"They're just clothes, but if enough people adopt more creative ways of sourcing, tending, and mending them, we'd fix much that's wrong with the world."
- Kate Sekules, Mend! A Refashioning Manual and Manifesto
Reclypt is more than the online marketplace for upcycled fashion, it's where New Yorkers go to increase the longevity of their style. We offer a variety of community driven events with the goal of educating and engaging New Yorkers on circular fashion practices, brands, & changemakers. One way is through mending club!
Reclypt's Mending Club
....caters to a wide range of skill sets, all are welcome! We enable our mender’s to take on simple fixes like replacing a button, or more technical concepts like embroidering or darning. Our approach to mending helps facilitate skill development while working with a community to solve problems. Not only do we have experienced instructors on staff, but our community is experienced in a variety of skills and always willing to help others.
Why Mending?
Mending makes a powerful statement about your values.
Cost - Mending not only costs less than buying something new, but it's a long term investment in yourself. Not to mention, a mend is priceless to the mender.
Longer Life - Plain and simple, mending increases the longevity of your clothing. Whether, it's a repair, reinforcement, or restyling, mending helps keep clothing in circulation longer.
Climate Change - The average NYC household throws away about 120 pounds of textiles a year. Which amounts to approximately 200,000 tons of clothing, shoes, linens, and accessories in total (& 10 times as much textile waste is being thrown away before consumers see the products). As textiles decompose in landfills (can take up to 200 years, and some never full decompose), they emit harmful greenhouse gases. Learning to mend your clothes helps keep textiles out of landfills, which can reduce greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage.
Community - Mending is best done with others; not only for their insights, but their company. Of course, we're biased but some of the coolest, friendliest, and most interesting New Yorkers walk into our mending clubs. Mending is a form of bonding. Reclypt's Mending Club brings a passionate and growing community of waste-conscious New Yorkers together from all walks of life.
Skill Development - Learning to mend never ends. No two mendables are the same. Mending is a skill your constantly growing. But what if you never learned it? Mending is often a skill that is passed down from a friend or family member. What if you were taught at an early age and forget it? You could try to [re]teach yourself through books, YouTube, or private classes. But what's the fun in that? At Reclypt, we know the joy of engineering your own repair
Meditative - As they say, "Out of your mind, into your hands." Whether your with others or buy yourself, mending occupies your hands to clear your mind. Mending can reduce stress and anxiety, while promoting peace and harmony inside and out.
Respect & Personal Style - Mending goes beyond everything mentioned above, it helps you understand clothing and yourself better. Mending forces you to look at clothing, understand it, and engineer a repair, creating a greater respect for clothes makers. Furthermore, it puts your style in front of a mirror for you to reflect upon. They more you mend, the better you'll appreciate, enjoy, and honor your personal style.
The Reclypt approach to mending is unique in practicing radical self expression while amongst a community of like minded people who want to agitate the status quo of churn and burn fashion. Our belief is that if people commit more strongly and informed to the clothing they invest in, people will invest more confidently. Therein creating less waste. Snag that holey, needs-a-hem thrift shop find and bring it over. We’ll show you how to enjoy it for a long time.
Ask any mender, once you start, you can't stop!
We hope you grow and/or start with us!
About Reclypt
Reclypt is more than an online marketplace for upcycled fashion, we're strengthening the community that aims to eliminate disposable fashion. We're helping New Yorkers increase the longevity of their style, on any budget, through our online store, mending clubs, clothing swaps, pop-ups, blog, social media channels, panel events, and more. Reclypt aims to educate and engage New Yorkers on circular fashion practices, brands, and changemakers.
Style lasts longer with community.
Follow us on Instagram @reclypt