ONE Saturday a month, a small but growing community gathers in the Klang Valley with a shared mission: to mend what is broken.
These sessions are organised by Repair Cafe Klang Valley, part of a global movement spanning over 40 countries and 3,200 registered groups.
For its founder, who wished to be known only as Heidi, the idea is about creating a space where people feel empowered to fix what they own.
The objective is to bring people together to repair items, share skills and reduce waste.
“We want to mitigate the landfill crisis and normalise fixing things instead of throwing them away,” she said.
Heidi discovered the Repair Cafe concept while living abroad.
Upon returning to Kuala Lumpur, she sought a similar group in her neighbourhood but found none.
“There is one Repair Cafe registered in Malaysia but it has not been active for years.
“So, I decided to start one, beginning with the skills that I am confident in, which are sewing and mending,” she said.
Since February last year, the group has been hosting a monthly sewing circle, sited at different cafes to reach more people, and invites people who want to mend things to sit with them and repair items together.
“Some craftworkers were keen to volunteer their time and share their knowledge.
“Now, we include repairs and workshops involving electronics, electrical appliances and technical troubleshooting.”
Since launching the movement, Heidi said she realised that many people wanted to repair their items but were deterred by high costs or complexity.
She believes a community is needed to discuss how damaged items can be fixed at home or in an affordable manner.
“Even if people know that an item can be repaired, they might not know how or where to seek help.
“I have friends and acquaintances who grew up or live in neighbourhoods without such services, as traditional repair shops do not operate there.
“So, we have a chat group where people can ask for recommendations for affordable or trusted repair shops,” she said.
On the sewing circles, she said participation was free, with no membership required.
“Instead, attendees are encouraged to support the host cafe by purchasing a drink or snack.
“We do charge a small fee for our workshops so guest instructors are paid for their expertise to ensure the initiative remains fair and sustainable.”
During the sessions, she said, participants would arrive with torn garments, worn bags or damaged soft toys, and often left with more than just a mended item.
“Many people think they cannot fix things themselves, but that is not true.
“We hope to shift mindsets around consumption.
“Repair should not be a luxury or a specialised skill, but something anyone can do.”
Heidi said the movement was seeking partnerships with venue owners who could provide bright, accessible spaces, ideally close to public transport.
She also welcomed volunteers and donors to contribute time, tools and resources.
Heidi said the cost of running sessions came out of her own savings as donations were insufficient to cover expenses.
“I am not sure how long I can continue supporting the sessions.
“Any community initiative needs financial support to be sustainable in the long run.
“Eventually, we might stop operating and then everyone loses,” she said.
The Klang Valley chapter was registered last December with Repair Cafe Foundation based in the Netherlands, with Heidi stating that efforts were underway to make it official in Malaysia with the Registrar of Societies.
For details, go to https://linktr.ee/repaircafekl — By VIJENTHI NAIR
