REPAIR

Repair is a practice of clothing care where a worn, torn or otherwise damaged piece is restored to be used and enjoyed again. This may include techniques such as darning, patching, reinforcing seams and panels with new material, or replacing missing or faulty components such as buttons or zips. In India, for example, a rafoogar is a person who is adept at the techniques of rafoogari (art of rafoo) – mending a damaged fabric with darning stitches. To ensure continuity of the rafoogar community, the young are initiated into the intricacies and skills of darning through a prolonged period of training. Some specialize in the mending of clothing and shawls of silk, wool or cotton. The finesse of rafoogari is determined by the ability to make the damage (tears, burns etc.) invisible by merging with the fabric base and making it whole. Indian dry cleaners often associate with rafoogars for assessing and repairing damaged textile products. Museums and institutions that restore and conserve historical textiles and garment artifacts also associate with skilled rafoogars for the same purpose. Invisible repair practices such as rafoo, as well as visible repair techniques such as Japanese sashiko, that embraces repair as an integral part of clothing lifetime, encourage long-term relationships with the clothes we buy and use. While repair and alteration of clothing used to be among common skills, with the increasing availability of mass-produced cheap fashion, they are no longer economically viable. It can often be cheaper to buy a new piece than to repair an old one. However, keeping clothes in use for longer, while at the same time reducing our clothing consumption, is considered the most effective way of reducing the environmental impact of the fashion industry. Re-education in repair skills and improved access to professional repair and alteration services are therefore among the current priorities in encouraging more sustainable ways of engaging with and enjoying fashion.(1-6)