Repair Rebels: making repairing the new normal for every fashion consumer

“Sometimes, you do things in life and then one day they connect”, began Monika Hauck explaining to us how her life story intertwines with the foundation of the German start-up Rebel Repairs, whose mission is exactly that of rebelling against the linear system of fashion. But the truth is, “she pretty much grew up in this industry”.

Born in Lithuania, Monika started working as a fashion model for major international brands at 15 years old. At 21, she left the industry, moved to Germany with her husband and worked in finance. Then, she earned a PhD in Entrepreneurship and Open Innovation Management at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management. It was then that she noticed a gap in innovation research in fashion, leading her to look at the field from a completely new perspective. Based on a linear model, fashion not only lacked innovation - it also didn’t do enough for the social and environmental problems it created. So, she became the ambassador for the Fashion Revolution Movement, bringing the movement to Düsseldorf.

But as solutions had “always interested” her the most, she decided to combine her passions for fashion, sustainability, and innovation to actually drive change. Starting from her own never throw away attitude, as she “very lucky to learn how to repair, mend and sew back in school in Lithuania”, she envisioned a new mindset for the fashion industry. It was clear at that point that “the world does not need another fashion brand”. And thus, Repair Rebels was born as a pilot project in Düsseldorf, now expanding into Cologne. But there is no terminal destination.

Repair Rebels

The principle is quite forthright: “clothes or shoes worth wearing are also worth repairing”. But to make it easier for customers who usually are not aware of these services, Repair Rebels created an all-around digital service that allows them to book repairs from home and have them picked up at a desired time and returned a few days later. The goal was to “make repairing as easy and as fun as buying new”, summed up Monika.

Moreover, “investing in repairability and longevity, encouraging customers to repair and take care of the products” also allows for building long-term relationships, which, according to the company’s founder, should be “the new logic to follow in the fashion industry”.

Revolution

It really is a revolution. Revolutionizing a model that is built “on trying to produce as much as possible, sell as much as possible, and convince consumers that they definitely need a pair of jeans three months later”. Repair Rebels stands for true circularity in fashion, one that respects garments and the work put on by people in making them. And that truly requires a new mindset.

“I hope fashion will get more expensive. Over the past years, the prices of fashion have been decreasing, while the prices of living, education, housing, and even food are going up. I think we have to produce less, but produce better”, argues the founder of Repair Rebels. “I hope that once we’ll be producing better and selling for higher prices, consumers will be buying less, but willing to repair”, she concludes.

This all goes back to education. “If we don’t know what it takes to repair or sew something, we won’t know its worth”. “I still think that a part of the job the industry needs to do is to educate consumers” to help them “understand that fashion is made by real people, with real hands, that there is a lot of work, a lot of skills that go into it, so that we value the clothing we own”.

Building a network of craftsman

From her own repair network, Monika Hauk started bringing quality craftsmen into the business. Like Eleni Bogris, who has been sewing for more than 65 years. “She is very well known”, so whenever “we went to talk with other seamstresses” and told them that she had joined Repair Rebels, they said, “if she is there, we also need to be there”. “It gave me a bit of motivation”, admitted Monika, and it unravelled into “a snowball effect”.

Besides, “a lot of seamstresses and cobblers realized during the COVID-19 pandemic that it was difficult to stay in the consumers’ mind”. People didn’t know they were open, mainly because they are small businesses and can’t manage the marketing side of the business, some don’t even have a website. “They saw that they needed a new source of revenue”, added Monika.

Still, there is a great focus on quality control. “In Germany, you need to train to become a cobbler, but anyone can open a seamstress shop, so there is a big quality variation, and we try to minimize it”.

Green Opportunities

"We are looking into using our technology and our craftsmen network, as well as our knowledge, to offer repairing as a service to fashion brands”, shared Monika. Already now, Repair Rebels is collaborating with the Germany's oldest sustainable fashion brand Hessnatur, fashion rental start-up WeDress Collective, and is being supported by the Japanese zipper manufacturer YKK. At the same time, Repair Rebels is trying to engage bigger fashion brands and convince them of the long-term benefits that circular fashion and after sales services bring. A lot of companies are growing increasingly aware of the impact of the new regulations coming from the European Green Deal, so there is a push for true circular solutions. And for this start-up, of course, who aims to reach the masses.

“We would be happy to work with the industry on pilot projects to see what makes sense. Every player needs a different solution. E-commerce players may need alterations, so they can reduce returns. Big brands may need services to carry out their warranty claims, and the warranty is likely to be extended by law (…) And resellers also rely a lot on the repair industry. We can't have a healthy resale industry if we don't have a healthy repair industry”, she exemplified.

Future

“We want to be the leading platform in Europe for fashion repairs”, stated the founder of Repair Rebels. “From very early on, we wanted to repair anything that had to do with fashion. Our motto is that everything deserves a second chance. So - whether it’s your child’s shoes, or your luxury bag, or your husband’s jeans, or the piece of jewellery from your grandmother - we are the place to come and trust your favourite pieces will be in good hands”.

“Transparency, craftsmanship and locality are very important for us”, she added, “we are aiming to build a decentralized but well-connected network of craftsmen and make repairing the new normal for every consumer”.

You can find more information about Repair Rebels in their website - Follow the LINK.