Ryan Mallinson set up his excellent waxed jacket repair business, Mallin & Son, as a passion project in 2019. He believes that “every stitch tells a story” and that every time you rewax your jacket, you’re adding new chapters to the story as well as extra texture and depth. We had a conversation with Ryan to learn more.
Ryan Mallinson set up his excellent waxed jacket repair business, Mallin & Son, as a passion project in 2019. He believes that “every stitch tells a story” and that every time you rewax your jacket, you’re adding new chapters to the story as well as extra texture and depth. We had a conversation with Ryan to learn more.
Can you tell us about the most exciting repair you’ve been involved with?
“Jackets are often an extension of the people who wear them and we've had lots of interesting people kindly let us work on their jackets. From stuntmen to well-known musicians, TV presenters and professional sportspeople, seeing their love for the humble waxed jacket is always exciting. We once fixed up an old leather flight jacket that the owner told us had seen service in the Battle of Britain, so I guess it doesn't get more significant than that.”
How long can a waxed jacket last?
“They can and do last a lifetime. We see the proof daily as heirlooms land in our workshop to be reproofed, passed down from generation to generation. Waxed cotton is pretty robust so with regular care it will last for several lifetimes.”
What's the oldest jacket you've repaired?
“The jackets that immediately jump to mind are two 1950's Belstaff jackets that were recovered from an old shed. We decided to fix one up and leave the other for posterity. Once we'd stitched up the odd rip, cleaned and reproofed, it was genuinely as good as new. Both were later sold to the same collector.”
Do you plan to do other kinds of repairs in the future?
“Currently, the volume of repairs and our resources mean we specialise and focus only on waxed cotton. Our style of repairs is 'showing your workings' —inspired by the Japanese 'wabi-sabi' influence — adds another signature to the service we offer. We do see a future where repairing becomes more mainstream, though, and building out from wax to provide more services is undoubtedly on our list for the future.”
How far has repairing popularity come since you started?
“We may be biased as we're surrounded by a community of like-minded businesses, of which there are many, but I do feel the cost of living pinch combined with a change of consumer habits has encouraged more people to think about repairing what they have. We're seeing a sea change in younger people as they turn to second hand sites over fast fashion on the high street. They want their money to stretch further and I am seeing a big shift in the conscience of shoppers. My 14 year old step-daughter recently told me that they'd learnt in school about the questionable ethics involved with brands such as Shein and as a result of that, she's not willing to use them. This certainly signposts the next generation down the correct avenues in my opinion.”
Can you tell us about the most exciting repair you’ve been involved with?
“Jackets are often an extension of the people who wear them and we've had lots of interesting people kindly let us work on their jackets. From stuntmen to well-known musicians, TV presenters and professional sportspeople, seeing their love for the humble waxed jacket is always exciting. We once fixed up an old leather flight jacket that the owner told us had seen service in the Battle of Britain, so I guess it doesn't get more significant than that.”
How long can a waxed jacket last?
“They can and do last a lifetime. We see the proof daily as heirlooms land in our workshop to be reproofed, passed down from generation to generation. Waxed cotton is pretty robust so with regular care it will last for several lifetimes.”
What's the oldest jacket you've repaired?
“The jackets that immediately jump to mind are two 1950's Belstaff jackets that were recovered from an old shed. We decided to fix one up and leave the other for posterity. Once we'd stitched up the odd rip, cleaned and reproofed, it was genuinely as good as new. Both were later sold to the same collector.”
Do you plan to do other kinds of repairs in the future?
“Currently, the volume of repairs and our resources mean we specialise and focus only on waxed cotton. Our style of repairs is 'showing your workings' —inspired by the Japanese 'wabi-sabi' influence — adds another signature to the service we offer. We do see a future where repairing becomes more mainstream, though, and building out from wax to provide more services is undoubtedly on our list for the future.”
How far has repairing popularity come since you started?
