Top 5 Tips For Repairing Flaws in Your RE/GEN Box
The thrill of the unforeseen is one of the best parts of working in the sustainable wholesale industry. With our RE/GEN packs, you can come across exclusive brands like Love Shack Fancy, Misa, Peter Som and many more. Here's the kicker; the level of flaws in our RE/GEN packs range from light to medium to heavy. But that's why we're here, to help you bring your inventory back to life and ready to resell!
Let's get to it and fix those flaws!
Flaws in wholesale clothing -- why would anyone want to buy that? Surprisingly, many people live for these boxes. The knowledge that you will get your hands on incredible labels, while saving money is intoxicating to some.
Our team loves a good rehab on clothing, so here's our top 5 tips on how to revive and repair some of the flaws you may find in your RE/GEN box.
There is, of course, no guarantee that you will only encounter the 5 flaws highlighted in this article.
We're simply here to walk you through the most frequently encountered flaws and to reassure you that there is always a method to solve them.
To view our RE/GEN inventory, please click the button below. These boxes are in high demand, so we hope you order and participate in the reviving and upcycling with us!
1. Large Tears
Large tears in clothing are one of the most commonly observed flaws found in our RE/GEN packs.
To repair tears, it pays to have some sewing experience—in virtually any circumstance, you can repair the tear by hand sewing (no machine needed).
It's important to remember that repairing tears will vary depending on the type of material and the type of tear.
Dresses, denim, tops, and bottoms are frequently seen in our RE/GEN collection. As a result, the examples provided will be comprehensive enough to incorporate these types of clothes.
Rip Types:
- Clean rip
- Open rip
- Seam rip
See table below for what stitch to use in certain situations:
Clean Rip |
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Open Rip |
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Seam Rip |
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Re-attachments (straps, zippers, hems) |
Another option if flaws seem "unfixable" is getting creative and up-cycling! Take your item and turn it into something beautiful, giving it new life!
2. Dark Stains on White (Light) Fabrics
Stains are usually a nuisance to remove. However, when you purchase our RE/GEN packs, the brands and pricing you receive are so incredible that a small stain is something you will surely want to conquer!
A few things to be aware of is what type of fabric you're dealing with.
Before addressing the stain, you want to make sure you use a white cloth to rub or blot the stain, and don't use hot water- this can actually cause the stain to set into the fabric more.
Our Favorite Tricks for Stain Removal:
- Flip clothing inside out and apply laundry detergent directly to stain. Let that sit for a few minutes- then rinse with cold water.
- Pouring white vinegar directly on the stain, gentle rub and wash (not using hot water)
3. Shrunken Sweaters
It's easier than you think to repair a shrunken sweater! If you have multiple sweaters to fix - we recommend doing one sweater at a time.
All you need are the following:
- Grab a big bucket filled with warm water
- Add 2 tablespoons of fabric softener (If you don't have fabric softener, you can use hair conditioner as well)
- 2 Towels
- A big object your sweater can stretch over (I use the back of my kitchen table chairs)
- Clips or string (something to hold the sweater in place)
Once you have gathered all your materials...
- Add the water, fabric softener and sweater together in your bucket
- Let sweater sit in water for about 2 hours! This really allows the fibers in the sweater to loosen and be more willing to stretch
- Remove sweater and lightly pat dry between two towels (don't ring out your sweater, we want it to still be damp)
- Stretch your sweater over the back of your chair (or whatever object big enough) and secure it in place
- After 30-60 minutes, stretch and adjust sweater over chair again, resecure and wait another 60 minutes.
Then voila! Your sweater should be to the size of your liking.
4. Tough Stains
For large/tough stains there are a few things you could do.
If the stain appears to be make-up →
- Flip clothing inside out
- Apply dish soap to the spot
- Gently blot stain with white cloth
- Add to the washer machine (warm or cold water rise)
- Silk or light fabric, use oil-free micellar water (directly from the skin care aisle) and blot away at the makeup smudge.
If the stain appears to be oil →
- Apply shampoo to the stain
- Wash on regular cycle
If the stain appears to be grease →
- Mix together cornstarch and water to make a paste
- Gently rub the paste on the spot
- Let sit for 20 minutes
- Lightly brush off paste and repeat if needed
If the stain appears to be ink →
- Add a bit of rubbing alcohol to the stain and blot until it lightens
- Add garment to a warm wash cycle
- If stain is still there, allow for it to sit with the rubbing alcohol for a few minutes and wash again
5. Button and Zipper Repair
Hand sewing a button back on is actually quite simple! The difficult aspect is deciding what to do if you lose your button.
Putting myself in your shoes, I would do 1 of 2 things.
- Find another button that looks similar to the missing button and replace it
- Remove all the buttons, replace them with new buttons and save the old buttons for a new project!
Zipper repairs might not be as easy of a fix as button repairs. As mentioned previously, it is possible to repair a tear in the zipper. All you need to learn is a back stitch.
Sad news is... if the zipper teeth are broken, it is very difficult to replace the whole zipper. Good news is... this is a wonderful example for upcycling! You can take your garment and get creative with it - ever situation is unique.
Always feel free to leave a comment below for up-cycling ideas and how to repair flaws!
Comments
Rachel said:
I always use micellar water (the pink cap oil free version) on makeup stains — even on silks it takes off makeup and doesn’t leave a stain.