Patagonia opened its first dedicated Worn Wear pop-up store in Boulder, CO. Located at 1212 Pearl Street, the Worn Wear pop-up will be open through February, 2020 and will be stocked exclusively with quality Worn Wear items (used Patagonia products that have been bought back from customers) as well as Patagonia’s new ReCrafted Collection, a new line of products made from other clothes that are beyond repair.
The pop up will also host regular repair and upcycle workshops (view events here).
Worn Wear is Patagonia’s program to help extend the end of life of its products and thus reduce their environmental footprint – including their carbon footprint. As Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard says, “The best jacket for our planet is one that already exists.”
Repairing clothing and keeping gear in play as long as possible has been part of Patagonia’s business model since the 1970s. Today, Patagonia repairs more than 100,000 items each year in 72 repair centers globally and in Reno – where the company owns and operates the largest apparel repair center in North America. Patagonia also takes Worn Wear on the road. In North America the Worn Wear mobile repair stations and repair techs have been to more than 135 locations including Patagonia stores, specialty retailers, colleges, design schools, surf towns, fishing towns, ski resorts and climbing festivals where they fix any garment regardless of brand.
In 2017 Patagonia launched a resale business, WornWear.com and has sold more than 120,000 units. How it works: Patagonia buys back products that are in good condition from its customers in exchange for store credit and resells them on WornWear.com. The success of Worn Wear has inspired other brands to consider recommerce. Over the past three years, the secondhand clothing market has grown 21 times faster than the overall apparel industry and is expected to reach $51B by 2023.
Photo courtesy Patagonia
