Nowadays it is utterly frustrating to own a technological device – from smartphones to videogame consoles – and not to be able to repair it by yourself. Many of us lack the skills to do so, but, most times, the warranties of such appliances feature a clause reminding users that any attempt at repairing the device by themselves will invalidate that same warranty (usually consumers are entitled to receive support from an official customer service linked to the producer).
To this end, some manufacturers make sure your technological device is perfectly sealed into a sleek cover, resembling the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey, looking polished, mysterious and inaccessible, like an alien artefact. Manufacturers also create an air of exclusivity and secrecy surrounding a device's inner workings as if knowing what goes on inside your smartphone was something that only members of a dedicated sect should know.
Under EU law, manufacturers are not required to provide technical information (such as manuals and service handbooks) to consumers, nor are they required to provide consumers with spare parts. Only professional repairers have indeed a guaranteed right to access the technical information and the spare parts, and only for some products. But concerns about the environment have pushed consumers to change their attitudes to repair: a growing number of consumers now would like to repair products by themselves (as opposed to being required to use the official repair shops).
The European Commission has been researching the issue: in 2018, a study on consumers' engagement in the circular economy showed higher rates of repair, taking into account different products, from a dishwasher and a mobile phone to a coat or a jacket. For most consumers, though, reparability was less important than durability. At the same time, consumers also stated they were ready to pay more for better reparability.
At the moment, there are communities of repair enthusiasts all over the world often supported by dedicated forums and YouTube videos. Besides, in March 2023, the European Commission should issue new regulations regarding consumer legislation on repair and introduce an effective "right to repair".
Some companies are actually working to guarantee this right: Nokia has just released the G22, a DIY repairable budget Android phone partially made of recycled plastic and with 128GB of storage (price: under €200; prices vary for what regards the parts, the screen for example, is the most expensive at €49,95). The device, serviceable with standard tools (a blessing, considering that finding the repair tools that can open bizarrely shaped screws is usually a time consuming effort that drives many repair enthusiasts crazy), can be easily fixed thanks to a removable back and the internal components including screen, battery and charging port can be easily unscrewed and changed. Besides, in addition to a professional repair service, consumers will be guaranteed access to repair guides and genuine parts available for five years via specialists iFixit.
Apart from being a handy solution, such a device can also have an educational purpose, helping younger smartphone users to discover how a device works and getting interested in the technology behind it with a hands-on approach.
The EU Commission's "Right to Repair" proposal and this smartphone take us to the next issue: shouldn't we foster this trend also in the fashion industry? It is true that, in the last few years, mending and repairing have been on the agenda of many of us. After all, there are now free tutorials to learn basic skills, from replacing a button to alter the hem of a skirt/dress.
But what if even designer clothes would be assembled cleverly, so that one item came in a pattern that allowed people to disassemble that piece and modify it? Or what if the garment came with a manual suggesting consumers what they could do with it once they get tired of it? Yes, some of us have endless imagination and maybe already dispose of unwanted items in clever ways, recycling the materials or passing the garments onto other family members or friends. That said, what if garments and accessories came with hacking/repairing kits?
Some companies (especially luxury houses) offer customer service support in case a piece (imagine a designer handbag) gets damaged. But it would be intriguing to see if consumers' habits would change further if even those brands selling more affordable pieces would offer repairing services, encouraged consumers to repair their items or even sold them with kits including a darning loom (handy to mend or repair fabrics, a darning loom can be a useful object to keep in the house to come up with contrasting patches and unique embroideries and cover in this way stains and marks).
Lifestyle brand Toast, for example, encourages consumers to repair their items for free at their in-store repair services. The company also launched a "Renewed Collection", featuring clothing and home textiles from the company's shops that come with minor damages such as tears, holes and flaws renewed with creative mending made by the company's in-house repair team of specialists.
Most designs, from jumpers and trousers to sweaters and home textiles, are repaired using stitching techniques such as Japanese sashiko (currently trending on the A/W 23 runways) or using material offcuts to patch and elevate the items.
In 1943 the Ministry of Information in Great Britain launched the "Make Do and Mend" campaign urging people to repair, reuse and reimagine their existing clothes during the Second World War.
We don't need to directly experience a war to develop this attitude, but we can learn to add that kintsugi touch to our clothes to make them more beautiful and find intriguing solutions to repair and mend in fun ways our wardrobes and our less-than-perfect lives.
Comments