World 36

The year is 2020 in World 36, the force that sets the tone to fashion cultures is a global pandemic. Living under partial lockdown, people experience an extreme level of uncertainty and a high level of job loss. Buying new clothing is not considered to be a socially sensitive path, and people turn to mending as a way to repair and refresh their wardrobes, to express themselves.

Mending studios become common, one on every few blocks. Over time, menders become figures like tattoo artists, helping people channel their unique values and experiences into stories, creatively told on their textiles.

What if …

mending studios were common?

Issue targeted:

reduce, reuse, refresh, express

Inspiration:

Kate Sekules

This World was contributed by Sara E. Bernat (located in Philadelphia, USA) using a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International licence which allows others to share and adapt the work in any medium and for any purpose, providing that they credit the author and share their material using the same Creative Commons licence.

Does this World remind you of something?

I am keen to hear about any historical or contemporary real-world examples – whether individual practices, subcultures or mainstream activities – that this fiction brings to mind.

Please share any such examples using this form. Thank you!

Published by Amy Twigger Holroyd

explorer of Fashion Fictions