The timing could not have been better for Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald to publish her book Modern Mending and open an online shop for mending supplies as the coronavirus pandemic sent the population into lockdown, with time to mend.
As a Melbourne-based former journalist, editor and photo journalist who’s been teaching mending at workshops for six years, Erin had the skill set to produce this book she knew was needed to address modern-day mending for items such as jeans and t-shirts.
Mending has three magic factors happening at the moment:
- The rise of visible mending started on Instagram and pinterest about 10 years ago and Tom of Holland coined the hashtag #visiblemending. Invisible mending is skilled work and hard for those who didn’t learn to sew at school so they are not going to take the time to get to that point. Visible mending has made it more contemporary and accessible.
- The second factor is the environment because people are starting to care more about sustainability when it comes to their clothing. They are realising they buy too many clothes and can start fixing up the holes and rips in things they have already got.
- The third thing is coronoavirus. Mending is a really good project to do when stuck at home and staring at your wardrobe – you are not going to go out shopping. This third factor is driven by the first two factors – now is the time to begin mending.
Listen to our ARISING from Disruption #12 conversation, or read the notes at bottom.
What Erin Lewis-Fitzgerald said:
I had fantasies about how this time was going to go because I love a blackout and controlled chaos, I’m a closet introvert, who loves being home and crafty activities. But I’ve never been busier, which is the opposite of what I imagined the lockdown would be.
I published Modern Mending in February, which provided a head start on the huge interest in mending since the pandemic happened. I started an online shop modernmending.com to simplify shopping for mending supplies when my book came out. I wrote the shop into the book before I opened the shop – I am a former journo and I love a deadline – so it was a rush. The shop has been busy since I opened it and the media coverage spurred on by coronavirus (eg ABC Compass) has just made the shop go nuts. Most of my day I’m packing orders or dealing with customers, or contacting suppliers to order 100 more of everything. I don’t feel right being happy about it but I couldn’t have planned it better.
I am a former journalist, and mostly worked as an editor and as a photo journalist. I’ve been teaching mending workshops for six years, and one-on-one sessions at repair cafes. The book that I wanted did not exist. Vintage books are out of date – they talk about how to mend stockings but not jeans or t-shirts. There was nothing I could refer people to. The number one question I get asked about is crotch holes in jeans but people are embarrassed to ask. I thought someone has to do a mending book, I have the skill-set to do it and have written how-to articles, so I did – and so did others such as Katrina Rodabaugh with Mending Matters. Modern Mending is clear, easy to follow, simple and not too scary steps. It was a case of what can I do with the skills that I have – I have photography skill set so that’s how I made this project happen.
Mending has three magic factors happening at the moment. The rise of visible mending started on Instagram and pinterest about 10 years ago and Tom of Holland coined the hashtag #visiblemending. Invisible mending is skilled work and hard for those who didn’t learn to sew at school so they are not going to take the time to get to that point. Visible mending has made it more contemporary and more accessible. The second factor is the environment because people are starting to care more about sustainability when it comes to their clothing. They may not have the skills. The term fast fashion is recent in people’s vocabulary – they are starting to realise they buy too many clothes and can start fixing up the holes and the rips in things they have already got. The third thing is coronoavirus. It is a really good project to do if stuck at home and staring at your wardrobe – you are not going to go out shopping. This third factor is driven by the first two factors – now is the time to actually do it (mending).
It is interesting. I have read a lot of articles that say during depression/recessions, sales of lipstick are really popular because little niceties matter. I suspect we will see people wanting to buy nice new clothes when life resumes because they will be sick of the stuff that is already in their homes. I just hope there isn’t too much shopping and we don’t go back completely got back to where we were. Income will be a factor and will at least slow down consumption levels overall.
I am pretty far down the waste rabbit hole – not wasting things and my poor husband has to listen to me rattle on all the time. One of the new things for me now is, because I have an online shop and get things from suppliers, I notice how much plastic comes in upstream and just having to speak to my suppliers about not including plastic. Things like plastic strapping on boxes that get shipped and thinking about buying more stuff at one time instead of making frequent smaller orders. Take a bigger gamble and make less plastic. When I order my book which I sell in my shop, making sure I order 18 so they don’t have to include packing peanuts. I think about things like this all the time. The way I present my shop, I make it clear about my policies and have a ‘’shipping manifesto’’ on my site so that people can read about what I am doing. They just see what I am giving them, they don’t see all the things that I’m dealing with. It has made me think about the greener more sustainable things we do – at our local shop where I buy organic groceries, those things come in plastic too and we don’t see what they get on their end. It has made me realise that buying less stuff is the way to go. Buy less, because some of it you can’t avoid.
During lockdown we are buying more takeaway because we don’t have time to cook anymore. My little hobby, my happy thing to do – is a magic letterbox, a diorama with clear Perspex window in front that I can put miniature scenes in. I am known for doing those once a month, but I haven’t changed it since Christmas. It is May now, and I still have a Christmas scene in the letterbox. I feel like I am letting down the neighbourhood! I had fantasies of getting through my mending pile but I haven’t mended anything this year. Very strange. When I have time, there will be a coronavirus diorama in the letterbox, doing lots of reading and batch cooking for later, and be whipping through my mending pile. I had bags of op shop clothes that need mending, I would love to mend them and give them back for a fundraiser but that is also not happening, sorry.
Tips: Mending little things is good for quick wins, like the buttons or the tiny holes, the hems, stain removal so you feel like you have accomplished something. Start with little things, the pile goes down and you get things back in your wardrobe. I knit, but it is a long-term project so I haven’t knitted anything for a while.
Changes: A few people are saying to imagine the businesses you want to exist when we get through this and support them now in this period. The thing I miss is local shops. I miss walking to places and having a chat with the person who owns the shop or works there, being able to get recommendations and have that personalised friendly feel. I know I now run an online shop which is the exact opposite – but being busy encourages me to believe that people really want to get mending and maybe we could have bricks and mortar mending shops and not just mine online. There could be a dedicated mending section in the craft shop – positioning mending as prominent and valued. I hope we are starting a trend of becoming more resourceful, of people thinking I don’t need more stuff, I can use the things I have. Using rags or old clothes at home to patch things. Or using string or yarn you have and making do with that. Still making beautiful things but stopping that cycle of wanting and needing and realising actually, no I don’t. Realising that we already have a lot of the stuff we need in our homes right now. And thinking if I am going to buy a new thing, I am going to love it forever and have a sense of stewardship by looking after it for as long as possible.