H&M Group-owned fashion brand Arket has become the latest in an increasingly long line of retailers to announce a Sojo repair partnership.
The tie-up will involve the London-based fashion-tech platform providing a booking service in-store and online for garment repair and alterations. The aim of the partnership is to extend the life of Arket’s clothing, encouraging consumers to fix not throw away their items.
Sojo is a B-Corp certified company, which launched in 2021, and has added brands such as Selfridges, Marks & Spencer, and Paul Smith to its list of retail customers. Those who want Sojo repair services either book online or take the garment into the partner store, and then they collect the altered item within a few days or have it sent to their home.
Arket launched a Sojo repair option on 14 February, offering door-to-door bookings nationwide via the retailer’s app or in-person at Arket’s Regent Street and Covent Garden stores in London.
Ella Soccorsi, Arket’s head of design & creative, commented: “Our design philosophy focuses on longevity and versatility – creating garments that stand the test of time.
“Mending or alterations may be part of this journey, and we hope that our collaboration with Sojo can inspire customers to repair and customise their cherished Arket pieces instead of replacing them.”
Josephine Philips, founder & CEO of Sojo, added: “Arket stores have always been locations for more than buying clothes.
“Since launch, they have prioritised a lifestyle offer and enhanced customer experience. This partnership with Sojo, introducing a new in-store repair service, adds another dimension to this experience, creating a space where customers can give renewed life to well-loved Arket clothes.”
The Sojo repair and alterations operation is based at its east London studio, with prices from £5.
In an interview on the Arket website to promote the new partnership, Philips said: “I envision a future where repair and care are the norm, and brands take responsibility for longevity.”
She added that her role is to be “the convincer”, using Sojo’s work to champion the idea of circularity and showing brands the power of repair “for both the planet and their long-term success”.
[image credit: Arket/H&M Group]
