Repairing, and thereby prolonging the lifespan of your garments, is an integral part of a sustainable wardrobe. It should be on every single one of the gazillion How to Build a Sustainable Wardrobe posts, and it’s honestly shocking that it isn’t. I guess it’s probably less glamourous than buying another piece from a trendy, yet eco-conscious brand with a perfectly curated Instagram aesthetic. Then again, I probably shouldn’t poke fun because I’m shockingly bad at repairing my garments. Remember when I was going on and on about visible mending?
Yeah, I didn’t really do much visible mending, or any kind of mending, afterwards. I think I repaired two of Phil’s cashmere sweaters in a fit of domesticity a few years ago, but otherwise I haven’t attended to my mending pile at all. It isn’t because I don’t have the ability to do it. I can sew or knit all kinds of complicated projects, sewing on a button or patching up a hole is no big deal. It’s just mind-numbingly boring! Today my guilty conscience got the better of me, though.
Isabel Marant Étoile coat
I bought this grey Isabel Marant Étoile coat second hand via Rebelle a few years ago. It’s been a faithful companion over four years of chasing after small children at work. For this reason it can be forgiven for the loose button – I mean, it held on for dear life. Fixing the button was done quickly, so I hope the coat will accompany me for years to come.
Armed Angels shirt
I’m going to admit it: I may mock trendy-yet-eco-conscious brands with a perfectly curated Instagram aesthetic, but I also love and buy from trendy-yet-eco-conscious brands with a perfectly curated Instagram aesthetic. Armed Angels is my favourite when it comes to casual everyday clothing. I also want to own basically every piece of their underwear collection because they’re comfortable as fuck. This orange tee has been a staple of my spring wardrobe for years. Unfortunately, I didn’t have matching thread to mend the holes at the armpit, but I figured that nobody was going to see it at that spot anyway.
Hallhuber sweater
This Hallhuber cashmere sweater was in a truly deplorable condition. I’m afraid it was a victim of the Great Clothes Moth Infestation of 2021. I had it in the freezer for a week or so in case the moths had layed eggs in it. Today I tried to mend the sweater, but it has so many holes in it that I’m not sure if it holds up. We’ll see, I guess. These damn moths, they’re sneaky little buggers.
This concludes my mending round-up … it’s only three pieces and my mending pile is still a mile high, but hey. If you are going a long way, go slowly. Apparently this is a Filipino proverb, so it must be true! So fix that loose button. It only takes a minute!