“We may be biased as we're surrounded by a community of like-minded businesses, of which there are many, but I do feel the cost of living pinch combined with a change of consumer habits has encouraged more people to think about repairing what they have. We're seeing a sea change in younger people as they turn to second hand sites over fast fashion on the high street. They want their money to stretch further and I am seeing a big shift in the conscience of shoppers. My 14 year old step-daughter recently told me that they'd learnt in school about the questionable ethics involved with brands such as Shein and as a result of that, she's not willing to use them. This certainly signposts the next generation down the correct avenues in my opinion.”
You learned to sew, can you tell us about that experience?
“My seamstress retired a couple of years ago and trying to replace them proved a nightmare. Pretty much everyone that I spoke with were a post retirement hobbyist not looking for a job per se. I soon saw there was a massive skills gap when it came to machinists. Having no experience whatsoever on a machine myself, I had spent a couple of years working with my seamstress as I asked her to bring my impossible ideas to life. I figured that with my basic understanding that I could benefit from learning myself. A little online searching took me to an evening course, oddly in my hometown of Pudsey and maybe more oddly still, to the same complex where Sewing Bee is filmed.
It really helped me to piece together the jigsaw pieces that I already had in my head and gave me some real confidence to take that back into our workshop. I take care of all of our repairs now and we've never looked back since."
What's your big picture/vision for the work you do? What change would you like to see in the world?
“For us as a brand, the natural next step is to create our waxed jacket. The knowledge and experience we've gathered over the last 5 years around what works well, what doesn't, wear points etc has already been tapped into by some brands. It's a tough balance for us though as if we're in the business of promoting the repair of what you currently have over buying new.
We will continue to shout about investing in quality and taking care of it with hope that it continues to resonate. We're also exploring funding places to attend courses such as the one I attended to again try and encourage not just the norm but the joy of fixing and altering something for yourself.
I think the world is already changing around fashion and that the majority of those who know what happens 'behind the curtain' of fast fashion are rightly thinking about their part in the process. I'd like to see more governance on the amount of online ads that promote the need for 'more' and encourage people to spiral through the habits of pointless buying. It's relative to far deeper mental and social problems than we care to acknowledge. If we simply stop playing that game, the bad 'players' will eventually disappear. "
You can watch Ryan repair one of our waxed jackets on Instagram.
You learned to sew, can you tell us about that experience?
“My seamstress retired a couple of years ago and trying to replace them proved a nightmare. Pretty much everyone that I spoke with were a post retirement hobbyist not looking for a job per se. I soon saw there was a massive skills gap when it came to machinists. Having no experience whatsoever on a machine myself, I had spent a couple of years working with my seamstress as I asked her to bring my impossible ideas to life. I figured that with my basic understanding that I could benefit from learning myself. A little online searching took me to an evening course, oddly in my hometown of Pudsey and maybe more oddly still, to the same complex where Sewing Bee is filmed.
It really helped me to piece together the jigsaw pieces that I already had in my head and gave me some real confidence to take that back into our workshop. I take care of all of our repairs now and we've never looked back since."
What's your big picture/vision for the work you do? What change would you like to see in the world?
“For us as a brand, the natural next step is to create our waxed jacket. The knowledge and experience we've gathered over the last 5 years around what works well, what doesn't, wear points etc has already been tapped into by some brands. It's a tough balance for us though as if we're in the business of promoting the repair of what you currently have over buying new.
We will continue to shout about investing in quality and taking care of it with hope that it continues to resonate. We're also exploring funding places to attend courses such as the one I attended to again try and encourage not just the norm but the joy of fixing and altering something for yourself.
I think the world is already changing around fashion and that the majority of those who know what happens 'behind the curtain' of fast fashion are rightly thinking about their part in the process. I'd like to see more governance on the amount of online ads that promote the need for 'more' and encourage people to spiral through the habits of pointless buying. It's relative to far deeper mental and social problems than we care to acknowledge. If we simply stop playing that game, the bad 'players' will eventually disappear. "
You can watch Ryan repair one of our waxed jackets on Instagram.