Patagonia, Makers Unite partners on Amsterdam-based repair center

Creative textile platform Makers Unite and sustainable outerwear brand Patagonia, have collaborated to launch the United Repair Centre (URC) in Amsterdam.

The center aims to do 300,000 clothing repairs every year, saving one million kilos of textile waste and will allow not only Patagonia but other firms who desire to become members to use its services.

Scotch & Soda, a Dutch apparel brand, has already joined the URC, and brand applications for other members are now available.

Consumers who bought items from a URC member will be able to contact the brand to arrange for the product to be repaired at the URC facility and returned to the client to be worn again.

Patagonia and Makers Unite believe that the center will inspire businesses to include repair and reuse into their business models in order to reduce the negative effect of the textile industry.

As part of its grand opening, the URC will launch a training program in September with the help of House of Denim, in which 300 students will be educated to become certified textile repairers over the next coming years.

Thami Schweichler, managing director and co-founder of Makers Unite, said that the fashion business is entering a new age. An age where repairs and other new services will have a greater influence.

Schweichler added that they’re confronting the fashion sector now because something needs to be done. For them, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to generate important jobs, which we do naturally with individuals who are trying to find work.