Objects that tell a story are so beautiful. My cameras have dents and scratches where I or a previous owner were maybe a bit careless with them, or patina where hands have gripped them through shot after shot. As we become more accustomed to choosing clothes that last, it only seems right that they get to tell a story too.

Molly Rooke of Darn Good Studio not only mends well-loved clothes, but uses visible mending to highlight and make beautiful where damage has occurred.

During lockdown in 2020, when many of us were baking banana bread or prodding at lacklustre sourdough starters, Molly was teaching herself to mend. Now, her work employs techniques like sashiko and swiss darning to add to the story and character of a piece of clothing and brings loved pieces back to life. It actually makes me look forward to some of my favourite items wearing out so they can have more life and story woven into them, but it also makes me choose new items with care. Thinking, ‘will these trousers hold up to patching in the future?’ for example.

At a time when a t-shirt can spend longer on a shop rack than on a person, before heading to landfill, it’s refreshing to see clothes gain a new chapter instead.

Darn Good Studio is located just off Fore St in Exeter, but Molly also holds mending workshops around Exeter and Totnes for anyone looking to mend and embellish their clothes themselves. Her work is a beautiful testament to well-made and well-loved clothes.