"Hodge visits Lisa Hutchinson, owner of Top Stitch Mending in Richmond, Virginia, to learn about the importance of repair and creative reuse. By mending and upcycling clothing, individuals can extend the life of garments and reduce waste."

"Top Stitch was founded by Lisa Hutchinson in 2016 to combat the excess waste caused by mass production and fast fashion through fixing existing clothing. From torn seams and moth holes to patches and stain cover-ups, Top Stitch can return your clothes, family heirlooms and quilts to fighting form."

"Top Stitch Mending is a vibrant community sewing hub that also offers repairs to keep clothes out of the landfill. […] For me, community is bringing people together who may not otherwise meet, and finding common threads between them. Ideally, weaving a strong cloth of connections. I think small businesses can be a meeting place and conversation starter for these connections. We provide a place where people can sew, learn, and create while making friends and finding time for self care…"

"Hi mend-friends and neighbors! Top Stitch Mending is a sewing studio located on 23rd street, between Leigh and Clay, on the bottom floor of a sweet little carriage house. We offer clothing and other textile repairs as well as sustainable sewing classes by appointment. Our hope is to lighten the load of excessive textile waste that ends up in landfills annually, by restoring the items in your home and closet, keeping them in circulation."

“I started a sustainable mending business to eliminate as much clothing and textile waste as possible, redirecting it from landfills. Mending keeps things in circulation longer and disrupts the speed of fast fashion. When we slow down the fashion consumption cycle, we get to explore its supply chain, where it is broken, and the people that are affected the most by it.”

“At 11 years old, Lisa Hutchinson learned to sew from her mother, a home economics teacher. Her interest eventually grew into a business, TopStitch Mending, where she repairs clothing as a way to minimize the environmental impact by keeping used clothes out of landfills.”