Fashionable fixes at clothes swap

By Rebecca Poole

A free community event offering Lincoln residents an alternative to clothes shopping saved over 130 garments from landfill this month by giving them a new lease of life.

The volunteer-run Lincoln Sustainable Fashion Forum (LSFF) included a pop-up Repair Station last Saturday as part of its regular monthly clothes swap to encourage participants to sharpen their skills and refresh clothes that were already in their wardrobes.

“The Repair Station was good. We ended up repairing a jumper and a cardigan, as well as working on a few of our own mending projects,” explained Clare McGarrigle, LSFF Volunteer, who used the opportunity to patch a hole in the knee of her children’s pyjama bottoms.

“It was great to share knowledge of fixing techniques but also other facilities and resources that are available in Lincoln and its surrounding towns and cities.”

Lincoln Sustainable Fashion Forum provides clothes swapping events every month at Lincoln Central Library, along with other pop-up swaps across the county. The idea is simple – people are invited to donate their good quality clothing, shoes or accessories that they no longer wear in exchange for someone else’s fashion items, all for free.

The addition of this month’s Repair Station provided swappers the chance to learn new skills to repair items that they weren’t yet ready to say goodbye to and taught them techniques they could continue to use in the future. 

Anna Eckslager, who regularly volunteers with the group, learnt ways to mend her jacket with help from other members. She added: “I was taught how to do an invisible seam on the lining of a jacket. The items were all repaired in the end and I was really happy with mine."

New research from The National Lottery Community Fund found that approximately 1.4 billion items of perfectly good clothing is tossed in UK bins every year, but LSFF’s aim is to provide accessible options for residents to circulate, share and look after their wardrobes. 

The group’s September swap saw 128 preloved items finding new homes, with a further five garments mended at the Repair Station. The next event will be held on Saturday 18 October 11am – 1pm at Lincoln Central Library. 

More information can be found at www.instagram.com/lincolnsustainablefashion or by searching Lincoln Sustainable Fashion Forum on Facebook.