Making Do: New Book Reveals How Fabric Shaped Britain’s Postwar Recovery

Professor Susan Carruthers’ latest book, Making Do: Britons and the Refashioning of the Postwar World, was officially published on Thursday 24 April, offering a vivid new perspective on life after 1945.

The book re-examines the familiar wartime motto “Make Do and Mend”, uncovering how clothing, footwear and fabric became powerful forms of currency in the years that followed the Second World War. Drawing on original research and personal stories, Professor Carruthers traces these material exchanges from Britain’s demobilisation centres to liberated Belsen, and from devastated German cities to refugee camps and troopships.

Through these intertwined stories, Making Do reveals how Britons and others were bound together as they refashioned their lives after the most destructive conflict in history.

The book has already attracted attention, being named The Sunday Times “Book of the Week” and featured in a two‑page exclusive in the Daily Mirror.

‘This is a necessary inoculation for anyone prone to nostalgia. Making Do is proof that clothing is always a reflection of the human condition - especially when those conditions are dire. Carruthers deftly brings the historic significance of wartime down to the human level, with entertaining interludes and well-researched stories that will make you question your own relationship to your garments.’ Avery Trufelman - host and producer of Articles of Interest

‘From Land Girl breeches to demob suits, austerity chic to Dior’s New Look, Making Do follows the fascinating story of bodies in motion, through air raids, rationing and recycling, as a nation sought to dress the part for war and peace.’ Alan Allport - author of Britain at Bay: The Epic Story of the Second World War, 1938–1941

Further details about Making Do are available on the Cambridge University Press websiteLink opens in a new window.