DIY
“Repair is a radical act”
A couple of weeks a Patagoina opened its first ever brick and mortar dedicated Worn Wear pop-up store in Boulder, CO. Worn Wear is a program the outdoor retailer created to keep gear in play longer. The companys mission statement:
We’re in business to save our home planet.
From the worn wear site: “Worn Wear is a set of tools to help our customers partner with Patagonia to take mutual responsibility to extend the life of the products Patagonia makes and customers purchase. The program provides significant resources for responsible care, repair, reuse and resale, and recycling at the end of a garment’s life.”
Getting hands on
The CMCI Studio program is equal parts experience design and making. Repairing and sew naturally fall in the latter. After the pop-up shops opening the offered a week filled with workshops. I attended a patch and repair one. We learned how to patch holes and how to sew on patches.
For my main project I sewed a simple patch on to a jean jacket. While I have had basic sew lessons in the past I haven’t really done much other then fix a button. I learned a few tricks and learned about ring style thimbles. There is something empowering about fixing things that are broken. Clothing in-particular has a special connection. A jacket might have been there at the summit of my first 14er or fell with me as I dived out of a plane.
