The campaign, which encourages shoppers to buy specially priced pieces with small imperfections - and repair them - has been devised in response to growing concerns over the amount of textiles making their way to landfill and the need for more thoughtful thrifting.
Almost half of our clothing ends up in household waste* - and some of these items need nothing more than a simple repair. But with 60% of Brits admitting they don’t know how to sew on a button** many of us have lost the art of mending and making good.
Rescue and Repair aims to help tackle these issues - giving people the chance to pick up imperfect, pre-loved items in Shelter shops at great prices, and suggesting easy ways to upcycle and restore them to create something truly unique.
These imperfect, pre-loved pieces will have signs of wear and tear, which without some minor alterations would usually be recycled or thrown away. Under this scheme, however, they’ll be offered for sale at a discounted rate so shoppers can enjoy even better value thrifting, and the items can enjoy a new lease of life.
Shelter has partnered with sewing gurus, 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 expert repair sessions running throughout September in various shops across the UK. Details will be posted on Instagram and shop.shelter.org.uk/RescueAndRepair
Speaking about the initiative, Ian Trotter, Assistant Director (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.”
People are being encouraged to share their own sewing hacks and show off their upcycled creations via social channels like Instagram using the hashtag #rescueandrepair.
References:
* Textiles Market Situation Report 2024, WRAP. The price of our addiction to cheap
** British Heart Foundation Big Stitch Campaign. BHF exposes UK sewing skills shortage to launch The Big Stitch - BHF
