Repairing, extending use, and reusing are not brainchild innovations of the European Commission or the Green Deal. These principles have simply been forgotten. For the baby boomer generation, they were still part of the school curriculum.
A few weeks ago, a friend stopped by with a pair of trousers. Two buttons had come off. Whether this mishap was due to pre-Christmas indulgence in sweets is beyond my knowledge. In any case, both buttons were missing at a crucial spot. However, he felt unable to fix the damage himself. Since he didn’t want to throw the trousers away, he remembered my ability to sew on a button. The necessary skills were once taught at school: for the baby boomer generation, needlework was part of the timetable. Even though I constantly pricked my fingers during those lessons and never scored higher than a mediocre grade, I am now grateful for the skills my long-suffering teacher instilled in me. Missing buttons? Sew them back on. Holes in wool sweaters or hiking socks? Darn them. Split seams? Stitch them back together by hand or with a sewing machine. Even elbows worn thin from frequent sweater use can last another season with the addition of patches.
Mending, letting out, and unraveling for longer use
If we take another step back into the past, the 3Rs of the Green Deal, namely repair, reuse, and recycle, take on a whole new dimension. Clothing repairs and invisible mending were common practice in the post-war years and the early economic boom to conceal signs of wear. Patching remained common even into the 1970s, when patches with symbolic meaning, such as the peace sign or the iconic Rolling Stones tongue, also served as bold statements. There were also many ways to extend the life of garments. Jeans that had become too short were simply lengthened with trims or by letting down the hem. At that time, recycling was also in fashion, although it was referred to as reuse. Sweaters, for example, were unraveled and the reclaimed yarn was used to knit pot holders, scarves, socks, or other items. However, as clothing became increasingly inexpensive, the practice of “secondary use” of knitwear and regenerated yarn faded away.
Vintage is trending—even in yarns
Decades have passed, needlework has long disappeared from school curricula, and fashion has become a disposable product. At least there are alteration tailors who can lengthen or shorten trousers, replace zippers, and probably even sew on buttons. Whether their numbers are sufficient to meet the European Commission’s call for longer garment lifespans is another question. However, there is a growing trend to bring old practices back out of the wardrobe. Creative designers are reassembling discarded garments or giving them a highly individual look with patches (How circular is the textile cycle – problems and solutions). The vintage principle has also made its way into handcrafts. Knitting yarns are now marketed under appealing names such as “reclaimed,” “reborn,” or “reused.” While this sounds promising, what lies behind these terms can sometimes be disappointing: leftover stock, unsold special productions, or yarns with only a small proportion of recycled fibers. To avoid disappointment, it is therefore worth taking a closer look at the product description.
