Fashion keeps on changing. To keep up with the trend, brands have accelerated mass-production of cheap and disposable clothing that is resulting into growth of ‘throwaway culture’. Brands launch countless collections every season, making people feel out-of-date and driving them to buy more. Fashion trends can make people forget the impact of fashion on the environment.
According to a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for a global population of eight billion people, approximately 19 items of clothing are produced per year. But the less-known issue is that emissions are generated during the entire lifecycle of clothes. There is a current trend to buy more clothing and wear it less often.
Management consultant McKinsey’s Fashion on Climate report highlights that approximately 20 per cent of these emissions is produced from the way we wash, dry, and maintain our clothes. Marine Pollution Bulletin published research that found for a wash load of six kilograms, 700,000 microfibers can be released in our waterways.
In spite of all that, 4/5 people own clothes they’ve never worn because the fit is wrong or it requires alterations. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that less than 1% of the fibres used in clothing production are recycled into new clothes. You can’t imagine what 99 percent of these garments are going to do. Despite the proliferation of clothing that is environmentally damaging, it becomes clear: The most sustainable garments are the ones already in your closet. The climate crisis can be tackled by extending the lifetime of used clothes, washing them with care, and actively repairing the garments. As per WRAP’s (Waste and Resources Action Programme) findings, extending the lifespan of a garment by mere nine months results in a significant reduction of its carbon, waste, and water footprints, each decreasing by 20-30 per cent.
The huge number of clothing items that are thrown away in landfills is proof enough that consumers often have difficulty altering or modifying their garments. The situation presents a window of opportunity to brands that are able to offer not only affordable repair services at no cost, but also design collections with the repairability of their products and circularity of clothing as primary concerns from day one. In the modern world, buying second hand clothes and repairing clothing is not seen as a sign of poor taste. These latest trends in sustainability are now considered trendy. Investors have invested millions in start-ups that offer repair services, and this coincides with an increase of companies offering these services.
Repair service is a growing trend in clothing brands
Patagonia is a California-based company which has been recognized globally for their environmental activism. In order to achieve its mission of making its clothes last for as long as they can and buying less to reduce waste, Patagonia launched its Worn Wear Programme. The programme has been part of the Patagonia’s DNA since the 1970s. It was created to help promote the responsible care of clothing, by focusing on maintenance and repair to prolong its life. More than 70 centres of repair have been opened around the globe, which annually repair over 100,000 garments. There are also a few mobile repair centers in North America that allow customers to have any clothing item repaired.
Nudie Jeans Co, a Swedish company that manufactures denim clothing and offers free repairs since 2012 is another notable brand. Free service is offered by the company for as long as denim lasts. The in-shop staff can fix any denim issue, whether it’s a broken zipper, button problem or rip. According to The Guardian, Nudie will repair 65,386 jeans pairs in 2022, sell 3,984 and collect 20,722 pairs.
Globally renowned denim brand Levi’s also has several Tailor Shops worldwide where one can get their denim repaired.
Millions of dollars have been invested in innovators like Sojo, The Restory and The Clothes Doctor. Investors have also invested millions in innovators such as Sojo, The Restory, The Clothes Doctor and The Seam. They recognize that facilitating repairs is easier when they establish networks of expert craftspeople. This allows them to contact experts to fix their clothes. Sojo, a London-based app that provides convenient clothing repairs and alterations to your door via an app. The app connects people with tailors in their area and provides a pick-up/delivery option to help make getting clothes fixed or altered a smooth process. It offers the same repair service and aftercare but focuses on luxury handbags and shoes by working with Selfridges and Farfetch.
The Seam markets itself as people’s ‘Digital Wardrobe’. Also, it offers scaled-up garment care and repairs. The online restoration service has partnered with Net-a-Porter Mr Porter, The Outnet and Net-a-Porter to provide repair services. The company’s main goal is to prolong the life span of luxury items. It offers a variety of services, including clothing repairs and customisations as well as care and restoration for shoes, handbags and jewelry.
Fast fashion brands are also offering more and more repair services. Zara has recently launched its newest repair initiative and Uniqlo established a New York repair hub.
Offering repair and alteration services allows fashion brands to create deeper relationships with customers, and gain a better understanding of how consumers use their clothing. This allows for the creation of meaningful relationships with customers and a better understanding of how they interact with their clothing. Fashion companies are shifting their focus away from the latest trends to promote the qualities of quality, durability, long-term use, and care. The transition of business models is still far from complete. Consumers will need to be more confident about repairing clothes instead of throwing them away.