At the repairs counter with Nora Vang

Since 2018 we have mended anything we have ever sold, at no charge. Most of that work happens at a wooden counter at the back of our first store, on Bredgade. Nora Vang has run it since the day it opened. We sat with her for an afternoon while she worked.

What comes in most?

Elbows, by a long way. Then cuffs, then moth holes, then buttons. Elbows go because people lean on desks. Nobody thinks of a desk as rough, but it is the same spot rubbing on the same surface 5 days a week.

How do you mend an elbow?

With a darn: you weave new yarn across the hole and then through it, like a tiny piece of cloth. I use a darning mushroom to keep the knit stretched, and often a yarn in another color. People ask if I can make it invisible. I can get close, but I would rather they could see it.

Is there anything you will not mend?

Very little. A sweater that has felted in a hot wash cannot be saved; the fibers have locked together. A zip I will replace, a lining I will replace, a collar I will turn. If a piece is beyond mending we say so, and we tell the person why, so it does not happen to the next one.

What should people do before they come in?

Bring it early. A small hole is 10 minutes. A hole that has been worn for another winter is an afternoon, and sometimes it is too late for a darn. And wash it first, please. I mend a lot of sweaters.

You can hand a repair in at either store, or post it to the atelier in Porto with your order number. It comes back to you in about 2 weeks.