If there was ever a time to start thinking more consciously about our clothes, it's now. According to Oxfam, 13 million items of clothing are sent to landfill each week, with fast fashion generating more carbon emissions than aviation and shipping combined.
As a fashion writer, I'm proud of my penchant for pre-loved clothing. While my friends and family once used to wince at my enthusiasm for a well-stocked charity shop, I'm slowly but surely encouraging them to follow in my planet-conscious footsteps - shopping on Vinted, creating a circular capsule wardrobe and using fashion rental platforms wherever possible.
On my latest quest to elevate my wardrobe, I had my eye on this Renaissance-inspired tiered skirt from Chloé. Unsurprisingly, I fell short at the £1,250 price tag.
When I stumbled across a near-exact lookalike from a charity shop for £4, I couldn't believe my luck.
Complete with three tiers of embroidered jacquard cotton, a broderie hemline and elasticated waistband, this bargain buy was exactly the prairie skirt I had been looking for - except it was six sizes larger than what I needed.
After the shop owner told me it had been on the rail for months, I felt compelled to buy it with the ambitious goal to alter it, but the task proved too difficult for my novice sewing skills. When I searched online for clothes repair services, they were either too far away or ridiculously expensive. One local tailor even told me it would be "impossible" to alter six dress sizes without ruining the shape of the skirt.
So, just as I was about to re-donate the vintage treasure to its charity shop rail, clothes repair site The Seam reached out to see if I wanted to trial the service, and I jumped at the opportunity.
How does The Seam work?
The Seam, founded by Layla Sargent, is a London-based clothes repair and alterations service that finds expert and specialist makers to repair and transform your wardrobe for you. With everything from suit tailoring to trainer cleaning, moth-eaten repairs and leather restoration, there's little The Seam's makers can't do.
The service couldn't be more convenient, with the option to meet the makers at their studios, book them to come to your house or send your items via post if you're outside of London.
Repairing and reworking garments instead of throwing them away keeps them away from landfills for longer, while increasing a garment's life by just nine months decreases its carbon, waste and water footprints by 20-30 per cent each, per Wrap.
What did I think of The Seam's service?
From start to finish, the process of working with The Seam was, pun intended, a seamless experience. After sharing my hopes for resizing my beloved vintage prairie skirt via a web chat, I was matched with a suitable maker who specialised in alterations.
"Normally, you can only really alter a garment two sizes smaller," said Gessica, an expert in bespoke bridal couture and wedding dress alterations, when she came to my house to take my measurements. However, in less than ten minutes, she had pinned the new waistband and set off with the skirt, promising she would be able to work her magic.
A week later, Gessica returned with the skirt, which was now a perfect fit. There was no bunching on the waistband, the broderie anglaise detailing on the hemline looked untouched, and I was even given back the excess fabric that had been removed - which I hope to transform into an oversized scrunchie.
How much do The Seam's services cost?
Pricing for alterations done by The Seam's makers start at just £17.50, while a major waistband adjustment on skirt like mine cost £45.
Out of convenience, I also opted for home pick-up and delivery at £30, which included a post-alteration try-on session with the maker who ensured the fit was perfect before she handed it over, but these prices can be reduced if you're willing to travel to your maker's studio.
For a little more than a Pret subscription, I've given an old garment a new lease of life, supported a local maker's small business and nabbed a Chloé prairie skirt dupe all without leaving the house. What's not to love?
The low-cost of the service meant altering my skirt was a no-brainer, but it is worth noting that some services on The Seam are more of an investment. To give a guide, specialist handbag cleaning starts from £70, while resoling shoes start from £100. See their full price list here.
My one line takeaway of The Seam
We should all be doing as much as we can to embrace sustainable fashion, and The Seam makes restoring pre-loved clothes and altering landfill-ready garments accessible and easy.