Herstelcirkel

RepairCircle - Repairing Textiles, Restoring Value

Reinventing sorting by making repair a shared, visible practice where small fixes unlock lasting value.

As part of the Living Lab Circular Textile initiative for the City of Hasselt, the Herstelcirkel was developed in close collaboration with social employment partner Okazi (De Springplank vzw). The project explores how textile sorting and repair can be structurally aligned, turning overlooked garments into meaningful opportunities for reuse, learning, and connection.

At many sorting facilities and second-hand shops, garments that are no longer classified as store-ready are quickly routed to waste streams, even when they only require minor, straightforward repairs. The Herstelcirkel intervenes precisely at this point by introducing a third sorting category, positioned between reusable stock and waste. This category includes garments with one clear, limited issue — such as a missing button, a loose seam, or a simple zipper fault — items that are fully repairable but often fall through the cracks of conventional sorting logic. Together, these pieces form the “1-fault collection."

Rather than treating repair as a separate service, the Herstelcirkel deliberately integrates repair into the retail environment. In participating shops, the 1-fault collection is offered at accessible price points and linked to a dedicated repair corner. On fixed moments each week, visitors are supported by volunteers to carry out simple repairs themselves, directly in the shop. This approach makes repair visible, approachable, and normalised as a natural part of engaging with clothing.

In practice, this relatively small shift in sorting criteria has generated outsized impact. Textile waste leaving the sorting chain is reduced, garments remain in circulation for longer, and repair becomes both a social and economic activity. The model creates a modest but meaningful additional revenue stream, while strengthening social interaction, skill-sharing, and a sense of agency among staff, volunteers, and visitors. Most importantly, it demonstrates that repair and longevity can be embedded without complex infrastructure or technological barriers, and that they resonate across ecological, economic, and human dimensions.

Through this process, Studio AMA and Okazi have built deep, practice-based knowledge on aligning sorting flows with repair potential, positioning repair within retail spaces, and communicating about mending in ways that invite participation rather than reinforce stigma. These insights are rooted in everyday practice in working hands-on with textiles, people, and place and form a transferable foundation for broader application.

We believe the Herstelcirkel holds strong potential beyond its local context. Our ambition is to see this approach adopted by many more sorting centres and second-hand retailers, contributing to a broader cultural shift in which repair and garment longevity are normalised throughout the textile chain. The knowledge is there, the method is proven, and we are ready to share what we have learned.

Interested in exploring this approach within your own organisation?

We are keen to exchange experiences, share insights, and support others in translating the RepairCircle to their specific context.
Get in touch if you’d like to discuss implementation, collaboration, or knowledge-sharing.

In 'de herstelhoek', you could also get started yourself using books about repair and a tablet with repairing instructions.