The intention of this publication is to identify mending as transformational tool for creating well being of our textiles and of the individual engaging with the act. The discussion contextualizes the practice of an artist and designer Katherine Soucie who works with pre and post consumer textile waste in relation to mending as an creative reflexive practice and research tool. It refers to the use of hybrid methods where artisanal applications are mixed with obsolete machines and improvisation as a way to forge new connections and pathways. This research uncovers how mending contributes to the reconstruction of identity through a non-consumption based approach to textile art and design practice. It shares a personal experience of how mending serves as a catalyst for change leading to personal transformation. It emphasises the immense value that mending as a practices serves in how we value the self in relation to reactivating and transforming the discarded, devalued and obsolete. This publication reflects upon Otto Von Busch’s theory on Fashion Hactivism alongside artists such as Michael Swaine, Liz Collins, Eleanor Ray, Jonnet Middleton and TomofHolland. This seminal publication on visible mending was originally written in 2012-2013 as part of Soucie's Master's research journey at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, Canada. This is where she explored mending as tool for investigating, creating and (re)imagining discarded clothing and textile industry waste after many years as a pioneering upcycling textile waste designer. It is being re-released in 2024 as a limited edition artist series due to the growing discourse surrounding the contemporary mending practices in art and design.
It is an inspirational journey into working with waste and the discarded. Insights shared speak to how the emerging role of a mending practitioner is set to not only transform waste but serve as a tool for reconnection.