, and with it, the appreciation for artisanal craftsmanship.

But there’s power in reclaiming this lost art. Repairing your own clothes – even through creative acts like embroidery or transforming a garment’s shape – can be a deeply empowering experience. It allows you to take control of your wardrobe, customize your pieces, and express your unique style. In a sea of mass-produced sameness, mending becomes an act of individuality.

Why common sense feels revolutionary now


Why does repairing a simple tear feel revolutionary today? It’s because we’ve lost more than just the skill of mending; we’ve lost touch with the values that made such actions second nature. We’ve become disconnected from a meaningful, sustainable way of living, caught in the rush of overconsumption. We’ve lost our sense of balance with nature and with time itself.

But as the climate crisis deepens, more and more people are beginning to reconsider. A shift is happening. Repairing, recycling, and reusing – what once seemed outdated – are becoming vital again. Common sense is making a comeback, not because it’s trendy, but because it’s necessary. And in a world built on the logic of waste, common sense has become revolutionary.

Choosing quality, choosing repair


The truth is, you can’t repair what was made to be discarded. Fast fashion’s low-quality garments aren’t worth the effort. Choosing to repair your clothes means first choosing to invest in quality, in pieces that are worth mending. It means supporting brands that prioritize craftsmanship and durability over fleeting trends.

In the end, repairing your clothes isn’t just about sustainability – it’s about taking back control of a system that profits from our waste. It’s about returning to common sense, even if that feels revolutionary in today’s world.


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Upcycling: The Future Of Fashion

Reading Time: 2 minutes

A trend or a permanent approach towards sustainable fashion?


Upcycling seems to be the future of fashion. Indeed, this technique is one of the best opportunities to make fashion a more sustainable industry. But is it just a trend? One of the buzzwords brands use to lure attention? Or is it here to stay?

Upcycling – what does it mean?


Upcycling means taking discarded materials, re-designing and reassembling them to create a product of higher value. While recycling transforms materials into something new, which implies more resources, having a higher impact, upcycling starts with existing materials, resulting in a lower impact. Therefore, this practice represents a pattern of circularity, the heart of sustainable fashion.

A personal note: family tradition


For us, daughters of a seamstress so passionate about making clothes that she even finished buttonholes by hand, it’s not a novelty. Since we were children, we’ve had familiarity with collecting buttons, zippers, and fabrics. Pieces from existing garments that mom would reshape to make something else: beautiful clothes for special occasions or garments and accessories for daily life. Our school bags and pencil case made of deadstock denim were fantastic.

upcycling

Upcycling, background notes


A memorable example of upcycling comes from the movie industry. Rossella O’Hara’s dress, made from curtains in “Gone with the wind”, belongs to our collective imagery.

Many blogs attribute the “upcycling discovery” to this or that designer for a promotional purpose. But we cannot avoid mentioning Mr Martin Margiela. Since the beginning, his aesthetic mastered the deconstruction and reinvention of found garments, culminating in 2006 when Maison Martin Margiela Artisanal was born.

On the same line, we mention Marc Le Bihan. A big part of his work consists in searching for vintage garments, deconstructing and reconstructing them. He upcycled military uniforms from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, reshaping them into modern pieces. With Swedish pants, he created a coat; with military pull, a gilet; and with smoking pants, a long skirt. Also, he created pieces with postal bags made of heavy linen for a catwalk.

Among young designers, Marine Serre’s creativity stands out. Indeed she is doing a great job with upcycling.

By exploring fashion history, we can see that upcycling is nothing new. But what brought it to the centre of attention was the pandemic, which spread a do-it-yourself trend among young people. Most importantly, it favoured the diffusion of particular attention towards sustainable fashion.

Nowadays, many famous brands ride the wave to stay popular. Though advisable to become sustainable, a fashion industry that almost entirely revolves around upcycled garments is hard to imagine.

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