May I recommend the sashiko family of techniques? I’m not sure if you’ve seen this particular method but it’s one that is likely thousands of years old and is especially good for areas like the inseam or the knees that generally get more wear than other regions:
Many of the visible mending hacks one sees are designed to be aesthetic and not structural, as OP points out, but this technique is different:
1) you’ll notice that the mended area is larger than the actual damage. All of the stitched area indicates where additional fabric is added for strength.
2) the pattern of visible stitching is PRACTICAL in this work. The reason pants wear down along the inseam is that the fabric is constantly being rubbed against the other leg. Here, the stitching is what’s rubbing against itself, and the embroidery will fail first, meaning the fabric underneath will last longer.
3) this technique is very, very simple once you draw your grid, and there are plenty of places online that sell water soluble graph paper that you can sew into as a guide and then wash out.
Please please please don’t give up on home sewing and mending because of content farms - I promise there’s a whole world of incredibly simple and reliable techniques that - while perhaps time consuming - are PROVEN to increase the longevity of your clothes AND give you further opportunities to express your creativity and style!!!
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