meet your mender
I’m Arinn, and this sweater started it all!
hanging out with my mending buddy, Leeloo
I started west end mends in 2024, when I realised there was a lack of mending services in Vancouver (and across Canada)! I decided to offer mending to others because not everyone knows how to darn or wants to learn.
The road to mending has been a long one, starting in the early 2000s when I was a teenager and first learned about the human cost of garment factories. This social issue was very important to me, but as I got older it faded into the background as I learned more about the climate crisis and spiralling issues of late capitalism. I went through a period of time where I felt overwhelmed by the problems in our world, but found hope by focusing on things within my control.
One of these changes was to try and have a low-buy life, and this meant learning to mend my clothes so I wouldn’t have to buy new ones. Of course, we can’t darn our way out of the climate crisis, but learning to repair clothing makes a difference. I find darning incredibly enjoyable and am very happy to offer it as a service.
All mends are completed at my (pet-friendly) home in the West End, Vancouver. Aside from mending, I enjoy cycling, quilting, reading, cooking, photography, drawing, going for walks in Stanley Park, and spending time with my friends.
This incredible Icelandic sweater was purchased in Reykjavik in 2012. It was my most expensive clothing purchase ever and I intended to wear it forever. What I didn’t predict, though, was that it would need repair! I taught myself how to swiss darn on this sweater and have used it to try out other repair methods, like felting.
All the mends have been visible, and I love how they show the sweater’s use and wear patterns. It’s still one of my favourite items of clothing. I’m looking forward to wearing and mending this sweater for decades to come.