Patagonia are touring the US, Europe and Japan in their electrically powered van fixing everything from ski wear to denim and even wetsuits. They are also offering workshops to teach you how to repair your own clothes. As consumers, if we are able to extend the life of our clothes that means less to landfill (eventually) and less production. It is one the best things we can do in terms of the wardrobe – environment conundrum.

The van forms part of their wider Patagonia Worn Wear project. It’s an exciting business model that incorporates second hand into the business. Patagonia will take back their products through the mail in return for store credit. If sellable, they are cleaned and repaired and placed into the Worn Wear store. In 2019 Patagonia opened their first bricks & mortar Worn Wear store in Boulder, Colorado. If the returned garments aren’t repairable, recyclable or resell-able then they are recrafted! Patagonia has released the Recrafted line that puts these end of life products back into sale. The products are reworked and re-combined to create everything from jackets, T-shirts and bags. This line is entirely produced in California and you can buy online. Kudos to Patagonia for embracing the circular economy!

Pictures & Video courtesy of: patagonia.com