Make do and Mend

When I first stumbled upon The Closet vintage shop, hidden away down a small lane in a part of Aberdeen I had never been to before, I was pleasantly surprised. I was greeted with clothing rails tightly packed with vintage silk gowns, velvet and fur coats, floral embroidered skirts, leather and denim jackets, colourful swing dresses and smart three-piece suits. Delicate pearl necklaces dangled from jewellery hangers placed on top of drawers overflowing with beaded evening bags. Tall glittery 70s go-go boots sat proudly on a shelf next to the window, sparkling under the overhead lights. Hanging from the ceiling, handbags and hats vied for my attention. In the centre of the shop was a circular rail of shirts with every pattern you can think of printed on them. Sitting next to the door, beside a rail of brightly patterned dresses that were waiting patiently to be priced, was Elane, the owner of the shop. She was wearing blue jeans dungarees, a pair of silver high heeled boots with matching fur cuffs, teamed with an acid blue denim jacket and a cream woolly bobble hat on her platinum blonde head. She greeted me with a surprised smile, as she was shocked to see a customer during her lunch break, and then a jolly “Hello”. I’ve been a regular customer ever since.

Being a student I can’t always afford the clothes I want, but every now and then I have a rummage through the rails in this tiny shop and might treat myself to a new dress. But then I ask myself the question- why do I save up to buy vintage outfits rather than buy cheaply made modern clothes from shops like Primark and TK Maxx? Well, first of all, I love the retro look and style of vintage clothing. Owning an article of clothing that is so unique and rare is more rewarding than you might think. People will compliment me on my style and ask, “Where did you get that dress?” and I always get a sense of joy from replying with “it’s vintage.” I love the idea that every vintage piece has a story behind it, because people lived their lives in these clothes. You could buy a vintage dress or a jacket that was worn on a first date or a prom night, a job interview or a wedding.

Vintage clothes are much better for the environment as textile waste and production of new clothing is a huge threat to the environment. Incredibly, according to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, textile production is the source of 1.2 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas each year. Not only that, chemical based dyes often pollute waterways and some blended fabrics such as polyester tend to shed plastic microfibers when washed. These microfibers can find their way from our washing machines into our oceans, adding to the ever-increasing amount of plastic floating in the sea and risking the lives of millions of aquatic animals. A survey on UK rivers done by Bangor University in 2019 identified micro-plastic pollution at all the locations they tested. The cotton plant is also a water and pesticide dependent crop- the more cotton we grow, the more water we waste and the more chemicals we pollute the Earth with. The World Resources Institute reports that it takes two-and-a-half-years worth of drinking water for one person to make a single cotton t-shirt. Environmental concerns are issues which Elane is clearly passionate about- as soon as I mentioned the topic she leapt into animate conversation, “The fashion industry- the pollution it’s causing, the miles that those garments use before they even get to the shops- we are never going to offset the carbon footprint from those garments selling for two, three, four pounds, it’s just not possible and you aren’t going to get enough wear out of them to warrant their cheapness. The whole business needs to change.”

And she’s right, the 2017 Pulse of Fashion report revealed that the fashion industry was to blame for 1,715 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2015 and is estimated to increase by more than 60% to 2.8 billion by 2030. If nothing is done to reduce those figures then the damage the fashion industry does to the planet could be irreversible.

Before the 1970s many peoples clothes were hand-tailored and made of durable materials. Back then, most people would splash out on expensive clothing that was made to last years and years- especially during the era of “make do and mend” in the 1940s and 50s. Wartime rationing and its aftermath had forced people to be resourceful and repair garments instead of simply buying new clothes. Nowadays, on the other hand, people are generally willing to sacrifice the quality of a product for a cheaper price. Many modern clothing manufacturers have resorted to using cheap mass production values to get prices to the lowest possible so more people will buy them and since the garments they produce don’t last very long people keep coming back to buy more. This increases demand rapidly, causing textile production to go through the roof and become an even bigger problem. An EU report in 2019 stated that fashion companies only made two collections a year in 2000, this had risen to five by 2011. Some fashion outlets such as Zara are now providing up to 24 collections per year. This led the EU to believe that clothes are being considered as “nearly disposable” products by some people.

Elane sources the majority of the clothes she sells herself, often they are given to her from elderly people who have kept these garments for years and years or someone whose elderly relative had passed away, leaving vintage clothes and accessories behind. I asked Elane if she believes vintage garments are better quality than modern clothes, “Of course! I don’t think anyone can argue with that,” she said confidently, “because they are all still here. There was a period in around 2015 where many local people turned their noses up at me and asked ‘how can you charge £40 for a vintage dress? It’s secondhand- someone else has worn that.’ and I was like ‘are you kidding me? This dress was made in- let’s say 1965 and it’s still here today. A lot of modern t-shirts costing £5 don’t even last someone’s holiday and you’re complaining about the price of a dress that’s older than you? And it will probably be here in another 20 years if it’s looked after properly.’”

I would have to agree, Elane makes compelling points- vintage fashion is much more sustainable and better for the environment than being a frequent consumer of fast fashion. Every product has its impact on the planet but by buying brand new clothes so often we are creating a much bigger impact than is acceptable. Secondhand clothes have already made their impact on the planet so recycling and upcycling worn clothes is an ideal way to reduce our carbon footprint. We can prevent perfectly good clothes from going to landfills and decrease the amount of greenhouse gas being produced simply by lengthening the lifespan of our clothes. If everyone bought second-hand clothing our world would be in a much healthier state and Elane would agree with me. “Tiny steps by millions of people will have a big impact. It’s a shame that people often think ‘oh, it’s only me. Buying this vintage top won’t make a difference’. That’s not true. It has a ripple effect, so the more people wearing vintage to help reduce their carbon footprint the better.”

I then asked Elane her opinion on the new trend of sustainably made garments. “My ideas of sustainability and taking care of the planet using what we have are quite strong and I kind of feel that a lot of people have jumped on that bandwagon just to sell goods now and it’s almost become a fashion… I now find that some people are throwing out perfectly good clothes and replacing them with sustainable goods so they can virtue signal about their green credentials- but that’s actually worse for the environment. Just use what you have.”

So next time you’re out shopping, before you buy a new shirt or dress, think about it. Think about how many chemicals were used to make that pair of jeans you are considering buying. Think about the amount of precious water that was used to make that dress you really want. Think about how many air miles that t-shirt you want would’ve travelled to get to the shop, nevermind the horrendous working conditions of the sweatshop most of those products are made in. And maybe reconsider. And next time you pass a vintage clothes shop, take a look- you never know what you might find. Together, let’s bring back “make do and mend”.

Thank you for reading x

Photography: Fiona Mc, Elane, Ryan Duff