On the Mend: Why Using What You Have is the New Luxury!

Schedule

Wed Apr 22 2026 at 05:00 pm to 07:30 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

253 W 35th St | New York, NY

Advertisement
Celebrate Earth Day with a fireside chat featuring fashion experts Ngozi Okaro and Kate Sekules, followed by a hands-on mending workshop.
About this Event

On the Mend: Why Using What You Have is the New Luxury!

Join us in person for an interactive and eye-opening Earth Day event all about making the most of what you've got.

Hear from two women working to build stronger systems in the sustainable fashion industry, Custom Collaborative CEO Ngozi Okaro and mending pioneer and author Kate Sekules, as they chat about what it means to build a fashion practice around care rather than consumption.
Following the conversation, Kate will host a hands-on workshop to put these principles into practice, guiding you through visible mending basics from her book Mend! A Refashioning Manual and Manifesto, which we will raffle off at the end of the night! All materials are included with your ticket!
Don’t miss out on this chance to learn from experts in the field and practice skills you can use to refresh your wardrobe all year round.
Get to know the hosts!
Ngozi Okaro

Ngozi Okaro is the founder and CEO of Custom Collaborative, a New York City-based workforce development and social enterprise that trains, mentors, and advocates for and with no/low-income and immigrant women to build the skills necessary for economic success in the sustainable fashion industry. Under her leadership, Custom Collaborative has trained hundreds of women through its 15-week Training Institute, launched the Fashion That Works worker-owned cooperative, and established the organization as a national model for equitable workforce development at the intersection of fashion and sustainability.

Kate Sekules

Kate Sekules is a writer, clothes historian, mender, and mending educator. She is a PhD candidate in material culture at the Bard Graduate Center and holds a master's degree in Costume Studies from NYU. A leading figure in the visible mending movement, she has taught at Parsons, Pratt, FIT, the Textile Arts Center, RISD Museum, and Columbia University Chicago, and has lectured for the Costume Society of America and the Textile Society of America. Her writing has appeared in Vogue, The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, and Harper's Bazaar. She is the founder of visiblemending.com and the Menders Directory, and the author of MEND! A Refashioning Manual and Manifesto (Penguin Random House). She lives in Brooklyn.


Agenda

πŸ•‘: 05:00 PM
Arrive & Mingle
πŸ•‘: 05:45 PM
Fireside Chat Begins
πŸ•‘: 06:15 PM
Q&A with Ngozi Okaro & Kate Sekules
πŸ•‘: 06:30 PM
Mending Workshop Begins

Info: All materials are included in your ticket! Just show up, and we'll handle the rest.


πŸ•‘: 07:15 PM
Mend! Book Giveaway

Info: Enter to win a signed copy of "Mend! A Refashioning Manual and Manifesto" by Kate Sekules


Advertisement

Where is it happening?

253 W 35th St, 253 West 35th Street, New York, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 19.00

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next β€” before everyone else does.
Custom Collaborative

Host or Publisher Custom Collaborative

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in New York

Connect with Nature on Earth Day Event
Wed, 22 Apr at 03:30 pm Connect with Nature on Earth Day Event

Pier 57

HEALTH-WELLNESS MENTAL-HEALTH
Premier "FLor Pucarina" in New York
Wed, 22 Apr at 04:00 pm Premier "FLor Pucarina" in New York

Village East Cinema

ENTERTAINMENT
Earth Day Panel Building a Greener Waterfront: The Story of Wagner Park
Wed, 22 Apr at 04:00 pm Earth Day Panel Building a Greener Waterfront: The Story of Wagner Park

Robert F. Wagner, Junior Park

ART BUSINESS
Earth Day Pollinator Party
Wed, 22 Apr at 04:00 pm Earth Day Pollinator Party

Dyckman Farmhouse Museum

ART NONPROFIT
Fashion & Fill-Anthropy - Celebrating 5 Years! DAY 2
Wed, 22 Apr at 05:30 pm Fashion & Fill-Anthropy - Celebrating 5 Years! DAY 2

40 W 25th St, New York, NY, United States, New York 10010

ART LITERARY-ART
Wednesday Evening Spring Migration Bird Walk Series
Wed, 22 Apr at 05:30 pm Wednesday Evening Spring Migration Bird Walk Series

Central Park

Black on Screen: The Legacy of Nikki Giovanni
Wed, 22 Apr at 05:30 pm Black on Screen: The Legacy of Nikki Giovanni

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

ART LITERARY-ART
Compliance in the World of Cryptocurrencies
Wed, 22 Apr at 05:30 pm Compliance in the World of Cryptocurrencies

Cardozo School of Law

Chelsea Market, High Line & Hudson Yards Food & History Tour
Fri, 15 Feb at 10:00 am Chelsea Market, High Line & Hudson Yards Food & History Tour

Chelsea Market

TRIPS-ADVENTURES NONPROFIT
In-Person Class: Thai Drunken Noodles & Tom Yum Soup (NYC)
Wed, 21 Dec at 06:30 pm In-Person Class: Thai Drunken Noodles & Tom Yum Soup (NYC)

Four Points by Sheraton Midtown - Times Square

WORKSHOPS FOOD-DRINKS
Digital Marketers NYC Meetup
Tue, 14 Nov at 06:30 pm Digital Marketers NYC Meetup

Wall Street

MEETUPS BUSINESS
Master Public Speaking & captivate any room with confidence \u2014 Online Event
Mon, 12 Feb at 06:00 pm Master Public Speaking & captivate any room with confidence β€” Online Event

NYC, New York 10001, USA

WORKSHOPS PUBLIC-SPEAKING
Master Public Speaking & captivate any room with confidence \u2014 Online Event
Tue, 13 Feb at 03:00 pm Master Public Speaking & captivate any room with confidence β€” Online Event

Brooklyn

WORKSHOPS PUBLIC-SPEAKING
Need a Plan B in New York, NY?  You Should  Own a Travel Biz!
Mon, 08 Apr at 10:00 pm Need a Plan B in New York, NY? You Should Own a Travel Biz!

Residence Inn by Marriott New York Manhattan/Midtown East

WORKSHOPS BUSINESS
Build Your First Successful AI SaaS Startup Today! - Workshop
Tue, 23 Apr at 01:00 pm Build Your First Successful AI SaaS Startup Today! - Workshop

Regus Office

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
Launch Your Own Successful AI App | AI Startup | Workshop 2025
Tue, 30 Apr at 01:00 pm Launch Your Own Successful AI App | AI Startup | Workshop 2025

TBD

WORKSHOPS BUSINESS
Mon. Swap Shop - EAST HARLEM
Mon, 15 Jul at 12:00 pm Mon. Swap Shop - EAST HARLEM

163 E 111th St

ART NONPROFIT
Learn & Network with  Local NY Real Estate Investors Live in NYC
Thu, 12 Dec at 07:00 pm Learn & Network with Local NY Real Estate Investors Live in NYC

Bryant Park

BUSINESS WORKSHOPS
Creative Women Coworking & Coffee w\/ Concious Creatives (NYC)
Fri, 09 May at 02:00 pm Creative Women Coworking & Coffee w/ Concious Creatives (NYC)

Kona Coffee Roasters | Midtown

MEETUPS ART

What's Happening Next in New York?

Discover New York Events