Visible mending of clothes, “manual activism” to resist fast fashion

The time for discreet repairs is over. When you fill a hole in your elbow, it has to be seen. “Visible mending” is as much an act of activism as it is a source of creative pride .

A hole in the heel of a sock. A snag in a sweater. A bleach stain on a jacket. This is an opportunity for a new generation of seamstresses to bring out their grandmother's wooden darning egg. But while their ancestors struggled to repair as discreetly as possible, these new seamstresses (women are the vast majority) proudly display their visible seams. A dozen moth holes? We fill with a constellation of colored dots on a sweater. A frayed sleeve edge? We add a strip in a contrasting color. A pair of jeans torn at the knee? We cover it with a patch of fabric, gridded with lines and dots.

For these fans of visible mending , mending and patching are no longer synonymous with destitution but with commitment. Wearing an old sailor sweater whose lifespan has been artistically extended is like waving a banner of eco-responsibility. And an act of resistance against fast fashion and its dozens of collections per year.

SOURCE "THE WORLD" Catherine Rollot

English version

The time for discreet repairs is over. Now, when it comes to patching a hole in the elbow, it has to be seen. The 'visible mending' trend is as much an act of resistance to fast fashion as a source of creative pride.

Whether it's a hole in the heel of a sock, a tear in a sweater or a bleach stain on a jacket, this is the opportunity for a new generation of sewers to bring out grandma's wooden darning egg. But while their grandmothers struggled to fix as discreetly as possible, these neo-sewists (mostly women) proudly show off their visible seams. A dozen moth holes? Fill them with a cluster of colored stitches on a sweater. A worn-out sleeve edge? Add a strip in a contrasting color. Torn jeans at the knee? Cover it with a fabric patch, crisscrossed with lines and dots.

For these followers of visible mending, darning and patching are no longer synonymous with deprivation but with commitment. Wearing an old fisherman's sweater whose life span has been artistically extended is brandishing the banner of their eco-responsibility. And it is an act of resistance against fast fashion and its dozens of collections per year.