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There isn't a need to mend when clothes are as inexpensive as they are. Especially for children's clothes as they outgrow them before they need mending and it's

There isn't a need to mend when clothes are as inexpensive as they are. Especially for children's clothes as they outgrow them before they need mending and it's easier to buy new clothes than find what you need second hand.

BossingAround 8y ago
This may be the case in the US, but in most of the world, places such as India, China, and even parts of Europe, people still hand down clothing, and have a very real need for mending...
- Freak_NL 8y ago
  Even parts of Europe? That makes it sound as if this is just something poor Polish country folk do. This is common sense everywhere, including here in the fairly affluent Netherlands! We are expecting our first child, and the amount of second-hand clothing that found its way to us via family is astounding. Children outgrow clothing fast, so even without mending clothing gets reused as a matter of course.
  - BossingAround 8y ago
    By parts of Europe, I meant that this may not be very common in the UK or Germany (no idea about Germany), but is definitely common in large parts of EU (Poland, sure, but also Portugal, and I think it's relatively common among the nordics, for example).
    - benj111 8y ago
      Even in the UK. Parents don't want to just throw out clothes, with their associated memories, so they try and pass them on. We bought 6 months of clothes for our son when he was born, and have barely bought anything since, he's 2 and a half now, and has more foot wear than me.
      - BossingAround 8y ago
        Interesting. My experience from London is, people buy clothes that they never even open, and donate them to charity 3-5 years later with tags still on. The consumerism I've seen is utterly ridiculous.
  - TeMPOraL 8y ago
    Not so poor Pole here. We're expecting our first child. We could buying clothes & other stuff new, but my frugal wife went on-line, and in two months got us more than enough clothes for the first two years, + a stroller, for free, from local give-away groups. Couple of messages and short car trips is all it took, and in total, we're easily ~$1500 ahead because of that. Unless a second child happens, we'll likely give away all stuff in decent conditions too. Pay-it-forward & all. Speaking of those groups, she also managed to pick up an old Łucznik sewing machine that's older than our parents. It's repairable, indestructible, and has already created a bunch of stuff, including hand-made gifts. If that's a hallmark of a "poor" country, then I don't want to live in a "rich" one.
NeedMoreTea 8y ago
Children's clothes do need mending. They fall over and play games in their newest jeans or jumper, no matter what you tell them. When they outgrow they can be passed to the younger brother or sister. It was actually children that caused us to rediscover mending. Case of having to really. We were not going to throw away the week old jacket because they inconveniently put a rip down half the front, or buy new school pants because they put a hole in the knee playing football at break. Jeans, no matter how cheap, go first in one of two places. The main button hole or knees. 5 mins patching will get another year out of them. More expensive jeans can be patched for much longer though. Which is where the whole fashion for ripped or patched jeans came from in the first place. :)
tokai 8y ago
People in poorer parts of the world are literally dying, so we can buy clothes so cheap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_industry_in_Bangladesh#Working_conditions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_industry_in_Bangladesh... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Savar_building_collapse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Savar_building_collapse
- hopler 8y ago
  If we paid more, would the factory owners have built a safer factory? No, they'd pocket the profits. If they didn't have factory jobs, would they be subsisting on coastal fishing and be killed by tsunami? Poorer parts of the world are poor by default, not because of trade.
djhworld 8y ago
There are externalities to mass consumption of clothing though, from the resources needed to grow cotton, dyes, transportation of goods across the planet and sweat shop labour. Through to disposal where discarded products will either go to poor countries to be resold, or thrown into landfill.

BossingAround 8y ago

This may be the case in the US, but in most of the world, places such as India, China, and even parts of Europe, people still hand down clothing, and have a very real need for mending...

Freak_NL 8y ago
Even parts of Europe? That makes it sound as if this is just something poor Polish country folk do. This is common sense everywhere, including here in the fairly affluent Netherlands! We are expecting our first child, and the amount of second-hand clothing that found its way to us via family is astounding. Children outgrow clothing fast, so even without mending clothing gets reused as a matter of course.
- BossingAround 8y ago
  By parts of Europe, I meant that this may not be very common in the UK or Germany (no idea about Germany), but is definitely common in large parts of EU (Poland, sure, but also Portugal, and I think it's relatively common among the nordics, for example).
  - benj111 8y ago
    Even in the UK. Parents don't want to just throw out clothes, with their associated memories, so they try and pass them on. We bought 6 months of clothes for our son when he was born, and have barely bought anything since, he's 2 and a half now, and has more foot wear than me.
    - BossingAround 8y ago
      Interesting. My experience from London is, people buy clothes that they never even open, and donate them to charity 3-5 years later with tags still on. The consumerism I've seen is utterly ridiculous.
- TeMPOraL 8y ago
  Not so poor Pole here. We're expecting our first child. We could buying clothes & other stuff new, but my frugal wife went on-line, and in two months got us more than enough clothes for the first two years, + a stroller, for free, from local give-away groups. Couple of messages and short car trips is all it took, and in total, we're easily ~$1500 ahead because of that. Unless a second child happens, we'll likely give away all stuff in decent conditions too. Pay-it-forward & all. Speaking of those groups, she also managed to pick up an old Łucznik sewing machine that's older than our parents. It's repairable, indestructible, and has already created a bunch of stuff, including hand-made gifts. If that's a hallmark of a "poor" country, then I don't want to live in a "rich" one.

NeedMoreTea 8y ago

Children's clothes do need mending. They fall over and play games in their newest jeans or jumper, no matter what you tell them. When they outgrow they can be passed to the younger brother or sister. It was actually children that caused us to rediscover mending. Case of having to really. We were not going to throw away the week old jacket because they inconveniently put a rip down half the front, or buy new school pants because they put a hole in the knee playing football at break. Jeans, no matter how cheap, go first in one of two places. The main button hole or knees. 5 mins patching will get another year out of them. More expensive jeans can be patched for much longer though. Which is where the whole fashion for ripped or patched jeans came from in the first place. :)

tokai 8y ago

People in poorer parts of the world are literally dying, so we can buy clothes so cheap. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_industry_in_Bangladesh#Working_conditions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textile_industry_in_Bangladesh... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Savar_building_collapse https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Savar_building_collapse

hopler 8y ago
If we paid more, would the factory owners have built a safer factory? No, they'd pocket the profits. If they didn't have factory jobs, would they be subsisting on coastal fishing and be killed by tsunami? Poorer parts of the world are poor by default, not because of trade.

djhworld 8y ago

There are externalities to mass consumption of clothing though, from the resources needed to grow cotton, dyes, transportation of goods across the planet and sweat shop labour. Through to disposal where discarded products will either go to poor countries to be resold, or thrown into landfill.