Mend in Public started as an idea to disrupt fast fashion through the act of mending in public spaces, like parks, malls, libraries & coffee shops about three years ago.  An act that in the past 40 years give or take a few years has slowly fallen out of fashion, and perhaps also the perceived necessity of it as fast fashion has become ever more accessible here in the Global North. The act of mending in public is meant to create awareness, curiousity, and conversation around the idea and act of making loved clothes last, and raise questions around the quality of clothing in our fast fashion focused modern world. It also spreads the joy of mending, and created community amongst its participants. We, at riyoko love melding those two foundations together - food for thought, and building community in joyful ways. For the past three years we have held a Mend in Public in collaboration with Fashion Revolution, and in the past two years, Fashion Revolution has established April 26th as Mend-In- Public Day - a day where citizens all around the globe collectively mend in public in their respective cities and towns to raise the questions, build community, and make their loved clothes last a little longer. What I love the best about this day and these events are the conversations that are had between participants on how to best mend their pieces, and those conversations with inquisitive passerbys. 

This year, we have organized the event here in Calgary again! On April 26th, in collaboration with Good Thrift YYC, Fashion Revolution, and the support of The Calgary Public Library in lending us the space; We will gather at the Calgary Central Library, and mend on the steps of the Welcome Gallery. We met there last year, and it was a blast! We hope you will join us! Here is a link to the event on Calgary Public Library's site, and here are the details also below:

When: Saturday April 26th, 11 am to 2 pm

Where: Calgary Central Library, Welcome Gallery Steps

Why: Read above, and bring your friends!

How: Bring your mending projects and supplies and come sit on the steps to mend with us!

Who: You! And all your Friends!

Sidenote: We also have multiple posters, so if you see one of them - it's all the same event! Come join us!

Shout out to all Craftivists, Sewists, DIYers, Designers, and Artists! It’s our 3rd edition of Fabric Swap! Come join us! We all have fabric that we love but may never use, right? Let’s stir up some new inspirational energy and trade with each other! We will have tables set up inside and outside our studio for you to lay down your fabric, and peruse what each other has contributed.

The rules for Fabric Swap are:

• Clean, useable fabrics only
• 1 meter or more - no less!*
• Be thoughtful about the items you take, and what you will make. Take what inspires you but also leave some for others to be inspired:)
• You are not obligated to take anything with you, but please also be thoughtful about the amount you drop off to us.
• No notions or tools
• No clothing 
• Bring a bag to tote home your finds

The tables will be out all day on April 12, from 11am to 3 pm - come chat with fellow fabric enthusiasts! Bring in and take home some fabric! We will donate whatever is still with us at the end of the day to Ujamma Grandmas

*Ujamma Grandmas will only take fabric 1 m or more, so please help us by only donating pieces that are 1 m +. Thank you in advance!

Location:

We are located in cSpace. Our studio is #445, 1721 29 Ave SW. We are on the 4th floor of the building. There is free parking all around the building. Entrances are on 30th Ave SW and 29 Ave SW. 

After you’ve perused the swap, take your time wandering around cSpace! We have the Alberta Craft Council in the building, Aroma Coffee Shop, and Art Shows on each floor. Looking forward to seeing you all!

Calling all Craftivists, Sewists, DIYers, Designers, and Artists! Come join us for our second Fabric Swap! Our first one was such a fun success, we’ve decided to hold another! We all have fabric that we love but may never use, right? Let’s stir up some new inspirational energy and trade with each other! We will have tables set up outside our studio on September 28, 2024 for you  to lay down your fabric, and peruse what each other has contributed.

The rules for Fabric Swap are:

* Clean, useable fabrics only

* Be thoughtful about the items you take, and what you will make. Take what inspires you but also leave some for others to be inspired:)

* You are not obligated to take anything with you, but please also be thoughtful about the amount you drop off to us.

* No notions or tools ( we want to keep it simple for our first year to work out any bugs!)

* No clothing

* Bring a bag to tote home your finds

The tables will be out all day from 11am to 4 pm - come chat with fellow fabric enthusiasts! Take in and take home some fabric! We will donate whatever is still with us at the end of the day to Ujamma Grandmas

After you’ve perused the swap, come into the studio and say hi! We will be having a Studio Fabric Sale this same weekend! Looking forward to seeing you all!