THE RI CARE GUIDE
We love fashion, but too often we are guilty of ditching a much-loved purchases because of a tiny flaw. We’re on a mission to change that: helping you to love (and wear) your clothes for longer.
With a few simple swaps to your typical habits, you can keep your clothes looking better for a much longer time. Here are our top tips to making what you love last a life-time(ish).
WASH COLD
If you’ve spot washed marks, then you should be able to wash your clothes on a cold cycle (30 degrees). We’ve updated our guidance for washing, and now advise that all River Island clothes are should be washed on a 30 degree cycle. Your clothes will keep their shape and colour better - and you’ll use less energy on the cycle.
INSIDE OUT
Always wash denim and T-shirts with prints inside out. In fact, the outside of your garments is always the most important side, so if you can remember to turn them inside out before you wash, then do. Less rubbing means less fade.
WASH A LITTLE LESS
No, really. For most of us, washing is where we go wrong when it comes to clothing care. We’re doing it too often, and too warm. Spinning your clothes in the machine wears the fabric out, causes colour fade and even tears. If a garment has a couple of marks rather than ingrained dirt or odour, then it’s much better (for the planet and the garment) to spot wash.
SPOT WASH
To spot wash, dab excess muck off with a paper towel (not a coloured cloth!), then place the garment over a white cloth or paper towel and work at the stain with a dab of detergent from the ‘wrong’ side. That way you’re working the stain out, not in. Work from the outside of the stain in, so it shrinks rather than grow. Then allow the worked on spot to air dry (rather than use hot air). If you’re really on a mission, you can start carrying a spot wash pen around with you - then you can deal with splashes on the spot.
LINE DRY
Avoid tumble drying if you can - any process that involves rubbing garments against each other in hot air is going to cause shrinkage and wear.
DARN IT
Holes in your knitwear? They’re easier to fix than you think. You can even buy stuff called bondaweb which you iron-on to fuse holes back together again. You can find hundreds of straightforward video tutorials online, for anyone with a needle and a thread who’s up for doing the sewing work by hand. If it means rescuing a much-loved jumper then it’s worth a watch.
PATCH IT
Embroidered patches, appliqué and folky detailing are a recurrent trend that give personality and colour to your clothes. And they’re a great way to conceal tears and stains on old jeans and jackets. Keep a swatch box of fabric and have fun customising your garments while keeping them alive for longer.
LET IT HANG (NICELY)
Hang your clothes on decent hangers that keep the garment’s shape better. It’ll help keep their shape in the long run too and avoid stretching.