Mendatory

The Royal Opera House sustainability department, together with facilitators Rachael O'Sullivan (Sustainability), Helen Clements (ROH shop) and Hélène Martin (IT), organise a monthly sewing and mending workshop open to all ROH employees. In a convivial setting, we deliver to our attendees the chance to escape from their computer screens and meet colleagues from other departments. We offer solutions that increase the longevity of our garments and reduce waste. We discuss creative mending options, learning the best approach for extending the lifespan of our garments. Our clothes carry the stories of the lives we lead and more often than not, the tears, rips and threadbare zones can offer up some clues about our lifestyle or habits. Whether darned, reworked or visibly mended using techniques like sashiko repair, a garment begins to tell a story of the wearer. Repair offers a considered approach to cherishing garments for longer. Over time, it is our hope that our clothing will hold an imprint of your own movements, giving a uniquely beautiful patina. Repairing our clothes is both an environmental and economical way of making them last. 'With the mending workshop, it’s really obvious that a garment has been truly loved and worn a lot, which is always heartening. With visible mending we can celebrate the repair, which in itself is a great antidote to throwaway culture' Hélène Martin.