SOJO’s New Partnership With Major UK Retailer M&S Makes Clothing Repairs Mainstream

SOJO, a Deliveroo-style clothing repair and alterations collection and delivery app, has announced a new partnership with a major UK retailer

The Black woman-owned platform will power Marks and Spencer’s (M&S) new clothing repairs and alterations service.

Making clothing repairs mainstream

Founder Josephine Philips was driven by a belief in a slower and more considered approach to society’s relationship with fashion, leading her to start SOJO in 2021.

The collaboration with M&S aims to make clothing repairs more accessible and mainstream, aligning with both companies’ commitments to sustainability. 

The partnership will be powered by the £1 million ($1.2M) ‘M&S Plan A Accelerator Fund,’ reinforcing M&S’s dedication to promoting a circular economy.

“It has always been a core mission of ours at SOJO to make repairing clothes mainstream and to extend the life of as many garments as possible,” Philips stated, according to TheIndustry.fashion.

“I’m so excited that M&S has chosen to launch a repair service with us at SOJO as it’s an incredibly big step towards that mission.”

Introducing ‘M&S Fixed by SOJO’

Starting in August, M&S customers can access a new online hub called ‘M&S Fixed by SOJO’ to book various repair services. 

This initiative follows M&S’ research revealing that only 10% of the population feels confident enough to repair clothes themselves, while 60% seek more sustainable options from retailers. 

The repair services offered through the online hub range from zip replacements to invisible knitwear mending, with prices starting at just £5 ($6), M&S clothing can then be sent and repaired by SOJO in-house repair team.

The clothes will then be returned directly to the customers doorstep within seven to 10 days.

Read: Black-Owned Clothing Repairs App Is First In Industry To Attain B Corp Status

Advancing the Circular Economy

This partnership is part of a broader initiative called Plan A ‘Another Life,’ which encompasses all of M&S’s circularity services.

From the new SOJO partnership to the long-running clothes donation scheme with Oxfam, these initiatives aim to provide a seamless experience for customers looking to adopt more sustainable practices. 

The new platform will also feature 60-second ‘how to’ videos, offering practical advice on maintaining and repairing clothing.

Image Credit: The Times