Skip to main content

Patagonia’s Worn Wear Collection Is Saving the Planet

If you follow Patagonia’s blog The Cleanest Line, you’re aware of the brand’s ongoing endeavor to improve its already pristine gear catalogue so that it leaves the smallest possible environmental footprint. But aside from a few design-related posts here and there, one of the company’s most impressive venues has slipped under the radar. If this is your first time hearing of it, we are proud to introduce you to Worn Wear. This gear recycling program is Patagonia’s initiative to extend the life of its products, reducing their impact on the environment.

Patagonia's Worn Wear
Patagonia

In keeping with brand founder Yvon Chouinard’s words, “The best jacket for our planet is one that already exists,” Patagonia’s business model has included repair and recycling since the 1970s. Only diehard gear heads may be aware that Patagonia runs North America’s largest apparel repair center. Located in Reno, Nevada, the shop is supported by more than 70 other repair centers around the world, allowing Patagonia to repair more than 100,000 items each year. They also run a number of mobile repair stations, which travel around North America to offer low-cost garment fixes to ski bums, rock jocks, bromandos, and weekend dirtbags of every walk of life. (Fun fact: These mobile repair techs will fix anything brought to them, not just Patagonia wear.)

We think that’s all pretty dope, but even doper is the Worn Wear collection, which Patagonia is using to upend the fast-fashion industry that is filling up landfills, leaching chemicals into the ground, and contributing heavily to carbon emissions.

Patagonia's Worn Wear
Patagonia

In 2017, Patagonia launched Worn Wear online, a resale business in which Patagonia offers store credit in exchange for getting back its own products in decent condition. These products are then repaired, buffed up, and resold on the site. So far, Worn Wear has sold more than 120,000 repurposed Patagonia items. (Though by the time of this publication, it’s likely to be even more.)

Patagonia's Worn Wear
Patagonia

Shortly after launching the program, Patagonia did it one better. Along with taking back products in reasonably good shape, they began collecting busted — excuse us, well-loved — Patagonia gear and repurposing it into new items. As of 2019, the Recrafted line available on Worn Wear features jackets, shirts, vests and bags hand-sewn from retired Patagonia products. Aside from the obvious virtue and creative spark embedded in wearing a repurposed garment like this, these recycled items are the ultimate fanboy fodder. Think about it: That vest you’re wearing could be made from the board shorts that followed Rob Machado through the Pipeline greenroom, insulated with the lining from a jacket Jimmy Chin wore while summiting Meru, and finished with details from Caroline Gleich’s favorite fleece. In other words, you’re wearing legendary stories while living your own.

Patagonia's Worn Wear
Patagonia

Draping yourself in the gear of legends isn’t the only reason to buy your next Patagonia piece from Worn Wear. Stats show that purchasing a used garment over a new one significantly reduces an individual’s apparel carbon footprint by up to a 60% reduction in CO2.

In today’s overcrowded outdoor apparel market, we think it’s pretty ballsy to encourage consumers to buy less new stuff, in favor of wearing out the stuff they’ve already got and, once it’s busted, replacing it with quality recycled goods. But as usual, Patagonia’s crazy groundbreaking ideas are reshaping the industry. The success of Worn Wear is inspiring other brands to adopt “recommerce,” as the practice is known. Over the past three years, the secondhand clothing market has grown 21 times faster than the overall apparel industry and is expected to reach $51 billion by 2023.

With the global clothing industry on track to generate nearly a quarter of the world’s annual carbon budget by 2050, programs like Worn Wear aren’t just a virtue-signaling gimmick — they’re downright vital to the health of our planet. It used to be you could tell a legit outdoor adventurer by the Patagonia label on their jacket, but going forward, respect will be reserved for the hikers, climbers, bikers, and skiers with the Worn Wear label on their gear.

Editors' Recommendations

Chelsea Batten
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Chelsea Batten is a writer, photographer, and Kerouac groupie. One of the original digital nomads, she was seduced from life…
The AeroPress portable coffee maker makes a great cup of coffee anywhere, anytime
Is the AeroPress coffee maker worth it?
AeroPress

Gone are the days of sacrificing a good cup of coffee while traveling. The AeroPress Go is a versatile brewing device that is suitable for home use, travel, and outdoor adventures such as hiking and camping, allowing users to enjoy quality coffee on the go. Building upon the success of its predecessor, the AeroPress Original, the AeroPress Go promises the same quality coffee in a smaller, more portable package. The AeroPress Go is an inch shorter than the original AeroPress and, therefore, brews less coffee (8 ounces instead of 10). But is the AeroPress Go the best travel coffee maker on the market? Here’s what you need to know about this versatile device.

What we like about the AeroPress Go

Read more
These are the best multi tools you need to have in your EDC kit, hands down
Stay prepared for any eventuality with one of these tools
Leatherman signal fishing

We are men. We always feel as though we need our chosen tools nearby. There is a culture of men always feeling the need to be prepared for anything. Just in case the world ends tomorrow, we have what we need to survive and protect. We are so dedicated to this that an entire industry called everyday carry, or EDC, has grown around it. But there is a component of EDC tools that cannot be forgotten: the multi-tool. Not only is it vital to get yourself one of the best multi-tools, but it may be the most vital.

Multi-tools are the most important item in EDC
All the best EDC kits have a handful of must-haves to ensure you're prepared for any eventuality. A great EDC knife is the first thought many have when they think of everyday carry. But there is a long list of possible things to carry: a flashlight, a first-aid kit, a lighter, a compass. Each of these items has a very specific design intent.

Read more
Is the PEARL iZUMi X-Alp Launch mountain bike shoe for you?
We tried the Pearl Izumi X-Alp Launch mountain bike shoes, here's what we thought
Pearl Izumi X-Alp Launch flat pedal mountain bike shoe

One of the best upgrades you can make to your mountain bike has more to do with your feet than the bike itself. While you can use any footwear for mountain biking, purchasing mountain bike shoes will protect your feet and have you riding more confidently.

When considering new mountain bike shoes, these are the things I am looking for:

Read more