Our spending patterns are shifting as a result of the growing expense of living to keep up with the exorbitant costs of food and electricity. As people make cuts, it is something that those in the fashion industry need to be mindful of. But, that does not imply that it is a negative moment for the sector; it just calls for being inventive.
Josephine Philips, the founder of the on-demand software SOJO that fixes garments, says that. The 25-year-old encourages people to reconsider tossing away clothing and instead consider mending it.
“We really want people to think of repair as something exciting. It’s an experience you can enjoy,” she tells BBC Newsbeat. Josephine claims that when she needed a piece of clothing repaired but lacked the skills to do it herself, the idea for the app struck her. “I, like so many others, had no idea how to sew, so I wanted to make repairing and tailoring easy and convenient.”
Users record their issues on the app to get anything repaired, and a courier picks it up on a bike. In a time when we’re spending less on apparel, Josephine thinks that enhancing what you already own is a joyful way to spend less money.
“We’ve realised when people get things tailored – even when you make a small change – you feel completely differently about that item,” she says. “It feels like ‘wow, I haven’t wanted this for a year because it didn’t make me feel great’ and now it’s like a new piece of clothing.”
Ten seamstresses have been added to the company’s network since SOJO’s inception in January 2021. They are now based in London, but they intend to grow throughout the UK. Josephine claims that, of all the adjustments they do, the dancefloor injuries are the cause of their most frequent repair job.
“We do a lot of crotch rips on jeans, so one for all the dancers and man-spreaders. We also do a lot of replacement rips in the pockets of coats and jackets.”
Edward responded when Newsbeat questioned whether it was a difficult moment for the industry that it was difficult for brands but not for people.
“Fashion has been through a recession before, this isn’t the first, but what a recession does is make creativity bigger.”
Edward also mentioned the tendency of customizing while referencing the 1980s, a period that saw a second recession. “People imagine more and find other ways of being creative. In the ’80s people tie-died t-shirts and embellished their clothes.”
More and more of us are purchasing used goods in an environment of cost-cutting. Pre-owned clothing may soon be shown on television if you don’t already have some in your own closet.
Love Island has partnered with eBay for the second season in a row, dressing contestants in outfits from the online store. Amy Bannerman, a stylist, spent hours searching the website to find 1,800 pieces for the islanders’ clothing.
“Even before I took this role, I was on eBay every day just for myself, there’s never a moment I’m not looking for something,” she tells Newsbeat.
