From Uniqlo to Zara, clothing brands try to win over Gen Z with a needle and thread

The briefing

Clothing brands including Levi's, Uniqlo and Primark are offering in-store repairs and sewing workshops to appeal to Gen Z shoppers who want to save money and reduce waste. Levi's built a 90-minute hand-stitching course for high school students after finding many lacked the skills to match their interest in thrifting, and Primark has held more than 730 free repair events. Skeptics note the fashion sector's main impact is overproduction, and that repairs happen in addition to growing production volumes rather than instead of them.