It’s the new year and let’s begin to fix a little bit of some things. Fact is, we already have the wherewithal, we just need to resuscitate them all.
Many places elsewhere, the world is creating systems where, simply put, the ongoing ‘use and throw’ culture is being condoned, so much so that the Right to Repair Act which was introduced in the US in 2012 for the automobiles sector, is garnering a lot more respect now. The focus has since seeped into e-waste and the business of fashion too is learning from it. So you have a Primark that has introduced the ‘Love it for Longer’ initiative where consumers are encouraged and taught how to stitch an unravelled hem, sew a button or even repair a zipper. And while they are at it together in a small group what this activity also fosters is a sense of community.
Look within. How many of our Gen Alphas may have even threaded a needle? What percentage of Millenials and Zoomers may have used or even know how to use the once ubiquitous sewing machine? But, what is also true is that cultural conditioning usually ensures that a button that pops off is pocketed and fixed later than sooner. There are countless, mostly Gen X and the Boomers, who sit with a sewing machine around housing societies mending, repairing, stitching. A market within some kilometres that will stitch you a dress in a couple of hours, or even those weekly pop-ups have at least one or two who will unscrew, join wires, recalibrate just about everything — from a hand blender to a grinder, washing machine and what have you. We small towners have hopped to those shops with a parent to either drop the broken or pick up the mended.
How strong is that eco-system now? Why are we allowing that tribe to disappear? Yes, there are brands who on and off launch takeback schemes and the like, but few and far between. We do have a Right to Repair portal under the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Administration, which makes it mandatory for manufacturers to share their product details with customers so that they can either repair them by self or by third parties, rather than only depending on original manufacturers. The initial focus of the framework however, does not include fashion.
But why look askance at the authorities that be for everything? Ferret out those dresses, cushions, pillow covers which have been dumped in some dark corner as some stitches may have come undone and give it to the community tailors and darners.
We sure do need to stitch, stick, stickle every little bit of unravelled fashion items and fix it like new, new, new!
