Maintenance is a Mindset
Last Friday I was invited to speak to my sister’s class at Skidmore College. We chatted via Zoom about where the fashion industry is going and some of the good changes hastened by the pandemic. Sustainability, resale, buying less were topics we touched on. One student talked about the importance, instilled in her by her grandmother, of maintaining and repairing the things we own. This mindset is bedrock to my thinking and I was so happy she brought it up. I repair everything and refuse to toss something because it has a hole or scratch. So, when I saw this new service from Farfetch, my heart skipped a beat. If you don’t overpurge and maintain your beloved clothes and accessories, they should last a lifetime, or even longer.
SHOP
what's new
BROCK COLLECTION
In Tillie Virgin Wool-Blend Skirt
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
Leather sandals
GUCCI
Horsebit square tortoiseshell-acetate sunglasses
MAISON MARGIELA
Stretch-knit top
SAINT LAURENT
Leather belt
BOTTEGA VENETA
Grain de poudre skirt
MALONE SOULIERS
Gavi crossover-strap leather slides
BROCK COLLECTION
Wool-blend cardigan
SAINT LAURENT
Le Maillon leather sandals
SAINT LAURENT
Suzanne mini leather cross-body bag
SAINT LAURENT
Jota chain-embellished leather sandals
MATTEAU
Broderie-cotton maxi skirt
view all
My heart also skipped a beat! Packing up my repairs/restoration now!
Thank you for sharing this .
How brilliant! Thank you for sharing. kk
So good to know! Thank you Preston.
What a fantastic idea and service. They’re doing a lot with their business in so many areas to contribute to sustainability. Very impressive.
Rsvp brothers in Morristown NJ https://www.ragobrothers.com/ is a master shoe abd bag repair company that is used by many luxury brands across the country. Im lucky to live nearby but they work by mail/ups/fedex too. Reusing and maintaining is so important to our environment. I listened to a Podcast About Paragon who has offered repair services for all its products long before it was “fashionable”. Hopefully more businesses sill follow the leads of Farfetch and Paragon.
Funny you to see the Gucci Soho pictured. Coincidently I’ve has my lining replaced twice and the zipper once.
Great to keep loved possessions alive!
Thank you for the heads up, what an amazing idea for a retailer to invest in and promote. I’ve long been considered a bore to friends and family with my lectures about this kind of care. Grew up watching my parents and grandparents take exceptional care with their garments and shoes and my mother was a darner of all things. I knew it was because they lived through the depression and the idea of waste was so anathema to them it carried through to all things so I respected their habits (even as I railed as a young girl about having to wear my patched and repaired items!).
Resale has been on my mind, but not repair. There are habits in my behavior that support a “throw away” culture. Thank you for bringing this up.
Brilliant idea! For anyone with an older Bottega Veneta bag in need of repair or restoration, I recommend asking one of the BV stores–I use the one in Chicago–to send it to Italy, where it will be lovingly restored at a reasonable cost. I did this this for a limited edition BV bag I bought in 2003 that I simply could not bear to give up (it was and still is so soft that I occasionally use it as a pillow on airplanes). The restoration took 3 months, and the result was perfect.
Thank you, Terri, for telling us about the Rago Brothers! I have items for them to repair/restore. Farfetch sounds great, but for me, the London location is too inconvenient to send things to..
Rebecca
Any suggestions for Goyard repair? I can’t give up my classic black and brown St. Louis tote , but it’s pretty beat up after 6 years
Julie, I had my St. Louis Tote in which the bottom corners were worn, repaired at the Goyard store in NYC. They charge but it was reasonable and they did a wonderful job.
Always taught from childhood to polish our shoes and repair our belongings. During quarantine all my winter boots got a good polish and sweaters repaired… this is more fufilling than one might imagine… good for the earth and the soul!
Love this! Thank you. I have long taken my Prada bags to the Fifth Ave Prada store to be shipped back to Italy for repairs. They come back as new at a reasonable cost.
I love restoration of anything and everything, from handbags to windows to vintage cars! When things are made well – and if you purchase well – it absolutely should last “a lifetime and longer.” So should homes. I had a clasp successfully repaired on a BV Knot Bag many years back through the NY store. I’ve used the services of a woman who reweaves beautifully, and our home has been a restoration project for thirty years, with thanks to Tim the amazing carpenter. I consulted with a friend who is a textile restoration specialist regarding my great grandfather’s christening gown and how to preserve it for yet another generation. Most of us remember when stores like The Gap ushered in the era of ‘disposable clothes,’ introducing a new collection every 10 days. At the core of all of this is quality construction to begin with. If the majority of our products (wardrobe, household, furniture, whatever) are produced in countries that export junk back to us, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. I would love to see a return to pro-American manufacturing policies and a willingness to pay for craft and quality while consuming less. That said, there must be products in all price ranges and hopefully produced decently in our own United States. I wish I could have listened in on your talk, Preston! : ))
I am a fan of repairs and restoration of oldies, but goodies as well, but a quick word of caution: unless the item is priceless and you are willing to pay anything to get it back in order, be sure to inquire regarding costs of restoration on the front end. My recent experience with Restory has been very good in terms of customer service experience; in response to my preliminary inquiry (and before I sent the item in), they let me know that to fix a faded color spot on a Hermes bag usually runs in $700 ballpark (rough currency conversion from British pounds). This was good to know as this exceeds cost/benefit analysis when looking at the bag’s original price and its current age.
I found Leather Spa thru KIC and just wanted to say that they do a fabulous job! I have been sending them a pair of shoes every month, and each pair of shoes comes back looking brand new. I also have had wonderful repair work done at Goyard, Louis Vuitton, and Bottega Veneta.
Rago brothers 100%! I have been using them for 20+ years. I am still wearing my beloved boots, belts, and bags that Tony had repaired, restored or refreshed. They can literally do anything. Family run business for 100 years!