For Imani Wilson, repair is not a new idea. It is something she grew up with, and something that eventually became part of her own working life.
“My connection to repair goes back much further than The Repair Movement,” Wilson said. “My father was a cobbler, so repair was something I grew up around.”
After earning a degree in interior design, Wilson found herself graduating during a recession. With limited opportunities in her field, she turned to a skill she knew well.
“After graduating with a degree in interior design during the recession, I actually became a cobbler myself because I needed a way to support myself,” she said.
Years later, the importance of that experience came back into focus when Wilson learned that the owner of Able Shoe Repair, one of the last remaining cobblers serving Scotts Valley and the surrounding communities, had died. His family subsequently closed the shop.
“It really struck me that a skill and community resource that had been part of the area for so long could simply disappear,” Wilson said. “It made me think about what happens when we lose not only repair businesses, but the knowledge, skills and relationships that make repair possible.”
That realization helped inspire Wilson to begin The Repair Movement this past April.
“I want to help bring repair and reuse culture back into everyday life by connecting people with the fixers, makers and skilled hands in our communities,” she said.
The initiative’s first public event, Swap and Mend Together, will take place Sunday, Sept. 20, from 2-4pm at the Felton Library. The gathering will bring neighbors together to swap clothing, learn simple mending skills and meet people in the community who know how to repair and care for the things people already own.
For Wilson, the Felton event is about creating a different relationship with the things people use every day.
“There’s something I find especially meaningful about bringing these skills into a community setting,” she said. “Instead of treating worn clothing or broken things as disposable, we’re creating space to ask: Who knows how to fix this? What can we learn from one another? And what if caring for what we already have became something we did together?”
Wilson hopes Swap and Mend Together will be the beginning rather than a one-time event.
“The hope is for Swap and Mend Together to be the beginning of a series of gatherings that bring people together around the spirit of repair and reuse,” she said. “We want to create welcoming spaces where neighbors can connect, share what they have, exchange skills and knowledge, barter and swap, learn from one another, and discover the people and resources within their own communities who can help keep things in use.”
The idea is to make sustainability something people experience together, and allow those interested in the movement to commune with others whose beliefs around eliminating our throw-away society are aligned.
“Rather than simply talking about what a circular economy means, we want people to experience it together through participation, education, generosity and a sense of possibility,” Wilson said.
She also hopes the project can eventually develop a model that other communities can use.
“Over time, we hope to develop a blueprint that can be adapted and replicated by other communities,” Wilson said. “We’re also hoping to partner with other community organizations, individuals, businesses and companies that are interested in helping bring reuse initiatives to life.”
For now, Wilson is deliberately keeping the project grassroots.
“The Repair Movement is currently a small, growing community rather than a large membership organization,” she said.
Wilson is hoping the Sept. 20 event will invite more people to learn about the project and bring meaning to the garments they mend.
“There are so many people already doing pieces of this work, and I see The Repair Movement as a way to help connect those efforts and create more opportunities for them to reach the community,” she said.
Swap and Mend Together
When: Sunday, Sept. 20, from 2-4pm.
What It Is: A free community gathering at the Felton Library, 6121 Gushee St., hosted by The Repair Movement to swap clothes and fix damaged items together.
What to Bring: Clothes you no longer wear, plus any items that are torn, worn or missing a button.
What to Expect: Two hours of swapping, learning basic visible mending stitches and chatting with neighbors; no prior sewing skills are needed.
Thanks for sharing Christina! I attended, brought some clothes to swap and repaired two items. I donated my sewing machine years ago so it was great to borrow a nice machine and have guidance from experienced menders.