大象传媒

On Gap Finders this week, Winifred Robinson speaks to Layla Sargent, the founder and CEO of The Seam. It's an online service using new technology to link people wanting repairs to clothes, shoes and bags with those who can do the repairs. The business has grown so quickly that Layla has gone into partnership with the online luxury fashion retailer, Net-A-Porter. Layla founded The Seam in 2019 when she was just 29 years old. She set up the business as an alternative to the fast fashion waste crisis. The Seam has repaired 10,000 items since it began four years ago.
The idea for the business came from Layla's upbringing in Birmingham. Her grandmother was a professional dressmaker and made most of Layla's clothes. When she moved to London in 2019, she found it difficult to find someone who could tailor clothes for her. She set about trying to connect customers like herself to people like her grandmother who had the skills. She printed flyers with three words - Can you sew? She put these on any noticeboards and cafes she could find near to where she lived in London. She set up a website for makers to sign up and after a month, around 200 had signed up.
Layla has since attracted investors and built up a small team around her based in both London and India. She wants to continue making alteration and repairs as accessible as possible to people including new, vintage and second hand items.

Presenter: Winifred Robinson
Producer: Tara Holmes