I posted an Instagram story the other day and if you follow me on Instagram you know my stories are 50% interesting and 50% random pictures I took with my camera that I just chuck up for people to see. (It’s nice to share work that doesn’t necessarily have a direct purpose) Well my clothes story literally came from when I was productively procrastinating by fixing the holes I found and saw some nice light on my bed. I would say that I get a little impulsive when there is good light so I set up a little composition and took some images. Long story short (short story shorter) I got a lot of responses on my story about the idea that I fix my clothing and so I figured I’d elaborate a little here.
First of all I got the impression that people don’t fix their clothes which leads me to believe they either throw them out or well I’m not sure….. Personally, I’ve always been the person who finds some clothes I like and the day they die I cry because I will “never replace such a perfect garment.” That is why I started to fix my clothes, yes a perfectly justifiable self serving reason of being afraid of losing the only pair of pants or a shirt that I like and not wanting to find another. I also realize that this is not how most think about the clothes in their closets so the labor of fixing that sweater you wore twice and will only where two more times might not be worth it.
I have realized that it’s not really self serving it’s the way I buy my clothes. I only buy clothes that I know I will wear to the ground, I think about how versatile it is and if I can wear it with a wide variety of my pants and short. I also make sure it’s going to at least attempt to last adn come from some company that I trust. If I can sum up the way I buy clothes now it is this:
“Buy clothes worth fixing!”
I probably stole this from Patagonia Worn Wear (definitely did) but I don’t think they will mind. If you buy your clothes with the intent to fix them you not give yourself an excuse to say no to that floral kimono that you’ll wear only once but you will also find you’ll be happier with your clothes. By doing this you are helping consume less and not taking part in the sensational fashion problem we currently have. So how do I choose clothes worth fixing?
Buy clothes you love, for me that’s clothes from outdoor companies like Patagonia and Prana who also have the sustainable focus I find important. For you it could be certain fashion or other reasons but these are still absolutely valid.
Buy used. Yes this means going to thrift stores and finding things the look similar to what you love for the fraction of the cost. Try different places around where you live you never know what gold you’ll strike.
Number 2 doesn’t always work so what I do is spend an hour or two every month on Ebay. If you are on Ebay regularly with the knowledge of what you want you can often get killer deals. I got a Fitz Roy Parka from Patagonia for $100 (go for $450 new) and found Timberland Company Oxfords, the hand made ones, for $40 (go for $350 new) just to name a few.
Now that you have clothes worth fixing, how do you fix them? Well all you have to do is buy yourself a sewing kit which a can be found almost anywhere and learn to sew if you don’t already know. YouTube is a great resource as well as DIY websites. I swear people who don’t know how to sew are fishy people that can’t be trusted.