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| Pey of Sahikodenim |
One person whose denim repair skills caught my eye in Instagram was Pey, known as Sashikodenim. Pey uses the ancient Japanese art of sashiko: stitching, patching and repair to produce mended denim garments that are beautiful, actually improving the original while increasing its lifespan - the essence of sustainability.
I asked Pey to tell me something about his work:
"I’m Pey, I repair your favorite jeans by hand using the traditional Japanese sashiko style.
The goal of my brand and work is to get the message out ‘Repair don’t Replace’ and inspire people to focus more on what they have/wear and appreciate the quality and dedication of hand crafted items. Make or buy quality pieces and keep them for a long time. Fighting fast fashion since day one with this small initiative.
My work is global, people send me their jeans from every corner of the world for repairs. Most communication is through instagram and my website/email.
They way I work is quite straight forward, I fix your favorite jeans. I don’t care which brand it is as long as it’s not a slim fitting stretch fabric jeans (its impossible to work with using traditional cotton thread).
Mostly clients find me on Instagram and send me a direct message about their fave jeans. Based on some pictures I create a sketch design with which I can give an indication of the work. As I do all the stitching by my self, SASHIKODENIM is a one man operation, I can only repair so much at the time.
Generally there is a turnaround time of about 4-6 weeks depending on the jeans in line. Sashiko translates to ‘little stab' or little stitch, it is the essence of cloth reinforcement. I use old jeans to repair old jeans, a super sustainable process involving a lot of time and dedication.
Right now I'm working on my book, Repair don’t Replace, based on analog photography and client pieces/stories - this is the first next step. I will never stop repairing and sharing. The book is a way to inspire people to repair and reinforce but also it is to get the mending movement out of the dusty scene and make it relevant again. When I started this brand as a project back in 2015 repairing had a very old fashioned image. Now more and more people and brands pick it up and make it part of their business, most still only as a (marketing) front but many new brands are based on a more sustainable vision.
My clothes I think are mostly logo-less. I don’t want to be linked to any brand, in my opinion your jeans are yours as soon as you put them on and the brand is no longer relevant after that point. I think style should be an honest representation of your opinion, show what you find is important and feel comfortable doing so.
Quality and fit are the most important factors for me. My style most of the days is the following: re-done Nike AF1’s by Peterson Stoop / By Pey, Well repaired Japanese denim in straight/wide fit (Momotaro), simple merino wool shirts in black and blue, always carry my handmade wallet in indigo leather, a small pocket knife (quiet carry iQ in all black) and a Swiss tool watch. Since a few months I’ve been experimenting with more uniform like outfits in one fabric. I really like these pieces and will follow soon with more of this work, maybe also for sale.
Oh and yes I always wear deep dark blue nail polish".
With many thanks to Pey who can be contacted through Sashikodenim and on Instagram. Email info@bypey.com
If you have something repaired by Pey, please let me know!
Click here to read more in my Sustainable Style series in which this is number 13.
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| Sashikodenim home repair kit |
