- The Guardian
8 Thursday 1 August 2019
Slow fashion: how to
keep clothes for ever
U nless you plan
to wear a suit of armour for the rest
of your life, there is no way to make
your clothes last for ever. You can
get close to for ever – if you are
prepared to darn. As a society,
though, we have become less
inclined to make do and mend
because the advent of fast fashion
has made clothes so aff ordable
that there is no incentive to repair
th em. It is estimated that, in the UK,
the average lifetime for an item of
clothing is 2.2 years.
Extending the life span of our
clothes isn’t just good for our
fi nances, but also benefi ts the
environment: the fashion industry
is a major global polluter and
human rights abuses are rife
in the garment industries of
developing nations.
Not so long ago , people learned
basic sewing skills. The chances are
that, if you ask an older friend or
relative, they will be able to show
you how to patch things. And there
is no doubt that, if you want your
clothes to last as long as possible,
looking after them is the best place
to start. But how do you make your
clothes last for ever? We asked
some experts.ILLUSTRATIONS: MARK LONGCheck the seams
It sounds obvious, but if you want
your clothes to last, you need to
invest in well-made garments in
good-quality fabric. Don’t assume
that expensive items are best – check
for yourself.
“The fi rst thing to do when you’re
looking at a piece of clothing is
turn it inside out and pull at every
piece of string you fi nd,” says Orsola
de Castro of Fashion Revolution.
“When clothes are cheaply made,
the seams are often shabby. If it
starts to unravel – don’t buy it.”
She suggests making sure the
seam allowance on a pair of trousers
or a skirt is enough to allow you to
let them out and the hem is such that
you could make the garment longer
if you need to. She also advises
checking that shirts have a spare
button sewn in so if one falls off , you
have a replacement.
Vintage clothing expert Amy
Winston-Hart of Amy’s Vintage
says you should hold garments up
to the light: “If you can see light
coming through the fabric, it’s going
to go quickly.”Know your fabrics
Every garment will eventually
wear out after repeated wearing
and washing , but the jury is out on
which fabrics are the most durable.
Some experts prefer the longevity
of synthetic fi bres such as polyester,
whil e others favour natural fi bres
such as cotton.Charles Ross, a sustainability
expert and lecturer at the Royal
College of Art says: “ I prefer wearing
synthetics because I believe they
are more durable fi bres. If you have
two identical T-shirts in cotton
or polyester, the cotton will wear
out quicker. ”
De Castro, on the other hand,
favours natural fi bres. She advises
buying items made out of single
fabric components, such as 100%
cotton or 100% merino wool. They
may not stand up to repeated
washings as well as synthetic fi bres
but as they are more breathable, you
will sweat less so you don’t need
to wash them as often. De Castro
warns against wearing polyester
for environmental reasons – when
washed, it sheds microfi bres, which
ha ve been linked to plastic pollution
in our oceans.Do you need to wash it?
The more you wash clothes, the
quicker they wear out. De Castro
echoes Stella McCartney’s recent
advice that we should refrain from
overcleaning clothes. “If something
is made from good-quality wool,
such as a man’s suit, it’s designed to
be brushed clean and not washed,”
she says. If you must wash things in
a machine, use a low heat, and put
delicate fabrics in a laundry bag to
reduce tearing.
There are plenty of ways to
refresh clothes without bunging
them in the machine: De Castrosuggests spot-cleaning tricky stains,
or taking whiff y garments into the
bathroom while you shower, to
steam them. This will not only help
to make your clothes last longer ,
but is also more environmentally
friendly. The average washing
machine uses 13,500 gallons of
water a year , as much as you drink in
your lifetime.
Winston-Hart has some nifty
tricks for cleaning items without
putting them in the machine. “A
mixture of lukewarm water and
vodka will get rid of smells,” she
says. Use three parts vodka and
two parts water if something is
very stinky, or three parts water
and two parts vodka if it only has a
light musk. “Stick the mixture in a
spray bottle and mist it over. If your
clothing still smells bad the next day,
give it another spray.” She is also a
fan of popping clothes in the freezer,
for an overnight refresh. If things
are still pongy, hang them out on
the line on a breezy day – you will be
surprised by how much it can help.
None of the experts I speak to are
fans of dry cleaning, although they
accept it is sometimes necessary.
“ Dry cleaning doesn’t always clean
stuff that well,” says Winston-Hart.
By looking after your clothes as
much as possible, you can cut back
on dry cleaning.If you must wash things,
do it properly
An important caveat: items worn
close to your skin, particularly
underwear and socks, should beExtending the life of
your clothes is good
for the planet and
your fi nances. From
how to wash and
store them to doing
your ow n repairs,
Sirin Kale hears
from the experts on
ways to make your
wardrobe last
РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS