Gumbo Lily

'Visible Mending' Is The Upcycling Trend Giving New Life To Old Clothing

Updated September 8, 2021

Houston, we have a big problem: climate change. I'm not going to get super historical or scientific here because I don't want you to yawn through this article. That would devastate me. Well, also because I am not a historian or scientist. However, I'm just going to get to the point. Capitalism has been so great for our economy in so many ways, but we're also starting to realize how detrimental it has been to our planet.

Overconsumption has led to over 11.2 million tons of textile waste just in the US alone, and that's just textile waste.

Along with purchasing more sustainable and eco-friendly options, people are starting to "visibly mend" their clothing in an effort to lengthen the life of clothing to avoid the landfill, at least for a little while longer.

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It's sort of like adding patches to jeans and jackets to cover holes, but this adds an even more personalized touch.

People are seriously visibly mending everything, even their socks.

If you were like me and were seconds from throwing out your holey socks, give this a try instead. No one's going to see the bottom of your socks anyways, if you were worried about the aesthetic.

Make holes into hearts, suns, or flowers, and fix frayed jeans with colorful hems.

You may think you need to be a master sewer or stitcher to achieve something like this, but you really don't.

Instagram | @jaimeckb

There are many tutorials to help you get started and show you all the different kinds of stitches you can do to get creative with your visible mending.

To me, the beauty is really in the DIY aesthetic. The whole point is that it's not perfect.