Denim Repairs & Alterations

Here at Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, one of our key values is connectivity. This relates to our physical and emotional connection with each other, but also to our clothing. We make what we do, in the way that we do, because we want to nurture an understanding between the garment and wearer. We combine tailoring innovation and heritage construction to create garments of unmatched quality. We believe our sustainable selvedge & organic raw denim jeans are the best in the world. That being said, over time, your denim will wear down due to the nature of textiles and movement, and we want to ensure that you continue to love and wear your garment and offer denim repair. Our motto is “made by us for life”: we try to minimise the environmental impact of making denim garments with every decision. But, for a garment to last a lifetime, it also takes you as an active participant in sustainability. That’s why we repair your denim garments, whether made by us or not.

Alterations

We will happily shorten any jeans at our Coal Drops Yard or Berwick St shop. This is free of charge for Blackhorse Lane Ateliers jeans, and £20 for other brands (this surcharge includes any products we have made but are not our own brand, as they incur their own pricing and brand values).

Please tell us if you have washed your Blackhorse Lane jeans already or not, as we add 1″ to the hem for shrinkage allowance. This isn’t necessarily the case for other brands, as the finishing process may be different, but we’ll assess the wash and only add extra if the denim looks raw and never washed.

See the price list further below for alterations specifics.

100% cotton jeans are preferred for hemming.

We can not accept any jean that has more than 1% stretch in the Fabric.

Repairs

Our denim repairs are free for Blackhorse Lane jeans, we do however have terms and conditions for this service. We can also undertake repairs on other branded jeans, but we have some terms and pricing for that too.

Our Terms

• If the damage to your jean is the equivalent to what we class as a 'Full blow-out' or if your pocket bags need a full replacement this will incur a fee as this is not covered under general wear & tear.
• Please ensure your jeans are clean (washed) before sending them to us for denim repairs or alterations. This is so that the craft denim is prepared for darning, and also to help out our machinists with smells and stains, most importantly their health and safety. You can find care instructions on your BLA garment, otherwise please find a general denim care guide here. If we receive your jeans in an unwashed, smelly and dirty state, We won’t be able to work on them!
• “Non-Blackhorse Lane Jeans” also refers to any jeans that we made for other brands, such as Drake’s and Belstaff.
• Payment is required before any work is undertaken. We can send you an online invoice, or you can pay in-store. Denim repairs are free on Blackhorse Lane denim, however, we reserve the right to charge for repairs on sample jeans. We also reserve the right to decline free repairs on Blackhorse Lane Ateliers jeans if we feel that damage has been encouraged e.g. through sport.
• Return postage must be paid whether your denim is in for a free BLA repair or another brand’s denim repair. As we are undertaking the work free of charge, we believe this is acceptable. As above, we can send you an invoice, and all jeans will be posted, tracked and/or signed for. The cost is £6 per parcel (UK), and shipping rates vary for worldwide zones.
• We accept no liability for any jeans that are lost in transport to us, we recommend using a tracked service when sending your jeans to us. We cannot replace packages lost during return shipment if proof of tracking is unavailable. However, should you have proof of shipment and your jeans are lost or damaged in transit, then the maximum liability for any lost jeans is a replacement of the same jean if it is available in our stock, or a maximum of £100 credit on the production of an original receipt.
• Should we not undertake any work on your jeans due to neglect of the garment, or you change your mind, you will be charged to have your jeans sent back to you.
• If sending from outside the UK, please ensure your parcel is marked as a used garment repair. We cannot accept any customs charges and will have your jeans returned to the sender if charges are incurred.

How we repair

• We use a traditional Singer machine to industrially repair your Blackhorse Lane jeans. Using a style of zig zag stitch, the worn area is reinforced. It also means we can get into most of the nooks and crannies of our craft quality jeans.

• We may need to use a patch inside the jean (no extra charge) but try not to do this often as it adds bulk.

• We’ll do our best to match the hemming thread to the stitch size and colour of the jean.

• We do not use indigo-dyed thread. Therefore, the darning thread will not fade in the same way as your jeans. However, we’ll do our best to match our darning thread to the colour of the denim item.

• If we are replacing pocket bags, buttons or belt loops then you will have a noticeable difference in the colouration, though we will always ensure the same type of denim or component is used. We can undertake these denim repairs on other branded jeans, but it’s unlikely we’ll be able to match the trim for colour (size we’ll always ensure). It isn’t always possible to darn the corners of pockets due to hidden rivets.

Our current turnaround time is 4-6 weeks.

• Please drop your jeans at our Coal Drops Yard store for denim repair.
• Include a note with your name, a return address, daytime phone number, email address, what you are sending in, and finally what you would like to have done to your jeans. If there is any wear to your jeans that you wouldn’t like us to patch up, such as on pocket bag openings or cuffs, please mark these otherwise our machinist may mend them anyway!
• Prior to sending in any denim for repair, you may email us images to assess for cost and time estimate. Please email: enquiries@blackhorselane.com or use the contact form for quick enquiries.

Our Return Address

Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, Unit 32, Coal Drops Yard, London N1C 4DQ

If you’re a Walthamstow local, you can also drop your jeans off at our factory, however, please note that there may be an additional wait as we transport the jeans from one place to another.

The address of our factory is:

Blackhorse Lane Ateliers, 114B Blackhorse Lane, London E17 6AA

Price list for non-BLA denim

Crotch Repairs (plus underarm repairs)

• Small holes (2cm) darned and reinforced ~ £25
• Large holes (5cm+) darned and reinforced ~ £40
• Full crotch blowout patched and darned ~ £60
• Additional charge for denim 17oz and over - + £10
• Additional charge for denim 21oz and over - + £20
• Additional charge for denim 23oz and over - + £30

Random repairs

• Small holes (<2cm) elsewhere darned or patched/ per hole ~ £25
• Larges holes (>2cm) elsewhere darned or patched/ per hole ~ £40
• Replacement belt loop ~ £10
• Stitching or reinforcing of hem/cuff ~ £10-20
• Stitching or reinforcing of seams ~ £10-20

Pocket Repairs

• Internal pocket bag front or back patching/reinforcing (per pocket) ~ £15
• Internal pocket bag replacement (per pocket) ~ £60
• Mouth of external pocket front or back reinforcing (per pocket) ~ £20
• Back pocket repaired and re-attached (per pocket) ~ £35

Hemming

• Shortening and re-hemming below 18oz ~ £20
• Shortening and re-hemming above 18oz ~ £25

Fastenings

• Zip supply and fit ~ £35
• Button supply and replacement ~ £5 per button

Waist Adjustments

• Take in waist through seat ~ £40
• Additional charge for denim over 17oz ~ +£10
• Additional charge for denim over 21oz ~ +£20

Tapering

• Tapering without topstitch ~ £40
• Tapering with topstitch ~ £50
• Additional charge for denim over 17oz ~ +£10
• Additional charge for denim over 21oz ~ +£20

Have any questions? See anything not mentioned? Email us at enquiries@blackhorselane.com