So we’re back with the Part Two that we left you hanging with at the end of last week’s ’sletter, when we mooched on all things ‘renewal’ and showcased loads of old stuff that’s been made so much better by artisans and activists you might not even recognise it (hands up who got those trainers?).
This time we’re digging into ways to give a longer life to something you already own and adore.
Whether it’s going the whole hog, getting yourself your own
Kintsugi kit and Zen-ing out while fixing your broken mugs and plates, learning how to
repair your knits (way cooler than it sounds when you watch
Evvia of the sweet Loupy Studio doing it), or turning to professional clothing-rescuers at places like
The Seam and
The Original Pattern – giving your personal, special, memory-infused things a longer life is one of the ultimate things you can do in the fight to live light.
Because – as spotted in this
Re:directory post this week – decluttering and giving your top cast-offs to charity shops is not ideal, actually. Especially at this time of year, when they’re pretty overwhelmed, as so much of it can end up on the road to rags-ville.
Much better, in the words of Orsola de Castro, the mending-muse of our think-piece pick below, to aim to ‘radically keep’. “The only antidote to throwaway culture is to keep," she says. "So I am an obsessive keeper."
And making sure you keep as well as you can, so your belongings don’t end up in need of real assistance, is the canniest approach all-round. Maybe don’t wash things if they don’t quite need it yet (officially not revolting anymore). And pick the most low-impact drycleaners out there (like
Blanc Living in Marylebone, or the surprisingly happening Steam Room, below).
Though obviously it’s not just about clothes. You can take your electronics casualties to one of the nearly 150 regular community
Repair Cafés in the UK (sidenote: this TikTok story of a restored 1901 lamp, originally given to
@appletoothpaste’s great, great granny for switching on the electricity in her town, is a 16-second tearjerker).
And it’s not even just about stuff. We at BRiMM are in the repair business, too. Mending how we think about the future and remapping how we get there, on a much more enjoyable ride.
Which leads us neatly onto… Part Three in this 're-trilogy', next week. Because even repeat cliffhangers are fun. And if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? (But if it is – you know you'd better ;)).
