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Reviving Mending to Benefit the Individual, Community & Industry: A Mixed Methods Study

Savocchia, Mathilda
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9410-8500
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1628556618882235

Abstract Details

2021, MFIS, Kent State University, College of the Arts / School of Fashion.
This research focuses on the revival of mending clothing to benefit various facets of the fashion industry, including individuals, community and non-profits, and brands and corporations. Multiple studies have highlighted the importance of the use phase of a garment’s life cycle in relation to sustainability. The longer a garment is worn and cared for, the less impact it has on the environment. One effective method of extending a garment’s use phase is mending clothing as it becomes damaged. A popular household activity throughout Western history, mending has faded from popular culture in recent decades, partially due to the emergence of fast fashion. However, due to growing concern for sustainability, renewed interest in DIY fashion and in mending represents an opportunity to promote the latter as a sustainable solution for consumers and for the fashion industry. This study explores this opportunity and focuses on how mending might be used to encourage sustainable practices by consumers, communities, and brands. Data was gathered using three separate methods, including: 1) an online survey; 2) virtual mending workshop with a pre-test and post-test analysis of participant perceived mending skills and mood; and 3) fashion industry expert interviews. This study confirmed a number of persistent barriers to mending, relating to skills, perceptions of what clothing was worth mending, and perceptions of the mending activity itself. Perceptions of sustainability and gender identity also influenced survey participant’s decisions to mend. Based on pre-test and post-test analysis, the mending workshop was highly effective in addressing some of those barriers, including improving participant perceived skills, confidence, and mood. Expert interviews highlighted practical implications to overcome potential barriers and promote mending as an accessible way to practice sustainability at the individual, community, and industry level.
Mourad Krifa (Advisor)
Nöel Palomo-Lovinski (Committee Member)
Catherine Leslie (Committee Member)
130 p.
Home Economics; Sustainability; Textile Research
Mending; sewing; DIY; sustainability; use phase; well-being; mental health; fashion industry

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Savocchia, M. (2021). Reviving Mending to Benefit the Individual, Community & Industry: A Mixed Methods Study [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1628556618882235

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Savocchia, Mathilda. Reviving Mending to Benefit the Individual, Community & Industry: A Mixed Methods Study . 2021. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1628556618882235.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Savocchia, Mathilda. "Reviving Mending to Benefit the Individual, Community & Industry: A Mixed Methods Study ." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1628556618882235

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1628556618882235
779
© 2021, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.