Craft of use is the ability to draw a deep satisfaction from resourceful ways of wearing, repairing, re-making and looking after old and familiar clothes. The concept of craft of use resulted from an international research project led by Professor Kate Fletcher, collecting people’s stories of their favorite clothes across six countries and three continents. Fletcher argues that while clothes are sold as products, they are lived as a process. Craft of use highlights that the current fashion system lacks a long-term perspective and ignores the connection between the making and use of clothing. The ways in which people engage with and enjoy clothes are often far removed from the constant turnover of pristine looks that drives the prevailing fashion narrative. This is why understanding how clothes are worn, laundered, and cared for during their lifetime is key for a more sustainable fashion future. Craft of use offers an extended understanding of fashion that challenges the market-driven overconsumption, showing that satisfaction and pleasure can also come from lasting relationships with the clothes we already have.(1)
CRAFT OF USE
