As fast fashion grew, clothing repair became a hassle reserved for expensive, sentimental items. But with more and more brands offering repair services, could the repair industry experience a boom?
Fashion’s wastage and our relationship to overconsumption have been the subject of considerable headlines over recent years. As a result, clothing brands are constantly coming up with ways to engage customers that don’t require making more clothes.
The most famous and successful of these methods thus far have been resale. Seeing the success of third-party platforms like Depop and Vinted, brands wanted to take an active part in the resale of their products. Fast fashion brand H&M launched a resale platform in 2021, while a number of high-end brands have dabbled in secondhand initiatives – most recently, Chloé, in a partnership with Vestiaire Collective.
Repair is resale’s less glamorous but more conscientious cousin. Although it has had comparatively less time in the spotlight, it is increasingly popping up as the next step in brands’ bid for more circular fashion. Most recently, Net A Porter announced that it was teaming up with on-demand tailoring service The Seam to offer repairs, alterations, and customizations for clothing and accessories for its U.K. customers. Selfridges launched its Project Earth initiative in 2020, which added resale and repair arms to its business, while Farfetch teamed up with aftercare service The Restory in 2021.
Repairs for luxury brands are not new. Brands like Celine, Givenchy, and Chanel have offered a warranty on their handbags for years simply because of the costly and sentimental nature of their products, but now, it’s not just high-end brands exploring repair services. In late 2022, Zara announced its Pre-Owned platform to encourage the repair, resale, or donation of old garments from the brand. The service requires customers to bring their old Zara item to the store, where it will be evaluated, paid for, sent to the tailors, and returned to the store in up to 14 days for pick-up. So far, it is only available in the U.K., with prices ranging from £3 to replace a button to £15 to adjust a dress hem. (But, considering you could get a brand-new Zara dress for only double the price, it’s clear how fast fashion stepped on the repairs industry.)
Uniqlo, which has long been involved in circularity with its clothing recycling program, also expanded its repair services in 2022. It opened a repair operation – the RE.UNIQLO studio – at its London flagship store, building on the existing services at its New York and Berlin flagships. According to a comment from Uniqlo’s chief operating officer in the U.K., Alessandro Dudech, the company “struggled to keep up with demand” and had to expand the team, indicating an interest in clothing repairs outside of heirloom handbags and expensive shoes.
“It has been incredibly gratifying to offer repair services to our customers. We’ve seen longtime shoppers of our SoHo store come in for mending of their favorite sweater from years ago, as well as newer customers who are excited to engage in the brand in this way. And we’re looking forward to expanding RE.UNIQLO with new studios and unique experiences,” says Global Director of Sustainability, Jean Shein.
Older generations may raise an eyebrow at the idea that repair is a novelty—tailors and cobblers used to be a part of everyday life. The artisans and their workshops still exist, but their numbers have suffered as disposable clothing culture grew. Thanks to fast fashion’s low prices, buying a new garment became cheaper than having an existing one fixed. Not to mention, the worsening quality of clothes made it less worthwhile to fix them. Services like The Seam and Sojo aim to connect these remaining craftspeople to customers through their businesses in the U.K. (The latter was dubbed the “Deliveroo of fashion repairs.”)
One way in which brands could encourage repair is by making it a free, built-in part of the business (like the luxury brands who offer warranties on their handbags.) This is what Danish clothing label Ganni promises its customers in central London via a collaboration with the aforementioned Sojo, which began in 2021.
Clothing brands partnering with aftercare companies that have a built-in network of artisans could be a way of bolstering a dying industry. If these business models become mainstream, they could offer security for the businesses that were compromised as clothing consumption patterns changed. It will take more than a few brands offering repair services to change our disposable culture, but it may signal a promising shift in the market.
Image courtesy of Net-A-Porter
