07/06/2020
I've been thinking a lot about privilege as it pertains to race and class lately, and on a micro level, the privilege of mending.
Clothing care and repair isn't expensive in most situations. The monetary cost to me to repair these long underwear was less than $3 for a spool of matching wool thread; I already had scissors and a needle. The biggest expense comes in the time it takes to handstitch each hole.
I spent more than 4 hours mending snags, holes, and runs in this pair of wool long underwear. Part of that time was in my studio, some of it was in the truck driving to the mountains to camp (another privilege), and the last few mends were made river-side at our campsite (swipe for view - yet one more privilege). I had the luxury to decide that mending this garment would be my priority during those 4+ hours. And I say luxury because I didnt have to sacrifice care for family, work, or health when I chose to use those hours in this way. By having the privilege to use my time in this way, I was able to extend the life of these long underwear (which I purchased new 8+ years ago) by several more years, amazing the textiles from the landfill and myself the monetary expense of purchasing a new pair.
Mending clothes is one critical aspect of a sustainable wardrobe, of being a more conscious consumer of clothing, of honoring the work that the original seamstress put into making that garment, and of the material resources that went into making that garment. But many people don't have the privilege to use their time to repair their clothes, because life demands their time be spent elsewhere.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this. How do you determine how to allocate the precious resource of your time to mending? What would you like to do but can't, because of time? Any ideas on how to make clothing repair more accessible to people who want to take care of their clothes, but don't have the privilege of using their time or money in that way?
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