Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Fashion & Style

Save the Environment in Style: Taylor Stitch Makes New Apparel from Old Garments

Steven John
By

Taylor Stitch has always been devoted to eco-friendly, responsible production. Since the brand’s launch in 2008, they have striven to make clothing in a way that’s kind to the planet, kind to the location of production, and kind to the people who do the actual stitching.

When it comes to being green, Taylor Stitch uses recycled or at least highly sustainable fabrics and reduces water usage as much as possible. They also keep chemicals almost entirely out of the production process, from pesticides normally used in growing fabric crops to cleaners used during preparation. But despite their best attempts to make their clothing and production process as environmentally friendly as possible, the heads of the company still saw one problem they thought might be impossible to fix. Says Taylor Stitch CEO and co-founder Michael Maher: “85% of all apparel ends up in landfills, including what is donated.”

Related Videos

Then the idea for solving the problem of discarded clothing struck: stitch it back together into new pieces and get the garments back out to the consumer. Taylor Stitch’s Restitch program was born.

By taking in worn clothing and either completely restoring it or using the fabrics to make new garments entirely, Restitch gives clothing a second (or even a third) life and keeps it out of garbage dumps. The program results in a number of completely unique garments as well as classic pieces that will be restored and loved over and over.

To kick off the Restitch program, Taylor Stitch reached out to its community of established customers and got some 1,500 garments donated for rebuilding. To get new customers on board, they have made sure the whole process is simple and seamless, if you’ll pardon an awesome sartorial pun. If you have clothing you want to send in, you download a shipping label online and bag up your threads (or visit a Taylor Stitch retail store in person if you’re in San Francisco or Tokyo). Once the garments are received, you earn Taylor Stitch credit you can put toward new items from the brand.

In launching the Restitch program, Taylor Stitch partnered with experienced resale retail consulting company Yerdle. “Resale is the biggest step any brand can take when it comes to fostering a more sustainable business,” said Yerdle CEO Andy Ruben. “Restitch is a powerful example of how a brand can embrace sustainability while simultaneously creating unique, coveted items for their customers.”

Keeping clothing out of landfills and consuming fewer resources in the production of garments is all fine and good, but what about the apparel itself? You would never know the shirts, shoes, pants, and other pieces sold under the Restitch label are anything but superlative menswear. But you probably would wonder how they were priced so low given the quality.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Arc’teryx Wants to Buy Back Your Used Gear for the Good of the Planet
arcteryx rock solid used gear program interview arc teryx jacket in use

It’s likely no secret to you that clothing waste is a massive environmental issue the world over. As fast fashion moved during the last couple of decades, clothes have become disposable items that some people toss after only a few years. Whether the garment is worn out because it’s cheaply made or they simply want something new, this waste has created mountains of clothing in landfills. But some clothing brands and businesses are doing their part to curb the problem, which is exactly the mission of Arc’teryx’s new Rock Solid Used Gear program.

The program is a nod to Arc’teryx’s original name from when the company was created in 1989, Rock Solid, and is essentially a repurposing hub to keep quality products in circulation as long as possible while lessening the company’s environmental footprint. Arc’teryx products are known for their top-of-the-line technical construction, so they are using their extensive knowledge to buy back gently used gear, clean and repair it, and resell it at a lower cost. Not only does this reduce the amount of clothing that ends up in the trash, but it also makes their products affordable to more consumers.

Read more
Why You Should Get Your Next Pair of Jeans from Fitted Underground

Eric John’s path to starting Fitted Underground, a four-year-old upstart making standout custom jeans,was anything but conventional. A former physics and math teacher, John’s background includes time in the Peace Corps and he finance industry — hardly the regular route to launching a denim brand.

It was John’s time in the money world that led him to get fitted for a custom suit, which changed his outlook on denim and sparked an epiphany.

Read more
TS Designs Custom Tees for Good
TS Designs organic cotton sustainability

If you need some custom tee shirts made, we recommend you check out TS Designs. This is a company born of innovation, sustainability, and a desire to do right by everyone: their customers, their employees, and the planet.

The North Carolina company used to print for some major companies like Nike but in 1994 when the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed, things changed. President Eric Henry remembers, “Within two years we laid off over 80% of our staff. The brands like Nike, Polo and Adidas wanted to increase their bottom line and the customer was more interested in saving a few dollars than supporting their community.”

Read more