Have you ever ripped a pair of pants or had a hem fall out and instead of repairing the garment it ended up in the trash or in that pile of things you swear you’re going to take to the dry cleaners to get fixed?
At the start of this semester Illinois State professor Elisabeth Reed and fashion students Maddie Willer and Lauren Barker joined forces to implement a solution to this problem and more. Together they implemented “Fix It Friday,” a free basic mending, sewing, and clothing repair service.
Beyond helping out the Illinois State community, “Fix It Friday” services are open to the entire Bloomington/Normal community as well. “Fix It Friday” is working to fix so much more than just rips and tears. This initiative is working to help reduce the amount of textile waste while promoting sustainable fashion. If it’s broke, fix it–”Fix It Friday” strives to keep these clothing items out of landfills and in use for as long as possible.
So far this semester the initiative has been a huge success, working with just around 100 customers. “Fix It Friday” pops up in different locations bi-monthly to provide their services through their entirely volunteer based staff. Running the project in a food truck style allows “Fix It Friday” to provide their services to as many individuals as possible. So far they have set up at locations such as Bloomington Coffee Hound, the Normal Public Library, and even the Illinois State Quad.
“Fix It Friday” held their last event of the calendar year at ARC–Activity and Recreation Center here in Bloomington on December 2. As for the coming year, you can find the initiative popping up next at Retrofit Culture on January 20. Next time you need something repaired, head over to the “Fix It Friday” Facebook page to see where they’re next location is and be apart of the solution in reducing textile waste.
