Why I chose repair

People often assume I chose repair because I enjoy making things with my hands.

That is partly true.

I chose repair because I couldn't stop asking questions.

My background is not in leather craftsmanship or fashion design. I studies economics and environmental policies, somehow worked in luxury marketing, collected vintage designer objects and spent years buying and reselling loved luxury goods. I experienced luxury from different perspectives of the industry, the market and the consumer.

Like many of us, I believed that luxury represented the lifetime promise, something we could pass down to our future generations, just like how brands talk about in their marketing campaigns - heritage, artisanship, and timeless design. Every detail was presented as the result of exceptional craftsmanship and care. Naturally, I assumed that the same level of care would continue throughout an object’s life.

In reality, it didn’t.

The first time I damaged one of my own luxury bags, I realized something surprising.

I didn’t know where to go.

The brand offered limited and pricey solutions. Independent repair services varied enormously in quality. Online forums were filled with conflicting advice. Consumers shared the same uncertainty, asking where to send their bags, who could be trusted and whether a repair would reduce or preserve value.

For an industry built on craftsmanship, I found the afterlife of luxury surprisingly fragmented.

As I began working with loved luxury objects, I notice that many were not discarded because they were beyond repair. They were simply not looking perfect.

Stains. Faded handles. Holes in canvas. Color transfers. Small imperfections were enough to erase years of craftsmanship.

That didn’t make sense to me at all.

The more objects I restored, the more I realized that it isn’t about repairing the object, rather the

Relationship.

Why do we invest so much in creating beautiful objects, but so little in helping them continue to exist?

Rematch Room grew from that question.

Every object I restore becomes part of am ongoing research practice exploring craftsmanship, cultural value, relationships, and the afterlife of loved objects.

Luxury should not end when perfection ends.

To me, that is where true luxury lives.