Please enjoy my presentation on Clothing Mending and Upcycling at the Library!
Innovation Strategy & Roadmap: Clothing Mending and Upcycling at the Library
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Please enjoy my presentation on Clothing Mending and Upcycling at the Library!
@diamondpatrick This idea is SO much fun! I’ve always wanted to learn how to sew and repurpose clothing, and if there were something offered like this at a local library near me – I would totally want to attend! Also, having an upcycled fashion show at the end… I just love it.
Hi @diamondpatrick,
I absolutely LOVE this program for reducing clothing waste, which I believe everyone should know how to do to their best ability. The idea of throwing out wearable clothes is truly foreign to me as I’ve been sewing them back to life despite my terrible, unprofessional sewing skills. If the item is unwearable or torn, then I cut it up into rags; and if I don’t like it anymore, then I simply donate, but I cannot fathom simply tossing it into the trash. Unfortunately, with endless fast fashion items in the market, a lot of people simply trash their old clothes resulting in massive landfills, with the one in Chile’s Atacama desert even being seen from space!!
As community-driven institutions, libraries absolutely can embrace and adopt this program/service if we want to prevent the issue from growing even bigger. But as you pointed out, there does seem to be “a disconnect between intention and practice among young consumers.” Therefore, it is not enough to simply encourage them to recycle their clothes through repairs and alterations, but rather they have to be taught the skills to get the job done right. Although I deeply admire Reuse Minnesota work and their Mend-It Clinic, there’s more value and sustainability in teaching people how to sew rather than doing it for them.
Ergo, your idea for a upcycle fashion show is ingenious and the true definition of “working smarter, not harder” because it is a great incentive to those who enjoy fashion, and end up being the ultimate consumers contributing to landfill sizes, to actually participate in the show and discover new creative ways for upcycling their clothes. After all, fashion is constantly changing and consumers can enable it to focus on upcycling in order to replace the need for recycling in the first place.