Year after year, London’s Repair Week has seen locals and businesses coming together to help each other make do and mend. This year’s was particularly special, however. In Islington, it saw the highest participant demand on record. From used-clothes upcycling to refining furniture, the sold-out sessions, held at venues across the borough, were buzzing with a range of projects and participants leaving sessions asking about the next one.
Alongside the usual events devoted to textile repairs projects, there was clear interest from attendees in having “more regular sessions and potentially introducing some more specialised workshops,” according to Beth Davy-Day, director of the textile repair and upcycling drop-in workshops.
These included requests for tuition in visible mending and creative upcycling techniques which would allow participants to continue building their skills and broaden workshop interest reach.
Workshops for clothing, electrical appliances and furniture repairs took place in FC Designer Collective workspace, Mildmay Library, and Bush Industrial Estate. Fashion designers, furniture makers, and tech experts offered attendees support and advice on how to fix their beloved items, providing them with the knowledge and skills to make amends individually.
“The workshops provide hands-on opportunities for participants to learn practical sewing, repair, and upcycling skills using industrial equipment and professional techniques,” says Ms Davy-Day.
“Chairs, bedside cabinets, storing units and?various types?of furniture needed repairing, sanding, removing the old paint, varnishing and then repainting,” said Pawel Ryczan, Islington Council’s Waste Minimisation and Recycling Officer, organiser of the furniture upcycling and repair workshop.
A number of these were organised by Islington Council as part of commitments to reduce waste across the area. The furniture workshop is one of these.
Several organisers attribute this uptake in demand to a general shift towards more sustainable consumer behaviour. Driving this shift appears to be a greater awareness of the mainstream fashion industry’s damage to the environment, cost-of-living pressures deterring people from buying new clothes, and the normalisation of slower fashion on social media.
Mr Ryczan said: “People have become aware of how many resources go into producing a monitor, phone or laptop, and that not much of the product is actually being recycled or reused at the end of its lifespan.”
“Conversations online around repair, vintage fashion, and upcycling have helped make these practices feel creative and desirable rather than simply economical,” added Ms Davy-Day.
Workshop organisers were extremely pleased that more residents are embracing slower fashion and find it fulfilling to nurture their existing items like they do.
To Ms Davy-Day, one repair in particular was a great example of the value of upcycling. “A cyclist stopped by with a pair of ripped shorts and repaired them on the spot, still wearing his helmet. It perfectly captured the spirit of the workshops: practical, welcoming, and focused on giving people the skills and confidence to extend the life of their clothing,” she said.
The community feels of the workshops enriches participant enjoyment. “Many people look forward to workshops as an opportunity to connect with others in the community.”
The workshops have even some kickstarted further socialising beyond the workshops.
“Archway Upcycle now has over 150 members!” said Mr Ryczan. This group exchanges advice and support on how to upcycle beloved items in the area.
He added: “Not only do the repairs projects bring people lots of joy, but they also help them feel valued when they’ve got skills to bring.”
London Repair Week took place between 2 and 8 March 2026 in venues across the city.
Ella is an MA Newspaper Journalism student at City St George's university. She also works as a news reporter for Pharmafile, a health and pharmaceutical magazine.