What prevents people repairing clothes? An investigation into community-based approaches to sustainable product service systems for clothing repair

Abstract

This paper explores how we might reinvigorate community-based approaches to the repair of clothing and garments and examines the potential roles for online and offline activities to facilitate knowledge exchange, build communities and develop new repair processes and strategies.

Until the mid 20th century in Western society cloth was considered to be a valuable commodity and clothes were regularly maintained and repaired to prolong garment use. Today the value attributed to clothing has dramatically changed and the practice of repairing or altering clothing has largely disappeared. While there is renewed interest in the creative potential of mending or altering garments amongst the online and offline craft communities, within mainstream society damaged clothing is typically discarded to landfill rather than repaired. Drawing on the findings of an empirical study conducted by an interdisciplinary team of researchers at Sheffield Hallam University this paper discusses what is needed to encourage and support people to engage in clothing repair.

The repair and alteration of clothing had been practised for generations, both in an industry context and in the home. But within two or three generations the culture of repairing and altering clothes has largely disappeared as the fashion industry has increased the availability of inexpensive, mass-produced ready-to-wear clothing. The fast fashion garments that are readily available in every UK high street are often rarely worn and quickly discarded, which has important implications for the environment and society. It is estimated that each year a consumer will contribute as much as 30kg of clothing and textile waste to UK landfills (Allwood, Laursen, Malvido de Rodriguez & Bocken 2006). While textile waste could be reduced if users engaged with repair activities, the attraction of new and relatively cheap clothing tends to incapacitate this engagement.

Fisher, Cooper, Woodward, Hiller & Gorowek (2008) argue that another possible reason for this disengagement is a lack of technical ability and skill. Aside from sewing on buttons or stitching up hems there is little evidence of repair work being undertaken as a normal, regular activity within a household. The research study ‘Make, Do and Mend’, discussed in this paper, tests this proposition by looking for the variances in knowledge and abilities amongst different users, and in particular between novice and amateur menders. Moreover, through a mixed methods approach including a practice-led inquiry the study has explored current patterns of use and behavior to reveal some of the barriers to engagement. It is hoped these findings will highlight potential strategies for attitudinal change and identify motivators for future engagement. This may encourage producers and consumers to re-evaluate the way that they perceive fashion products, replacing the notion of fashion as disposable and instead seeing fashion as a valued object to be cared for and maintained.