28th February 2023
Many brands are updating their status quo to become sustainable. More and more people are wanting to preserve their accessories and clothes, which is why many brands such as Levi, Cartier and Coach are offering repair and up cycling services, to not only restore your clothes, but also to create completely new pieces.
Our clothes carry the stories of our lives, where we go and what we do; we want to cherish and preserve them to relive the precious memories. To solve this, brands have conjured up innovative ideas to fix and revive your clothes. There are also countless apps and services where their sole purpose is to upgrade and restore your old belongings.
Here are thirteen trustworthy brands and services that we have selected that can completely transform your old clothes into shiny new again.
Want to make your old clothes new and improved? At Reture, you can send your garments to an array of different designers, all trained in different fields, such as: dye, embroidery, repurposing and sewing. This sustainable brand will personalise your previously tired and worn-out wardrobe and transform it to your current style. With a short online consultation from your chosen designer, you can send off your old clothes to receive it completely revamped.
For a more hands-on experience, have a go at embroidery. At TOAST, previous SPHERE writer, Avril Groom, explores the intricate lessons of darning and embroidery, as she turned moth-hole riddled jumpers into beautiful patchworks. Embroidery and darning can create a beautiful design on your old clothes, turning it from something simple - to something extraordinarily unique.
Toast has organised many workshops on learning how to embroider or darn, tickets for these events range from £10-40. For example, on Wednesday 8th March, Molly Martin can teach you how to repair loved clothing through woven darning.
Is the washing machine not getting out that stubborn stain? Is something too delicate to wash by machine? Look no further, Oxwash is the service for you, for only £5-20 per item. They reinvented dry cleaning, collecting your laundry from your doorstep before washing the items using their new low impact washing technology; they clean your clothes until its spotless, all the while maintaining net-zero impact, as they are both environmentally friendly, and effective.
With three separate locations in London, you can either repair your denim by shortening hems, fixing holes and many more - or you can turn your denim into something completely new, a pair of jeans into a maxi skirt, a denim jacket into a dress, you can create all your heart desires. You can even personalise your denim through patches or pins, either for fun, or to cover up some repairs or holes - the world is your oyster!
The Restory provides aftercare for luxury fashion, if you need a little paint or stitches on your designer piece, this is the brand for you, as leather restoration, whether it be a scuff or discolouration, the price starts at £210. The company is dedicated to providing you with a safe and trustworthy environment for your precious shoes, bags, and leather goods. Delivered right to your doorstep, Restory will take your worn out goods and deliver them looking sparkly brand new.
From the comfort of your own home, you can book a repair service through an online consultation with one of Selfridge's experts. You also have the choice between an in-store appointment or an at-home collection service to deliver your item to be repaired. A whole range of goods can be mended here, from shoes, accessories, jewellery, eyewear or even batteries in watches. You are in extremely good and reliable hands at Selfridges as they will take great care of your previously loved accessories.
We all know how lavish Cartier is, and we want to maintain their priceless value. Whether it be a watch, a ring, a bracelet or necklace, Cartier have your back when it comes to repairs, such as a complete service of your watch being £330. In the Cartier Boutique of your choice, you can take your precious Cartier jewellery and have it mended and polished, and even add new gems if they have been scratched or have fallen off. Cartier's master watchmakers and jewellers will take care of your piece thanks to their acquired expertise.
This app is a sure-way to easily and cost-effectively tailor and restore your clothes, for only around £15-25 you can repair or hem a simple item. It allows you to connect with local seamstresses and tailors in your area, and then delivers your items to the businesses on bicycle. Sojo have a clear and sustainable mission, they want to be eco-friendly by renewing the life of your clothes, so they can be loved and cherished once more, not discarded in landfills.
This is Josephine Philips' (CEO and founder of Sojo) mission, she wants to revolutionise the fashion industry to become sustainable, she quotes, "Sojo is an accessible way for [my generation] to be able to engage with tailoring and repairing through a really easy process which they’re used to doing, and that’s playing with an app on their phone"
If you have an old Coach bag lying in the back of your wardrobe, bring it to a Coach shop to either be completely restored or reimagined into a whole new bag. Through a less wasteful initiative, Coach has created a new line - Coach (Re)Loved, where once you trade in your bag, they can paint, design and alter your old Coach bag to become new and improved for someone else to love and cherish, much like you did. In return you receive store credit for the amount your bag was worth, up to around £170. If you want to pass on the love, go to Coach (Re)Loved, and maybe you can even buy someone else's previously loved bag.
This online restoration service can improve all your belongings, be it from bags, jewellery, clothes and footwear. Accidents always happen, so if there's a rip in your clothes, or a scuff on your shoe, don't stress, The Seam is there to repair it. This business allows you to not only keep your clothes fit exactly to you, but to extend their life and keep them in fashion, The Seam allows you to be well-dressed in all aspects of your wardrobe.
If your shoes have seen better days, take them to the Shoe Spa for them to come back looking refreshed and shiny new, from restoring starting at £89, and renovating at £99. The Shoe Spa is the leading shoe restoration service, specialising in luxury and designer items, specifically Louboutins. The many Louboutin experts in the Shoe Spa can restore, cleanse and revamp your shoes back to how they once were. Not only do they bring your tired shoes back to perfection, but they can customise and personalise them to your heart's desire.
If you find your precious ring, or family heirloom jewellery is broken; either a snapped chain, loose clasp or broken earring post, go to Fine Matter to repair your cherished jewellery, as it may only cost around £80. Using a variety of different techniques, both traditional and modern, they can have your jewellery looking as if you just bought it. This trustworthy service is only a click away to preserve your esteemed accessories, with a reputable background, this is a business that you can trust.
This brand is one of the original sustainable fashion businesses, their mission is to reduce waste of fast fashion in landfills across the globe by making customers more aware of their purchases - whether it be by repairing and tailoring your clothes to suit you more, repurposing your items to create something new, or donating to people who need it.
CEO and Co-Founder, Hasna Kourda, started Save Your Wardrobe to revolutionise this industry and for consumers to rediscover their love for their old items. This is the perfect option if you want to connect with your clothes again and unearth old items that you may have forgotten, to be used and loved once more.
