Fixing is back in fashion!
Growing scrutiny of single-use culture means that our relationship with what we own is in flux.
In the face of environmental concerns, the wartime concept of 'Make Do and Mend' is enjoying a renewed lease of life across the country. Read on for some Make Do and Mend tips and advice!
Make Do and Mend
The phrase 'Make Do and Mend' was coined during the Second World War, when the government introduced a campaign of the same name. The aim of the scheme was to motivate the country to reuse and repair their existing clothes so that fabric production could be pivoted to produce military uniforms and other wartime essentials. Advice in the accompanying leaflets also included tips on how to make clothing coupons go further. In Britain, rationing of clothing, fabric and wool began in 1941 and would last until 1949. Tutorials taught thrifty citizens how to prevent moth damage to clothing, darn holes in socks and make clothes for children from adult garments. As a result, handmade and revitalised clothes were commonplace in 1940s Britain. Men's suits were turned into skirts and jackets for women, jumpers were unravelled to obtain spare wool for darning socks, and garment exchanges helped parents clothe their growing children.
Back in Vogue
Today, more than 80 years on, repair culture is back in vogue. Now, the phrase 'make do and mend' endures in a broader sense, relating to the repair of the possessions one already owns - instead of throwing out something broken and buying a replacement. Having experienced renewed popularity following the 2008 recession, the make do and mend spirit has continued to gain prominence as worries about the environment - and the human impact on it - have grown. Though its original meaning related to clothing, the expression now applies to any and all consumer goods.
Why repair?
There have been increasing distress calls from politicians and the general public about the throwaway culture of consumerism. When it's much cheaper to buy a new kettle as your old one sputters out its last cuppa, why bother looking into a repair? Many technology companies charge so much to mend their own goods that it's often a false economy to do so. There's also the alarming fact that between 2004 and 2012, the amount of household appliances that kicked the bucket within five years of being bought doubled. Western societies have become trapped in a cycle of buying cheap goods, which inevitably break, then having little choice but to throw these out and purchase replacements. While this may have worked for a while, with resources running out and increased awareness of the climate crisis, there's never been a better time to make the most of what you've got. Thankfully we don't have to go it alone when it comes to making and mending. A burgeoning national collective of so-called repair cafés have sprung up in the hopes of giving a new lease of life to worn or broken household items. The first repair café was dreamt up by Dutch environmentalist Martine Postma in 2009 after she found herself increasingly frustrated with throwaway culture. Broken hair dryers, rusting secateurs, rickety sewing machines and holey tea towels are just some of the things you may see fixed at your average repair event. These cafés tend to be run by volunteers and foster a sense of community and togetherness.
Genuine Joy
There's a real feel-good thrill that comes from learning to mend your own possessions, not to mention a reduction in the guilt that comes from throwing broken items away. At repair cafés, the item in question is always repaired with the owner present, helping to demystify the process of fixing. The aim is for the owner to learn how to mend their possessions themselves in future by watching the repair process in action. It's not just a circular economy, but a circular learning process, as many repair café volunteers were once customers on the other side of the table.
Library of Things
The make do and mend ethos also means buying less in the first place. So-called libraries of things have sprung up to address this need, loaning out household items as regular libraries do books. Several exist around the country, including in London, Frome and Edinburgh, with more set to open. The goal is to make borrowing more attractive than buying and to increase access to occasional-use devices. Whether it's a sander for smoothing your floorboards or a pressure washer, these are things that most people would only find use for once a year. For these kinds of objects, borrowing - saving money and reducing consumption in the process - makes a lot of sense. Especially when you learn that, on average, a drill is used for just 13 minutes of its lifetime. Some libraries of things charge a nominal fee or suggest a donation, while others are free at the point of use. Similar initiatives exist for more specific items. For example, sling libraries, where parents can try out different baby carriers, are becoming common. Toy swap shops are also gaining popularity.
If you try any of our tips, or have some tips of your own, please share them with us on Instagram and Facebook!
Exchanging Skills
Creating a society that values mending and reusing items has many benefits. Some of these are immediately obvious: you can save money, do your bit for the environment and avoid cluttering up your home. But there are also other, less visible advantages that are equally valuable. Repair cafés and swap shops bring people together and promote the transfer of knowledge between generations. They champion exchanges of skills, materials and goodwill. Fixing, it's clear, encourages us to fix far more than just the possessions in question.
Tips from Generations Past
The constraints of rationing saw wartime men and women developing a treasure trove of tricks to help them reduce, reuse and recycle. And it wasn't just clothes! Here we have some suggestions from years past that still hold up in today's light.
- Brighten up scuffed leather shoes by scrubbing them with the cut half of a raw potato (yes, really!)
- Cut up used envelopes into small pieces, clamp the stack together with a bulldog clip, and keep on hand for when you need to write a shopping list or note.
- Tired toothbrushes and washing-up scrubbers can enjoy a second life as household cleaning tools.
- Use a water butt, or simply a large bucket, to catch rainwater for watering plants. Save cooking water, too: just leave to cool and then put to use in the garden.
- Freeze vegetable scraps to turn into homemade stock. Keeping them on ice means you can use them when you have time to make a batch of stock, reducing any waste.
- If you're a keen vegetable grower (or want to start), save loo roll tubes, fruit punnets and mushroom trays. The former are fantastic for sowing beans and peas into, and can then be planted straight into the ground, where they will quickly break down. The latter are a great size for sowing cut-and-come-again salad leaves, micro greens and cress.
- Save brown paper bags to ripen avocados, bananas and tomatoes in.
Make Do and Mend, Updated!
The original 1943 pamphlet Make Do and Mend, issued by the government's Ministry of Information, focused on ways to reduce clothing waste and make the most of items that people already owned. While some of its suggestions might not sound that good to modern ears (beetroot juice as lipstick, anyone?), the fact that £140m worth of clothes in the UK end up in landfill every year (statistic by WRAP) means much of its advice is more relevant than ever. We've updated some of the original tips for the modern era.
How to Make Do and Mend in the Modern Day
- Make a new item of clothing from something old! Tired jeans with fraying hems can be cut into jean shorts, while old jumpers can be turned into fingerless gloves.
- Cut up worn-out t-shirts into rectangles and use them in your household chores as polishing rags and dusters.
- If you have a wardrobe of clothes that are too big or too small, resist the temptation to throw everything out and start over. Taking in garments is easier than letting them out, but both can be done. Look up sewing classes at your local lifelong learning centre or search for relevant tutorials on YouTube if you're not sure how to get started.
- Dropped a cup of tea on your bed sheets one too many times? Cut off the stained sections to use for cleaning purposes. Then make cushion covers, handkerchiefs or table napkins out of the stain-free parts if you have access to a sewing machine.
- Clothes swapping events are now frequently occurrences in cities across the UK. If you can't find one near you, why not consider organising a similar gathering with a group of friends?
- Go on a trip to the cobbler when the soles or heels of shoes wear out, or see if you can learn to do it yourself!
- Take care of items so they last longer! Follow washing instructions on the label, avoid laundering items that have only been lightly worn, and polish shoes and jewellery regularly. Washing at cooler temperatures will also extend the life of clothes.
