Mending The Narrative

Mending…… and all its misinterpretations

The month of May is known as ‘Mending May’ in sustainable circles – a way of breathing new life or prolonging the life of clothing items that still have plenty of use in them. Which in itself is great – why would we want to throw away perfectly good items in favour of something else, something new, something we have no past associations with.

When you think of mending the narrative is always ‘making do’- but where did the negative connotation come from and why are we so fickle? We are so used to being able to purchase new items on a whim, the value associated with that purchase being negligible, from the value we put on the raw materials, to the cost of production, packaging and miles travelled throughout the process and then due to the perceived value being so minimal that we feel we can easy throw the item away.

What we are losing sight of and I have had the immense pleasure of over recent years, is the transportation qualities of my treasured wardrobe. I am lucky enough to  have daughters who love nothing better than a rummage in the loft through my old clothes.

Having committed to only buying 5 new items this year I can tell you wholeheartedly that not only am I mending , but I am also upcycling and ‘selling’ my ‘vintage’ wardrobe to my teenage daughter with great success, albeit a much treasured Diane Von Furstenberg top needing a good soke and stitch after it had a fab night apparently. But that all adds to the story and I wouldn’t want its any other way!

Not only am I sharing some great find’s from a love of fashion spanning decades but I am also sharing skills that I hope will support by children’s style journeys throughout their lives and future generations of my family.