An Easy Way to Become More Sustainable Today
Why you should revisit an old life skill or perhaps develop a new one
What would you do if a button fell off your shirt?
Could you sew it back on?
Or would you discard the shirt to the bottom of the laundry pile until it was time to be gifted to a charity shop?
Say the hem on your dress unravelled — or you caught a side seam and a small hole appeared? Could you fix the dress to look good as new?
Do YOU possess the life skills to repair the piece of clothing and lengthen its life, preventing it from going to a landfill or being shipped across the world — out of sight and out of mind?
Research suggests that many people no longer have the skills to repair their clothing.
And why would they need to? Clothes are so cheap!
As cheap as a sandwich according to the world’s leading trend forecaster and founder of Trend Union, Li Edelkoort.
“Now that many garments are offered cheaper than a sandwich, we all know and feel that something is profoundly and devastatingly wrong. How can a product that needs to be sown, grown, harvested, combed, spun, knitted, cut and finished, printed, labelled, packaged and transported cost a couple of euros?”
Fashion is regularly touted as the second biggest polluting industry on the planet, but the accepted position is actually third. Still, not great. The production of fashion contributes to 10% of global carbon emissions.
The US is the biggest exporter of donated second-hand clothing and we in the UK lead the way in fashion consumption, with British shoppers buying more clothing per capita than any other European country.
What can you do as an individual if you don’t want to become a sustainability expert or succumb to “greenwashing” ?
Most of us are aware of renting and buying second-hand - now attractively renamed as pre-loved.
But these options are not for everyone. It can take time to find the right item in the right size, and many consumers simply do not want to wear other people’s clothing.
You could, and indeed should opt to avoid man-made fibres, such as polyester — recycled or otherwise. The fact it’s made from petrochemicals and sheds microplastics into our oceans, is enough of a reason to give polyester a wide berth forever.
Natural fibres are better, but are also beset with issues — too many to address in this post.
The best option is to extend the life of the clothes we already own.
And this is where you can resurrect the sewing skills Granny taught you. If she didn’t, then maybe a shift in working practises since the pandemic might allow you some free time to put down your phone and learn a new skill?!
Sashiko
The Japanese have a method of decorative stitch repair called Sashiko — which translates as little stabs.
Sashiko is an area of small cross stitches or running stitches on the outside of a garment to make a feature of the repair. Traditionally the thread is cream onto indigo-dyed hemp fabric. Decorative but also strong, sashiko reinforces the fabric, therefore prolonging the life of the garment.
Done properly, it can beautifully transform a garment making it unique. It is a handicraft akin to embroidery, and can be used as a very effective repair method for rips and tears in denim especially.
Since college, my husband has been a faithful customer of Levi’s 501’s. While he did stray into Diesel territory for a while, all roads eventually led back to the 501’s. However, in recent years, the jeans have ripped in all the wrong places and my quick machine repairs did not do the job.
That’s when I took up sashiko. I used navy blue thread, so the repair is visible, yet subtle enough to be adorned on my beloved one’s 501’s.
Yes, I’m sure my version would send shivers down the spines of the Japanese artisans, but my little stabs have so far held up better than my previous attempts using a sewing machine. They have extended the life of at least four pairs of jeans that previously my husband could neither wear, nor part with.
But also, by practising sashiko, it has imbued a sense of personality into the jeans. They now have part of him (well, me) in them. They are unique. They are loved.
So, next time you see a story about sustainable fashion, or a horror headline about how much your clothing is damaging the planet (because it is), don’t settle for “greenwashed” newness, but instead find time to make the little stabs and repair what you already have.
