Repair & Care

Learning simple repair techniques and following basic care guides can have a big impact on the longevity of your garment.

Daily Care and wear

  • Care Labels: Follow instructions and disclaimers to improve item longevity.
  • Pre-Wash: Wash before wear.
  • Drying: Air dry when possible; dryers accelerate fibre shedding which weakens fabric and can lead to pollution.
  • Technique: Wash inside-out in garment bags with similar materials.
  • Temperature: Use lower temperatures to reduce carbon footprint and decrease damage to fibres.
  • Hand Washing: Use for delicate items to avoid shrinkage and snagging.
  • Garment Bag: Use a microfibre filter garment bag such as a Guppy Friend to reduce microfibre pollution during machine washing.

A Core Repair Kit

A repair kit is essential for basic repairs and extending product life.

Essential Items:

  • Mix of hand sewing needles
  • Matching threads
  • Fabric scissors
  • Save your spare trims (buttons, beads, etc.) when detagging your item
  • Measuring tape

Keeping supplied spare trims is important to ensure normal wear and tear can be fixed.

Garment Repair and Maintenance Guide

Reattach a Button

Need: Needle, thread, scissors

Steps:

  1. Thread needle and knot end.
  2. Position button at original site.
  3. Stitch through holes 6–8 times.
  4. For shank: wrap thread under to create a “neck.”
  5. Knot inside and trim.

Repair a Seam Split

Need: Needle, thread, pins

Steps:

  1. Turn garment inside out.
  2. Align split edges and pin.
  3. Stitch with backstitch for strength.
  4. Tie off and trim threads.
  5. Press seam flat.

Remove Makeup Stains

Need: Dish soap, cold water

Steps:

  1. Gently scrape excess (don't rub).
  2. Apply dish soap directly.
  3. Gently work in with fingers.
  4. Rinse from the back.
  5. Wash; do not heat dry.

Fix a Loose Hem

Need: Needle or hemming tape

Steps (Sewing):

  1. Fold hem back.
  2. Use a blind stitch.
  3. Knot and trim.

Quick Alternative:

Iron-on tape + heat press.

Repair Beading

Need: Fine needle, thread

Steps:

  1. Secure thread inside.
  2. Re-thread loose beads.
  3. Stitch each twice.
  4. Anchor every few beads.
  5. Knot off securely inside.

End Of Life

Before you declutter, check each item’s condition. If it’s still wearable, consider reselling, donating, or swapping with friends to help extend its life. To give MESHKI items a second life, we partner with Australian Red Cross and Dress for Success. You can also donate your own pre-loved items to them directly. Please ensure all donated items are freshly cleaned for the next owner.

For garments no longer fit to wear, we partner with Upparel to support textile recycling. Their services are available directly to consumers through their platform. Apparel in landfill generates 5.6 millions tonnes of CO₂e emissions each year in Europe alone. By recycling unwanted textiles you can reduce waste and environmental impact. To book or find a donation centre please go direct to their website Upparel.

What the Future Holds

We acknowledge that Corporate Social Responsibility is an ever-evolving journey. Our leaders across all aspects of the business are ever-conscious of their role in minimising our company’s environmental impact and increasing our positive impact on people. We do this by working closely with our internal Sustainability and CSR team, with external partners and by adopting innovative and emerging technologies and processes to bring about a more transparent MESHKI in the coming years.