In the Philippines, it is common practice to reuse and repair clothes and shoes. No wonder even in these modern times, there are still small shoe repair shops. We don’t normally throw away reusable and repairable stuff. We pass on outgrown clothes and shoes to the next younger sibling until they are worn-out.
Our good practice is not limited to repairs. There’s also re-use or re-purpose of textile scraps (retazo). In Kapampangan we call it ‘pidayit-dayit’, a word which means to connect or put together textile leftovers to make a new one. It can be a new dress, tablecloth or even blanket. When I was a child I have a ‘pidayit’ blanket. My mother, a dressmaker, made it out of ‘retazo’ from my aunt’s dress shop. Kapampangan fashion designer Philip Torres took this practice to a higher level by creating ‘pidayit’- inspired clothing.
Maximizing the use of clothes and shoes is good for the environment. It minimizes waste and prevents pollution. Fashion production makes up 10% of humanity’s carbon emissions, dries up water sources, and pollutes rivers and streams. What’s more, 85% of all textiles go to the dump each year (UNECE, 2018), and washing some types of clothes sends significant amount of microplastics into the ocean.
While it is an ordinary practice to us Pinoys, would you believe that other countries are paying their citizens to encourage them to repair their shoes and clothes? In France for instance, their government will pay a bonus to encourage their people to have their clothes and shoes repaired rather than throwing them away.
The scheme which will start this October, aims to cut down on the 700,000 metric tons of clothes thrown away by French people each year, two-thirds of which ends up in landfills. Under the program, customers will be able to claim seven euros ( P428 ) for mending a heel and 10-25 euros ( P600 – P 1500) for clothing repairs. There’s a 154 million euro ( P9.4Billion ) fund allotted to cover 2023-2028. Modelled after the household appliance repair bonus, the aid is part of a vast reform of the textile sector.
France is into re-using clothes too. Around 3.3 billion pieces of clothing, shoes and household linen were put on the market in 2022, according to Refashion, an eco-organization. This private group campaigns for the prevention and the management of the end of life of clothing textiles, household linen and shoes in France.
There’s also a law in France which took effect on January 01, 2023 which requires large clothing brands to have verified environmental labelling. Smaller companies will have to comply in 2024 and 2025. Information to be covered includes reparability, recyclability, sustainability, re-use possibilities, recycled material content, use of renewable resources, compostability, recyclability, presence of hazardous substances, precious metals or rare metals, traceability and presence of plastic microfibers.
France is the home of famous fashion brands like Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Yves Saint Laurent and Dior. Paris has one of the largest textile industries in the world.