People turn to making and mending their own clothes to save money as cost of living crisis looms large

The clientele at Sophie Parry’s sewing studio in Redfern have traditionally been crafters reaching for a new hobby or groups of women sipping a sparkling wine at a hens do.

But in the past year a curious new trend has emerged, with a 40 per cent increase in demand for classes where people learn to repair and alter their garments.

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Ms Parry said people were looking for ways to save money by making their clothes last longer.

“A lot of the people who I speak to are in their early 30s and they’re looking for more ways to save money,” she said.

“For example, we have seen demand for the alterations classes spike just before the new school year, because parents want to learn how to adjust their kids uniforms, they don’t want to pay for it.”

Slow fashion advocate and Churchill Fellow Jane Milburn, who has been recognised with an Order of Australia for her work with sustainable textiles, said there was a looming return to “old-fashioned values of looking after things”.

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“Sometimes we think clothes are so cheap now and we don’t have to save money,” she said.

“But I think what we’re finding is there’s a move towards tinkering your clothes, and altering them to make sure it works for you.”

She said making or repairing clothes was also giving consumers agency which had been eroded by fast fashion.

“On one level, it’s quick and easy and cheap to buy into the supply chain, but you only get what’s available that season,” she said.

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“Slowing down, repairing what you have, altering what you have, figuring out what you like… once you have a period of stopping that endless buying cycle, then you review everything.

People want to repair clothes, but don’t know how

Research commissioned by waste management provider Veolia Australia New Zealand last year found consumers were becoming more likely to mend a piece of clothing.

About half of the 1,000 people surveyed said their drive to repair was mostly motivated by money and generations more likely to have a mortgage made the most repairs.

Almost 50 per cent of people surveyed would rather repair rather than replace their favourite piece of clothing, if they knew how.

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It is a captive audience Queensland woman Maddy Rawlings has tapped in to, growing her sewing tutorial YouTube channel to 263,000 subscribers and drawing a combined audience of more than 180,000 across Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.

“It is crazy, I went into it just to hold myself accountable, sharing this stuff to make the time for it. And then naturally, it just got momentum,” she said.

“It is a growing area of popularity and it just kind of exploded.”

Ms Rawlings predominantly uses cheap materials like thrifted sheets or material sourced from op-shops to make her garments.

She said it has taken “internal work” to stop buying in to the fast-fashion system.

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“I was actually going through a very big fast fashion and overconsumption phase when I started taking my hobby seriously,” she said.

“But then you just realise, OK, if I feel the need or desire to buy something, did I even know about that thing yesterday?

“Or am I just getting excited because it’s popped up in my feed or is some new trend?”

She believes the popularity of her content is reflective of a growing interest in sustainability, mindful consuming and a desire to save money while having access to new and trend-based clothes.

Ms Milburn said the up-front costs of sewing and mending do not have to be daunting.

 “The good thing is that you don’t necessarily need a sewing machine,” she said.

“There is a lot which can be done hand sewing, like reinforcing a button or bringing up a hem.”

She said purchasing garments made from high-quality natural fibres like linen, wool and cotton also helped them last longer.

Sewing costs time more than money

In Sydney, sewist Courtney Mooney estimates about 90 per cent of her wardrobe is handmade.

She said purchasing high-quality material to make garments is not always cheap.

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“I don’t always think making your own clothes is more affordable,” she said.

She recently made a long coat and paid about $150 for fabric.

It took her around 30 hours to sew.

“I honestly think I would have spent over $500 for it in store,” she said.

“But it’s the time, and not everyone has the time.”

However making her own clothes increases their cost-per-wear, and she finds it easy to repair or upcycle them.

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“It’s slowed down the whole process,” she said.

“Because I am putting all that mindfulness into making things that I know I’m going to wear,  I would say maybe it is more affordable over time.

“And I can mend things as well, which is such a skill.”

Through her Instagram account Sydney Sewcial, Ms Mooney has connected with other makers across Sydney.

She hosts ‘stash swaps’ where people trade unwanted material with one another.

“COVID definitely introduced a lot of people to sewing,” she said.

“It’s such a mixed age group, but i am noticing a lot of younger, that 20-to-30 age group, and definitely with that sustainability in mind.”

Ms Milburn said sewing meets a psychological need to learn, be creative and use our hands to do things, creating value that is not strictly financial.

“I think mending when we mend our clothes in a way where mending ourselves,” Ms Milburn said.