ELSK Repair tests life extension of your favorite clothes

Many people are probably familiar with the disappointment when their favorite shirt, trousers, or sweater suddenly gets damaged and needs to be taken to the tailor. Because where and how do you actually find a tailor?

The Thy-based clothing brand ELSK is now coming to the rescue with a solution that is both easy to use and provides work for tailors in Denmark – while also opening up new ways of rethinking repair, craftsmanship, and service offerings.

As part of the project Closing Loops and in collaboration with Create2Stay, which delivers re-commerce solutions, the Danish fashion brand ELSK has launched a repair service that gives damaged clothing a new lease of life. During the current testing phase, repairs are free of charge and also include garments from other brands, allowing the entire experience to be tested more broadly and fine-tuned.

Responsibility turned into cool points

ELSK has chosen to engage in a repair project because it fits perfectly with the company’s core values and its ambition to equip customers with the knowledge to act more responsibly. “We want people to change their behaviour, consumption needs to decrease, and we must give our products a longer lifespan. Repair speaks very clearly into that,” says co-owner Steffen Førgaard.

At a time when the clothing industry’s enormous climate impact is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, and when labels highlighting recycled materials and sustainable production compete for customers’ attention in retail stores, repair can become a way to meet a growing demand for responsible action. Even though it cannot be entered into an Excel spreadsheet and generate profit, it still holds value for the company. ELSK proves that it means what it says when it comes to taking responsibility for its products – even after they have been sold. With a stronger focus on responsibility and reuse, it also opens up new ways of rethinking repair in general, according to Steffen Førgaard: “When you repair something, you add value to it – it can actually become a trend. It sends a signal if I wear an old overshirt with a big patch on it – that I truly care about it and that I repair my things.”

Where previous generations emphasised that a repair should be invisible, a visible repair today can become a way to make a piece of mass-produced clothing unique – fitting for a reality in which everyone wants to stand out a little. Different techniques can be used to combine repair and decoration, including embroidery, and this can tell a story about the garment, the craftsmanship itself, and the person behind it.

Seamless facilitation makes repair easy

Early feedback from ELSK’s customers has also shown that the concept has significant potential and demand. Although only garments can be accepted at this stage, the company has received inquiries about repairing items such as computer sleeves, indicating that the time is ripe for an offering like this. Items hold value for people, and they genuinely want to have them repaired instead of throwing them away.

However, finding someone to carry out repairs has become more difficult, especially in rural areas, whereas in the past you could often find a tailor on the local high street. This is where Create2Stay contributes with extensive experience and insight into user-friendly re-commerce platforms. Their solution truly adds value, both for ELSK and its customers, as the system is integrable, easy to use, and scalable. As a result, what would otherwise be a cost- and administration-heavy service suddenly becomes easy for ELSK to offer – and therefore straightforward for other brands to follow.