By Leah Goryachkovsky

I recently experienced a transformative exhibit that furthered my understanding of how powerful one’s relationship with fashion can be. Fashion is deeply personal, almost acting as an extension of oneself. So much so that anyone, no matter their fashion background, can find a connection to it. I’d like to dedicate this article to my memorable travels with friends and illuminating conversations with a woman named Lena. 

My friends and I decided to take a trip to Copenhagen a couple of weeks ago, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. We are large proponents of cultural activities and were determined to visit some of the city’s best sites. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend of mine who lives in Copenhagen, we stopped by a fantastic bakery and headed off to the Copenhagen Contemporary. The museum was almost exclusively filled with interactive installation art, one of my favorite ways to internalize an artist’s work. There was one particular installation that struck me, and I can’t wait to share it with you! 

On the second floor of the museum, there was an exhibit by the name of Beautiful Repair that showcased the works of many innovative fashion-related artists. The first on display when you walk into the open space is the exhibit I’m diving into: The Mending Project (2009.)  It is an installation of yarn and other commonly found tailoring tools. They were displayed in an overlapping manner against a white background to illuminate the intertwining colors in the string. Each roll of yarn melded into a pile of clothes ready to be mended. The pile was placed on a desk at which a tailor occupied a seat. On the other side of the tailor, there was an open chair inviting guests to interact with them. My friends and I felt commanded to circle around the desk and ask about the exhibit. We asked, “So what is this exhibit about? What do you do here?” This was when Lena gave us the lowdown, and my friend handed her his overshirt. “I’d like a muted pink, please.”

We were told the exhibit was created by an artist named Lee Mingwei, who wanted to share a significant part of his life with complete strangers. Lee was in New York during the 9/11 attack, nervously awaiting the arrival of his partner who worked at the World Trade Center. While doing so, he frantically piled up clothes in their apartment because he’d been putting off the repairs. Lee grabbed a needle and some threads and got to work. How else does one pass the time? And sure enough, his partner returned home to Lee and was greeted with tears of joy and messily mended clothing.  

Lena tells us, “So you see, this exhibit is about mending. Mending clothes. Mending relationships. Using mending to form relationships.” The installation went far beyond clothing. It used the simple elements of thread, color, and sewing as vantage points to gain insight into people’s lives. With each woven detail, there arose a unique story- whether it related to the owner, the garment itself, how one ended up at the installation, or just a random fun fact. It was a space of vulnerability dedicated to forging friendships with strangers. 

We certainly leaned into the transformative nature of not just the results of our clothes but also the types of exchanges in our conversation. As Lena embroidered my friend’s shirt, she also embroidered our hearts. Too cliche? Our conversation started off with explaining our friendship through our experiences of attending the same university, where Lena coincidentally spent a semester in 2001 studying comparative literature. Following the theme of coincidences, my friend had been taking a comparative literature course with discourse in textiles. She expressed that textiles are integral to breeding innovation, as the removal of technology only amplifies the creative elements of independent practices. Perhaps this is what Lee Mingwei was looking to achieve with this installation. 

With items brought in for repair ranging from a generational tablecloth to a lucky t-shirt, there was space to uniquely celebrate the item with a commemorative mend. Mingwei describes his work and says, “…my mending is done with the idea of celebrating the repair, as if to say, ‘something good was done here, a gift was given, this fabric is even better than before.’”

The Mending Project showcased that the independent practice of mending and embroidering can transcend into the intangible sphere of emotional mending. It is the bridging of the gap between art and life in order to create comforting memories in association with clothing, something we engage with every day. This way, it is ensured that one always carries the experience with them. When picking up the mended garment, one is confronted with not only the physical markings of change but also their newfound connection with a stranger. Personally, it’ll also be an experience that my friends and I will always cherish. 

Every so often, I see the pink embroidered overshirt, and it brings me such profound joy. To the public, the shirt may just be a basic with a tinge of flare. To my friends and I, it embodies the importance of relationships- both old and new. I hope you take this as a call to action to start a conversation with a stranger. Use fashion as a tool for expanding your scope of possibilities within friendship. Compliment someone’s outfit and go from there. Happy mending!