Children can be careless with their toys. But when a beloved doll breaks, hearts can shatter, too. Rebecca Di Biagio has created a solution. At her doll repair workshop in Milan, she collects old toys, repairs them and donates the good-as-new versions to loving owners.
She came up with the idea after her niece asked her to fix her doll. After poring over YouTube tutorials, she began fixing dolls as a lockdown hobby. She was unsure what to do with the finished products, so made a Facebook appeal for homes for her creations. The requests came flooding in.
Di Biagio launched an initiative called “Adotta Una Bambola” (Adopt a Doll). Supporters send her old dolls or money for materials, while recipients specify their doll preferences via an online form. Di Biagio revamps the toys to spec, asking only for a voluntary donation.
“This is a period of hardship when people’s fridges are empty,” the 30-year-old says. “Obviously, dolls can’t feed you, but they can stimulate your emotions. They can feed your brain.”
Six months on, she has become a doll-making sensation. She has…
