a studio visit at toufan hosseiny
Autumn–Winter 026
At Rue Blanche, we believe you should cherish your clothes and live in them. But what about a big hole in a favourite sweater or a rip in a pair of trousers? For many of us, damage like this means throwing a garment away. Visible mending offers another possibility: contrasting threads and stitches repair the damage while adding character. The repair becomes something to appreciate in its own right, and the piece you almost discarded may become one you value even more.
To share the beauty of visible mending with our customers, we’re inviting artist Toufan Hosseiny back next season to lead two workshops for our customers: one on darning and one on sashiko, a traditional Japanese stitching technique. As a textile artist and experienced mender, Toufan brings her artistic eye to each repair and will show you how to do the same.
Ahead of the workshops, we visited her in her studio in autumn to talk about her latest work, her approach to repair and why she enjoys sharing her knowledge with others so much.
I’ve finished the series I was working on and feel like I’m entering a new chapter. My work is connected to my personal life, and I think I’ve made peace with the subject I was exploring: the experience of becoming a mother and everything that comes with it. For now, I’m focusing on mending and workshops while I take time to see what comes next artistically.
My first workshop was at a museum, alongside an exhibition involving textiles. I hadn’t thought about teaching before, but afterwards a ceramicist friend offered me the use of her shop, and it grew from there.
Darning works well for knitwear, while sashiko is a way of reinforcing woven fabric with a patch and stitches, great for jeans. You place a piece of fabric behind the hole and secure it with rows of running stitches. You can keep it simple or experiment with crosses and other patterns.
You can almost see someone’s personality in their repair: the colours they choose, how neat they want their stitches to be, or how comfortable they are with something less precise. Some people feel frustrated or judge their work, while others are delighted by their first stitch. I always tell them that every repair is beautiful because of the act of repairing and what it reflects.
Sashiko is a traditional Japanese stitching technique used to reinforce and repair woven fabrics, such as denim.
In sashiko, a piece of fabric can be placed behind the damaged area and secured with rows of running stitches, creating a decorative pattern.
Darning is particularly suited to knitted garments, such as sweaters, T-shirts and cardigans.
Unlike sashiko, which can secure a piece of fabric behind the damaged area, darning uses threads to fill the hole and create a new surface.
Definitely the exchange. My art practice can be quite solitary, so meeting people through the workshops brings a different and very necessary energy.
A very fine T-shirt that someone brought me was a real challenge. This particular client wanted me to mend a few holes, but not all of them, and the fabric was very delicate. I also repaired a fellow artist’s very-worn jumper, recreating an area of fabric. I like it when a piece makes me wonder how I’m going to repair it.
I’d like people to be more aware of where their clothes come from, how they’re made and the value they hold. To be more mindful when buying things, and to know that clothes can often be repaired rather than thrown away.
I’m not very precious with them. I might wear something I love while painting and get paint on it, but I can repair it, change it or simply keep it as it is. I don’t need my clothes to stay looking new. Their story is part of what I do, and they evolve with me.
I’m planning a quilting workshop using old clothes and household linen. I’d also love to teach children one day, to share these skills with a younger generation and help them see the value in the things they already have.
