Slowing the wasteful effects of fast fashion.

Why repair services are important.

Over the past few years the term ‘fast fashion’ has become synonymous with highly conspicuous waste, as well as being one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions and pollution on the planet.

Not only that, the practice of treating garments as short-term disposables means that landfills are overflowing with discarded garments. Figures show that of the 100 billion garments produced each year, a staggering 92 million tonnes of clothing waste ending up in landfills each year.

While this is a multi-faceted problem that can only be solved by major revisions to the clothing industry and the way we view fashion, there is something we can all do to help keep more of the clothes we buy out of landfills, and that’s simply to take more care of them.

Why it’s important to repair clothes.

One fairly obvious reason for repairing clothes is to make them last longer. One clear problem with fast fashion is that it isn’t valued for its lasting qualities.

Extending the working life of your clothes makes your money last longer too.

Then again, valuing the clothes you own rather than just discarding them and buying new items whenever they’re a little worn shows you care about the environment.

At The Outdoors Company we work with brands that offer repair services.

Rab

For everyone keen to reduce waste and keep their favourite gear in action for another round of adventure, Rab offer an expert repair service for all Rab and Lowe Alpine gear to help you extend the life of your kit. From near invisible baffle replacements and colourful patch-ups, to panel replacements, new zips, straps, or toggles, there’s virtually no rip, tear, or damage their team can’t handle.

Patagonia

‘If it’s broke, fix it’ is Patagonia’s way of saying that one of the most responsible things we can do for the planet is to keep our gear going longer. So they make it as easy as possible to repair your gear, and even have quirky repair videos to help you do it. Fixing your gear is part of their commitment to a new model for the production, consumption, and ownership of apparel, and they’re taking responsibility for their products for the whole of their lifecycle.

Berghaus

Berghaus are well aware that nature can be tough on even the toughest clothing. That’s why they say repairs have been at the heart of their brand since they started in 1966, and their Repairhaus team are on hand to stitch every rip and replace every zip for free. They believe that good-quality gear should be repaired, not replaced – keeping it going over land not into it.

Browse the full comprehensive range of premium branded Eco-friendly products available from The Outdoors Company at theoutdoorscompany.co.uk/eco-products/