Mending March

Mending has become a bit of a lost art through the 20th and into the 21st century. While keeping things in good condition and fixing items when they broke used to be a standard practice, the quickness, cheapness, and convenience of buying replacements instead has taken over our lives. But this overconsumption is causing massive environmental harm to our planet. Buying used replacements is a better option than getting something brand new, but let’s consider something even better: fix it. The hashtags #MendingMarch and #MarchIsForMending have been circulating for a few years now, and this year ECU Sustainability wants to encourage you to hop on the mending train this March.

Mending vs. fast fashion:

The most frequent and effective mending is generally done with clothing. Whether it’s something simple like repairing a zipper that won’t stay up, or making holes in your clothing into works of art, clothes mending has a lot of room for exactly as much creativity as you want.

In addition to being a fun hobby, learning a few simple clothing fixes can help you preserve favorite items, whether you just love the way they look or they have sentimental value. This helps combat fast fashion and in combination with buying clothing secondhand and from sustainable shops, this can make a major impact on reducing the waste you produce.

Mending Ceramics, Furniture, and Other Items

While most people focus on clothes mending, use March as an opportunity to pick up skills in mending many other items in your life. If you need to start simple, just look into something like gluing a broken mug back together. From there, you can expand your knowledge to basic furniture fixes, appliances, or whatever sounds the most interesting to you.

#MarchIsForMending is a great hashtag to look up if you’re looking for inspiration. There are many beautiful and creative fixes on display, especially for clothing. If you’re not sure where to start, some accounts use March as an opportunity to upload tutorials, too! If you try out some new mending techniques or even want to show off some old mends you’ve made, post it on social media this Mending March, and be sure to tag us!