When my still-great black Rick Owens shawl-sweater bought in Paris almost a decade ago developed a tear at the seam of one arm, I tried to darn it so no one would notice. My efforts are not that noticeable but not great either; if your eye fell on them you’d think: She tried to repair her sweater and did a kind of crappy job“. So, I say to myself C’est la vie; I’ve got things to do and drape its shawl over it, a simple disguise. Still, I’m thinking that it would be really fun to treat the sweater repair like Kintsugi, and emphasize it boldly. These big, fierce white stitches on black are a fine example. They are beautiful, somewhat reminiscent of porcupine quills. I love the hanging thread like a sentence that trails off…

This strategy works on many flawed things…

…a cat’s cradle of cord transforms a vintage cane chair…

…embroidered spirals are a fine way to disguise stains…

…tin rectangles make graphical repairs..

…a body’s brave scars become artful*…

The bottom line benefit of fierce intention in repairs is the outing and undoing of shame at what is not perfect. Instead, it celebrates that transformation of the broken or imperfect into something new.

 

*Bottom image from My Own Mark, about mastectomy tattoos.