Do You Have a Repair Budget?
Repair costs for clothes and shoes can feel daunting, but repairs can be a simple way to make your wardrobe more sustainable.
I’ve had this pair of boots for almost five years, and I just ripped the back tab used to pull the boot on. The pull didn’t break because it was of poor quality; it just broke because of normal wear and tear. I am anticipating this repair will cost about $30-40. Since this is the second repair I’ve done on the boots, I will have now spent almost ½ the original price of the boots on repairs. While this might seem like a lot of money, it is still less than buying a new pair and keeps them out of the landfill (because if you don’t fix them, no one else will).
If you are trying to be more sustainable with your clothing/footwear choices, one thing you can do is make purchases with the goal of wearing the item for longer. Some experts recommend aiming for 100 wears, but I like using a time frame rather than a number of wears. When shopping, I consider whether I could see myself wearing an item for the next five or even ten years. The stat that is often thrown around in clothing sustainability circles is that, on average, a piece of clothing is only worn between seven to ten times before it is thrown away!
There are a couple of shifts that naturally happen when you start thinking about keeping an item for a more extended time:
- You take longer to make a purchase, look at more options, and are more careful when deciding. When you buy something you really love, repairs make sense.
- You start to care more about quality. When you think about keeping an item longer, things like seams splitting open, material pilling and zippers breaking matter much more. Brand reputation and after-purchase support, such as repair service, become more important.
- You allocate time and money to maintenance. Even when you buy good quality pieces, repairs and maintenance are a reality due to the increased number of wears. I save money on rebuying and time on shopping when I buy pieces I intend to keep for a long time, but I have found I have to shift that time and money into maintaining the items. Repairs are not cheap; the labour that goes into fixing something, such as a broken zipper, can be extensive since the repair often requires careful disassembly and manual work. Maintenance, such as de-pilling or weather treating, is necessary to keep pieces looking good for a long time.
Once you wrap your head around the idea of repairs being a regular part of maintaining clothes/shoes, there are a couple of things you can do to ensure a good repair:
Ask for Recommendations
Not all repair shops are equal. Ask around to see what shops have the best reputation and where friends and family have had good experiences.
Go to the Right Place
Take your boots to a place that specializes in boots, take your outerwear to a place that specializes in outerwear, and take your climbing shoes to a place that specializes in climbing shoes. You get the picture. Good repairs often depend on the repair shop having the right tools and experience for the item you need to be fixed.
Ask Questions About the Repair Process
Understanding what goes into a repair helps make the repair cost make sense. The repair may be more complicated than you think, or the shop may need to spend time sourcing a replacement part. Another thing to understand is that sometimes, a repair shop may not be able to match the original materials exactly or may need to add in a patch. It is good to understand how the shop will repair the item so you aren’t surprised when you pick up the repaired piece, and it doesn’t look exactly how you expected.
Ask For a Quote
A reputable repair shop will be able to let you know in advance the cost of a repair. You can also request that they notify you if the final price will exceed the quote.
Ask About Prevention
I had the heels of these boots fixed a couple of years ago because they were all tattered. The repairer told me the damage was from driving with dirty/salty car floor mats. It makes sense, but I didn’t put two and two together. Now, I make more effort to pull out my mats in the winter and rinse them, and I haven’t had the same issue.
