Sustainability in the fashion industry has seen significant changes in recent years, but the focus has largely been on the production and consumption of sustainable fashion items like an organic cotton T-shirt. But brands are also starting to offer circularity services such as repair, recycle, and resell to hopefully encourage consumers to find new ways to implement sustainable practices, which don’t require the purchase of new garments.
Throughout the next few weeks The Carbon Closet will run a blog series diving into each of these three circularity initiatives: repair, recycle, and resell. In this week’s blog the spotlight will be shined on repair – breaking down all the nitty gritty details to allow you to repair like a pro.
Repairing our clothes is a significant step in extending the lifetime of our garments. A study by WRAP, a UK textiles charity, found that 30% of people have garments in their wardrobes that they no longer use because they need to be mended. Additionally, another US survey found that the majority of people rarely or never repair their clothes.
This prompted Sojo, a UK-based repair platform, to launch the Pledge to Repair campaign, which calls for the British fashion industry to back repair and care services. Some of the brands that have already signed on include Ganni and Nanushka, both available at The Carbon Closet.
In order to contextualise how significant an impact choosing repair services has WRAP have published the following data
Now these numbers might seem intimidating and a bit overwhelming (we felt the same way), but that’s why we’re here to break down the steps you can take to engage with repair services and show you just how easy it is. Trust us, you won’t have that wool jumper with a hole laying in your wardrobe anymore!
How do repair services actually work? – A step-by-step guide:
Note: This step-by-step guide has been compiled based on what the majority of brands offer through their repair services and some brands might differ. But that is essentially how easy it is; some brands also offer in-store repairs!
And lastly, here’s a list of some brands, also available on The Carbon Closet, that offer repair services either free of charge or for a small fee. Ready to start your first repair?
Throughout the next few weeks The Carbon Closet will run a blog series diving into each of these three circularity initiatives: repair, recycle, and resell. In this week’s blog the spotlight will be shined on repair – breaking down all the nitty gritty details to allow you to repair like a pro.
Repairing our clothes is a significant step in extending the lifetime of our garments. A study by WRAP, a UK textiles charity, found that 30% of people have garments in their wardrobes that they no longer use because they need to be mended. Additionally, another US survey found that the majority of people rarely or never repair their clothes.
This prompted Sojo, a UK-based repair platform, to launch the Pledge to Repair campaign, which calls for the British fashion industry to back repair and care services. Some of the brands that have already signed on include Ganni and Nanushka, both available at The Carbon Closet.
In order to contextualise how significant an impact choosing repair services has WRAP have published the following data
- For every 5 items repaired, 4 displace a new purchase
- Repairing one cotton T-shirt instead of buying a brand new one could save over 7.5kg CO2e, equivalent to ironing for 25 hours
- Repairing a hole in your favourite wool jumper instead of buying a new one could save over 16kg CO2e, equivalent to leaving a standard(60W) lightbulb on for over 50 days
- Repairing a rip in your waterproof jacket instead of buying a new one could save over 45kg CO2e, equivalent of running almost 300 washing cycles
Now these numbers might seem intimidating and a bit overwhelming (we felt the same way), but that’s why we’re here to break down the steps you can take to engage with repair services and show you just how easy it is. Trust us, you won’t have that wool jumper with a hole laying in your wardrobe anymore!
How do repair services actually work? – A step-by-step guide:
- Describe what’s wrong with your item – the repair team then evaluates how to repair the garment
- Send off your damaged item to the brand for repair
- The brand fixes the garment
- The repaired item is returned to you as good as new!
Note: This step-by-step guide has been compiled based on what the majority of brands offer through their repair services and some brands might differ. But that is essentially how easy it is; some brands also offer in-store repairs!
And lastly, here’s a list of some brands, also available on The Carbon Closet, that offer repair services either free of charge or for a small fee. Ready to start your first repair?
- Ganni partnered with Sojo
- Patagonia
- Nanushka partnered with Sojo
- Reformation
- Stella McCartney
- Omnes partnered with The Seam
- Albaray partnered with Sojo
- Sojo – for any type of repair if your favourite brands don’t offer it
Ready to give your wardrobe a second life?
Don’t let a rip or broken zipper send your clothes to the back of the closet. Repairing instead of replacing saves money, cuts carbon emissions, and keeps your style sustainable.
Start today: choose one item to mend and explore repair services from The Carbon Closet brands like Ganni, Patagonia, or Nanushka.
Sign up to our newsletter or visit our website for more tips and tricks.
Every repair is a step toward a more sustainable future, one stitch at a time.
Don’t let a rip or broken zipper send your clothes to the back of the closet. Repairing instead of replacing saves money, cuts carbon emissions, and keeps your style sustainable.
Start today: choose one item to mend and explore repair services from The Carbon Closet brands like Ganni, Patagonia, or Nanushka.
Sign up to our newsletter or visit our website for more tips and tricks.
Every repair is a step toward a more sustainable future, one stitch at a time.
