With a hundred-million-dollar football program, a casual fan may suspect the Dawgs to be more frivolous with their garments–assuming they suit up in brand-new uniforms for each game. Instead, they’ve recruited our talented local seamstresses to keep their gear intact. For the past 5 seasons, Community Athens and the University of Georgia Football program have teamed up for special mending and alterations. Thanks to Community Athens, our Dawgs take the field in a surprisingly sustainable uniform.
Located in Downtown Athens, Community is home to a plethora of locally made goodies and sustainably made fashion. Venture towards the back of the perfectly curated store and you’re sure to see seamstresses hard at work either refurbishing garments, doing a unique array of alterations, or in this case, working on jerseys. With an infectious passion for sustainability, owner Sanni Baumgaertner and her team eagerly take on the task of fixing things up for the football team, and it's certainly not an easy one.
Each week the team’s equipment staff will drop off anywhere from 20-30 jerseys, each requiring their own special care. With only four seamstresses and typical quick turnarounds, this work is intense but ultimately rewarding. Community has been honored to work on these jerseys because said best by Sanni herself, “It [the mending] goes so well with our concept of sustainability, sustainable clothing, and making things last”. Sewing is not an easy skill by any means. To really have it down, a lot of practice is required. Community seamstresses Maddy and Haley have been sewing for 20 and 23 years respectively for perspective. Sanni describes the skill as, “a lifelong learning” admitting that she is always learning new things. Many of which come from YouTube, and Sanni regards it as an extremely useful and reliable resource. The art of sewing and mending has skipped a few generations Sanni told us, but she has been noticing a resurgence in its popularity. The beginner sewing classes offered by Community, which you can learn more about here, are always sold out. Overall, Sanni feels optimistic for the future of sewing as more people become aware of its importance.
Even in its complexity, the players themselves will occasionally play a role in the alterations as well, leaving slits in the sleeve areas where they would like more room. The seamstress team will set in a piece of fabric and stitch it together, giving the players their desired fit. A few times Community has even fixed the uniform of Kirby Smart, hemming his classic khakis for a gameday-ready fit. Most of the work done however is regarding the patches. Nameplates and other commemorative emblems are patched on the jerseys, Community both puts them on and keeps them in place with a sturdy zig-zag stitch. This has proven to be one of the most tedious aspects of working on the jerseys as some of the patches can have intricate shapes. For Sanni, the meticulous nature of the work offers time to slow down, and she finds it to be almost meditative. This sort of care and patience is necessary for such significant matters. Sanni reflected on a Vince Dooley patch they added in his memory after the Hall of Fame coach passed away. She regards this as one of the most significant alterations that Community has done for the team. Despite striving for perfection all repair work isn’t perfect. The high-tech material of the jerseys doesn’t always blend well with thread. When repairing holes and tears on the body of the jersey, the Community seamstresses will use a technique called darning. Darning functionally creates a patch with thread, leaving the affected area stronger than before. However, this method isn’t a hidden fix. With a good eye, you may be able to see a piece of Community on the Dawgs during the next game.
This large-scale adoption of sustainable practices reflects something that we are gradually losing within our personal wardrobes and fashion generally, and that’s value. However, our Dawgs understand it well. The worth of each tear, rip, or run and the worth of each wear itself with all the memories tethered to it. These things are invaluable and cannot be replaced with a dime-a-dozen remake. There are plenty of lessons to be learned from our back-to-back National Championship-winning team and if you take any away it should be this one. Value and sentiment cannot be duplicated. Sustainability is innate when striving for a common goal and we can see this reflected in both Community and our football team. Whether that goal is to produce sustainably-made garments or win a national title the basic principles of sustainability like stewardship, community, and pride are illuminated and in use.
As always, let's keep fashion slow and Go Dawgs!