LONDON Its an unusually sunny winters morning and, as Friday night revelers make their weary way home from local warehouse parties, Im on my way to my first-ever repair event at Hub67 , a community center in Hackney Wick thats a five-minute walk from my apartment.

When I arrive, the ground floor is buzzing with activity. In one room, at least two dozen people are tinkering with electrical gadgets and appliances. I spy toasters, irons, laptops, radios, cellphones, vacuums, lamps and an enormous musical keyboard, and theres an energetic vibe of organized chaos as volunteer fixperts from Hackney Fixers show visitors how to repair their stuff using the pliers, soldering irons and other tools dotted around the room.

Before long, I get settled next door in the clothing section, where fashion repair expert Sarah Klymkiw is about to teach me to reattach a clasp onto a pair of jeans. Its a simple enough task, but one Ive had no idea how to tackle, meaning the jeans have been sitting at the back of my closet for months.

I finish the job, proudly holding my now-wearable pants with a new determination to go home and fix everything.