Repair Week 2026: From Community Workshops to Professional Garment Repairs

Repair culture is gaining real momentum across the UK, and this Repair Week 2026 – (2nd – 8th March) is helping to bring the movement firmly into the spotlight. Now in its sixth year, the nationwide campaign continues to encourage individuals and organisations to rethink the way we treat our possessions, particularly clothing, by repairing, reusing and extending the life of everyday items.

At Fashion-Enter Ltd, Repair is embedded across the company, from community-led repair workshops held at its retail space, upcycling classes at its workspace, and professional garment repair and repurposing at its award-winning factory.

Community Repair in Action at FC Designer Collective – Fonthill Road

On 3rd March, Fashion-Enter Ltd hosted a drop-in repair and upcycle workshop at FC Designer Collective shop on Fonthill Road. The free session was supported by Islington Council and open to the general public, with registration required through Eventbrite.

The event welcomed 12 attendees, many bringing more than one item to work on during the session. Most participants focused on practical repairs, while a small number experimented with upcycling projects.

Typical repairs included:

• Hem adjustments
• Length alterations
• Applying patches
• Fixing fastenings
• Repairing embellishments

It was particularly encouraging to see men participating alongside women, demonstrating that garment repair skills are increasingly appealing to a broad and diverse audience.

Feedback from the attendees was overwhelmingly positive, ranging from good to excellent, with every participant saying they would return for another session. Many discovered the event through the council website, Eventbrite listings or the newsletter.

Workshops like this demonstrate the power of community learning. Participants not only fix garments but also gain confidence in practical skills while connecting with others who share an interest in sustainability.

Repair Week by the Numbers

New research commissioned by ReLondon highlights just how significant the repair opportunity is in the UK.

Key findings reveal:

• The UK spends £15 billion each year replacing items that could have been repaired.
• 64% of people admit to spending around £277 annually replacing repairable items.
• 335 million repairable items — roughly six per person — are thrown away every year.
• Textiles and electrical items are among the most frequently discarded.

Encouragingly, repair culture is showing signs of revival. On average, people in the UK repaired 14 items each in the past year, including:

• 413 million clothing and textile repairs, such as replacing buttons or fixing seams
• 66 million electrical plug replacements
• 42 million headphone port repairs

However, the biggest barrier remains lack of skills. Nearly half of respondents (47%) learned repair skills from parents, while 31% rely on online tutorials through platforms such as YouTube or TikTok.

Importantly, 52% of people say attending a repair workshop is a great way to learn new skills and meet others, reinforcing the value of initiatives like the one held at FC Designer Collective.

A Personal Repair Story

Repair Week also resonated on a personal level. As part of the week’s focus on extending the life of garments, a jacket belonging to my husband was sent to the Fashion-Enter Ltd factory in Haringey for repair. The jacket, a long established favourite, was originally purchased in 1997, making it nearly 30 years old!

Despite its age, the garment itself was still in good condition. The main issue was a broken zip, although the inside of the jacket had clearly seen decades of wear.

One of the factory’s skilled seamstresses carefully unpicked the original zip, tidied and reinforced the inside construction, and then matched and inserted a brand-new zip. The transformation was remarkable: the jacket now looks as good as new and is ready to be worn again.

It is a perfect example of how professional repair skills can preserve garments with personal value, preventing them from being discarded unnecessarily.

The jacket lives on and could well last another 30 years!

Making Repair the Norm

Repair Week has grown significantly since its launch in 2020, expanding from just 20 London-based events to a nationwide movement with activities taking place across London, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, County Durham, Belfast and Cardiff.

Workshops on offer range from sewing and textile repair to bike maintenance, phone repair, upholstery and furniture restoration, with sessions designed for beginners through to experienced makers.

Katie Moriyama, Campaign Manager for Repair Week, explains the mission clearly: “We want to make fixing the norm, which is why we run Repair Week every year, making it easier for people to learn skills and access affordable, professional repair. From hands-on workshops with repair experts to online hacks, Repair Week is all about giving you the confidence to fix, mend, and make things last.”

For organisations like Fashion-Enter Ltd, the message aligns perfectly with their commitment to skills, sustainability and responsible fashion. Whether through community workshops or professional factory repairs, the aim is simple: keep garments in use for longer and change the culture of throwaway fashion.