On the mend: 8 tips on how to repair your clothes

Outside/In

NHPR

Society & Culture, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Nature, Science

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The garment industry has a giant carbon footprint, labor issues, and a massive waste problem. We have the power to change how and where we shop, but there’s another way to shift our consumption: the practice of repairing our clothes. After all, the most sustainable garment is always the one already hanging in your closet. But mending is more than a household chore: it can also infuse new joy in our habits, skills, perspective, and community. Outside/In producer Justine Paradis talked to a few repair pros and came up with 8 tips on embracing a repair mindset, lengthening the life of our clothes, and getting the practice of mending into the rhythm of our lives. Featuring Emilia Petrarca, Dante Zagros Gonzalez, Steve Foss, Arounna Khounnoraj, Sonali Diddi, Vrylena Olney, Ely Spencer, and Ali Mann. This episode was produced by Justine Paradis. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. LINKS A few extraordinary examples of mending: Celia Pym’s Norwegian Sweater, a Japanese fisherman’s jacket constructed with sashiko, wool coats repaired with lavish embroidery, and a plain white t-shirt mended by Maya Skylark. Look for mending classes at your local library, thrift stores, knitting shops, or other community gathering places. Remote classes are also offered at places like Tatter. You can also find a repair cafe near you, explore starting your own, or try throwing a repair party with friends. “Why Do Clothes Suck Now” – a great primer on Culture Study A striking visual demonstrating the decline in sweater quality since the ‘90s. How to buy a sweater that doesn’t suck (Defector) “Repair Month” on Emilia Petrarca’s newsletter Shop Rat, including laundry tips and her crowd-sourced Google spreadsheet of repair specialists in NYC and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, this is Outside In a show where Curiosity and the natural world collide. I am Nate Hedgy,
0:06.1	joined today by our producer, Justine Paradis. Hey, Justine. Hey, Justine. Hey, Nate. Question. Yeah.
0:12.1	How do you approach organizing your closet?
0:17.4	Well, that's a great question because that assumes that the clothes are making it into the closet
0:25.9	as opposed to sitting in a hamper because I can never I hate the chore I hate putting away laundry
0:33.5	but when I do it is organized long sleeve shirts, short sleeve shirts, pants on top,
0:42.7	folded, socks, underwear, kind of hopefully folded, probably not throwing into a little bin.
0:51.3	I mean, so I think that this speaks to a theory I've been developing that I
0:56.6	want to lay on you. So let me present what I'm calling a geologic theory of wardrobes.
1:02.8	Ooh, geologic theory. Okay.
1:04.8	Thinking about your hamper, you've got your topsoil. So this is the favorite stuff,
1:09.2	the very rich material that you wear on repeat.
1:12.9	Hanging up, you've got a special occasion range in the distance, perhaps, your party dresses,
1:19.5	your suits. Yes. But deeper down, there is a layer of clothing that we try our best not to think
1:26.0	about. Yeah. And these are the things that are always there.
1:29.3	The permapile, perhaps, we could call it.
1:32.3	Oh, Justine, that's so clever.
1:35.3	I love that.
1:36.3	The permapile.
1:37.3	The permapile.
1:38.3	These are the clothes we love, so we don't want to throw them away,
1:42.3	but we can't wear them as they are now,
	...

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