The Rise of 'Make Do and Mend'

• Sewing, stitching and dyeing  are popular with John Lewis customers
• ​Classic denim jeans being revamped, with a 24% rise in sales of colour dye
• Dressmaking accessories and repair kits also top customers’ shopping list

John Lewis customers are being resourceful and finding ways to give old clothes a new lease of life - with dressmaking, repair products and general haberdashery seeing a recent resurgence. 

Hailed as ‘The Refresh Effect’, we’re seeing a strong growth in sales of craft and repair products - including patches and repair tape - which are up 61% compared to last year. 

Rediscovering skills to save money

Darning needles are flying off the shelves, suggesting that socks with holes are no longer thrown out - and we’re rediscovering skills that our parents and grandparents would have used to save money. 

Clothing colour dye is up by 24%, with black and navy dye proving particularly popular - suggesting the nation is taking it upon themselves to give their pre-loved and fading jeans a new lease of life. 

It appears others may be trying their hand at a new craft, with dressmaking accessories, such as thimbles, dressmakers chalk and pattern-making accessories up 15% year-on-year. 

Safety pins (+21%), tape measures (+14%) and knitting needles (+6%) are all seeing growth too as customers dust off their sewing kits ready for the new year. 

The Tom Daley effect

Susan Kennedy, Haberdashery Lead for John Lewis, said: “We’re certainly becoming a nation of craft lovers. Whether they’re looking to rejuvenate their clothes, or have been inspired by the likes of Tom Daley’s knitting efforts last year, we’re seeing more and more customers turn to sewing, stitching and knitting. 

“It’s a trend set to continue and we’ve recently launched some fantastic kits for new starters - from embroidery and stitching to crochet and knitting.”