How many times do we wear our clothes before we part with them? According to Ademe (Agency for the Environment and Energy Management), a person buys 40% more clothes than fifteen years ago and keeps them half as long. The NGO Oxfam even specifies that we wear them between seven and ten times before throwing them away. If fast fashion is obviously responsible for this result, more and more brands are to underline this waste with disastrous effects for the planet, following the example of Balibaris which now applies a “lifetime guarantee” on its elegant male basics produced in Europe.
Shein, the new fast fashion giant and mirror of our ambiguities
To make them last over time, the French brand has set up since April 12 a repair service (free and without proof of purchase necessary) on its seven iconic creations: parkas, suede jackets, raincoats or chinos. On quality garments, the repair generally includes the restoration of a textile, a disjointed button or a capricious zipper. “Our network of retouchers located near each of our stores takes care of these operations. And for more complex requests (customization, dyeing, etc.), we send the items to our repair workshop in Portugal,” explains Paul Szczerba, the founder.
The sequel after the ad
Make new with old
Repairing by calling on local craftsmen is also the approach of the Balzac Paris label. Chrysoline de Gastines, the designer, has made sustainability her priority. People come to his Parisian boutique to adjust the fastening of his jeans or restore his leather bag… as many times as necessary.
At the leather goods maker Valet de Pique, all the bags are numbered and meticulously restored – from the leather to the inside pockets – in their Parisian workshop. And if they are really irreparable, we will think about upcycling (basically making new with old). Because today, the environmental stakes are such that the idea of repairing rather than throwing away has become more democratic, proof that sustainability is not just a matter of luxury.
“Fast Fashion, the underside of low-cost fashion”, the reverse side of the textile industry
