Environment / Shelter
Rescue and repair campaign launched at Shelter shops
Thrifty shoppers in Bristol can now pick up a bargain and bring an item brought to life again at Shelter stores.
As part of the campaign Rescue and Repair, launching from September 1, the charity retailer will be offering workshops that support its customers to learn to mend.
In stores a range of imperfect but easily fixed items will be available for sale at discounted rate alongside a handy sewing workshops.
is needed now More than ever
According to environmental action NGO WRAP, almost half of our clothing ends up in household waste – with some of these items need nothing more than a simple repair.
Many people choosing to discard and buy new as fast fashion has become cheaper than repairing.
Skills and time remain one of the biggest barriers to repairing items, with 60 per cent of people in the England admitting they don’t know how to sew on a button, according to a British Heart Foundation study.
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Shelter has partnered with Della Yellow, to create a series of step-by-step video guides showing how to carry out five easy clothing fixes: sewing on a button, mending rips, repairing holes, darning knitwear and embroidering over marks on material.
Each one can be carried out with a basic sewing kit – no complicated equipment or sewing machines required.
Every Rescue and Repair piece of clothing will come with a special QR code on its tag – so buyers can click straight through to the guides.
Customers can join accessible and fun in-store workshops too – with an expert repair session running at Shelter’s Clifton Regent Street branch from October 2. Booking online is advised.
Speaking about the initiative, Ian Trotter, assistant director of retail at Shelter said it represented a chance for consumers to make imaginative but impactful fashion choices for less and to reduce their own environmental footprint.
He explained: “We are always looking for new ways to deliver the kind of amazing products and experiences shoppers expect from our retail stores and to support the wider values many of us share.
“We know that clothing waste is a major global problem and that repairing or recycling an item can significantly extend its lifespan.
“We also know that people come to us looking for those unique and one-off fashion pieces, clothes they can’t find anywhere else, but can be put off by items that need a bit of TLC.
“Rescue and Repair aims to restore some of the simple sewing skills we’ve lost and make it easier for shoppers to revive or reinvent pre-loved items, something we all feel strongly about.
“In the same way many of us are looking to cut food and plastic waste or reduce our environmental impact when it comes to areas like heating and travel, now we’re looking to be more conscious when it comes to our fashion choices too.”
Main photo: Alexandra Smart
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