Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 55

prolonging their products' life cycle and sharing that positive environmental story."
Cool. But what about the pit stains? Looming
in the center of the RW factory is a shiny, white
washing machine the size of a food truck. It costs
more than most homes in Cascade Locks. The
Tersus uses CO2 to pressure-clean clothes to hospital sanitation standards. It requires no water
and produces a few tablespoons of sludge waste
with each cycle. The Tersus vanquishes pit stains.
Once clean, the clothes pass through a series
of actual human hands that tag, log, stitch, relabel, inspect, photograph, upload, and package the garemnts for sale on RW's website (renewalworkshop.com). Towering industrial
shelves hold boxes of clothes from their partner brands-PrAna, Toad & Co, Pearl Izumi,
Coyuchi, Osprey, Rambler's Way, Manduca,
Outer Known, Mountain Khaki, Indigenous,
Nau, and Vuori, with some other big names
coming on board soon. The brands pay a partnership fee to send their used goods to RW,
then they have two options: either let RW manage co-branding and resale, with the original
manufacturer receiving a small cut of the sale,
or, much less commonly, RW returns the renewed product to the original brand at the cost
of repairs and it re-sells the item on its own.
"The size of a company really doesn't matter,"
Bassett says. "If a company wants to stop sending waste to a landfill and their waste can be

FIVE PROBLEMS,
FIVE RW FIXES
PRANA WOMEN'S
DOWN JACKET
Problem: Seam torn along
the zipper
The Fix: Yolanda Ortiz
removes the entire zipper
and sews in a new one.
Time: 10 minutes
RW Price: $69
MOUNTAIN KHAKIS
MEN'S JACKET
The problem: Torn pocket
The fix: Ophelia Muñoz refolds

BRAND RENEW
A repaired T-shirt, packed
and ready for re-sale (left).
Director of operations
Dave Russell oversees
the RW warehouse (right).

"IF A COMPANY WANTS TO STOP SENDING WASTE TO
A LANDFILL AND THEIR WASTE CAN BE RENEWED OR
RECYCLED, IT'S USUALLY A GOOD FIT. THE PARTNERSHIP FEES ARE TIERED BASED ON VOLUME."
renewed or recycled, it's usually a good fit. The
partnership fees are tiered based on volume."
As wasteful as the apparel industry can be, the
outdoor industry is leading the charge in conscientious consumerism. Patagonia's brash Don't
Buy This Shirt campaign forced consumers to

the pocket blowout, sews in a
new seam, and cuts off the fray.
Time: Four minutes
RW Price: $88

NAU MEN'S PLAID SHIRT
The problem: Missing button
The fix: Simple. Luz Rule
takes the extra button from the
shirt's tag and sews it on the
chest pocket.
Time: Four minutes
RW Price: $52
IBEX T-SHIRT
The Problem: Nickel-sized
tear near collar

The fix: Clara Esparza irons
a clear patch atop the tear
then she stitches over it with
a sewing machine.
Time: Seven minutes
RW Price: $44

PRANA SHIRT
The Problem: Missing snap
The Fix: Ophelia pops the
original button housing off
with a small tool then uses the
pneumatic air-pressure snap
machine to implant a new
snap housing.
Time: Three minutes
RW Price: $48

reexamine their needs versus wants (while also
testing the effectiveness of reverse psychology
in advertising). The company's ongoing Worn
Wear initiative began with a roaming repair
truck and now lives as an e-commerce site within the Patagonia brand. Outside the outdoor industry, women's apparel brand, Eileen Fisher
pioneered renewed clothing years ago and continues to be a leader. But because RW sources
from a variety of brands, it's become a bit of a
laboratory. And every lab needs its resident geek.
"The stuff that fires me up is really geeky," says
Bassett. "We're starting to become aware that
some of the things companies design can't be
recycled-fabrics with blended fibers, buttons
and snaps everywhere. The recycling world
and the brands don't talk to each other, so we're
trying to sit in the middle and tell the recycling
companies, for instance, 'Hey! Work on nylon spandex technology. We're seeing it everywhere.' Or let a brand know that blending different fibers makes it impossible to renew. That's
our long-term vision."
It's a vision that has the potential to make a
lasting difference in a dirty business . O.R.

Summer 2018/ OUTDOOR RETAILER 55


http://www.renewalworkshop.com http://www.renewalworkshop.com

Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018

OUTDOOR RETAILER - SUMMER 2018
CONTENTS
THE PULSE
HEADLINES
MERCHANDISING
MARKETING
BIG PICTURE
CASE STUDY
IDEAS
CHRISTIAN DE LA IGLESIA
SHIRA EPSTEIN
EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
RESEARCH
SAWYER LAND + SEA
DISASTER STRIKES
BE THE BRAND
BREAD+BUTTER
PADDLING HARDGOODS
THE RENEWAL WORKSHOP
BROWN GIRLS CLIMB
COUNTER CULTURE
THE VIEW
HOW I GOT HERE
FROM THE ROAD
#REPLIFE
BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - OUTDOOR RETAILER - SUMMER 2018
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - Cover2
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 1
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - CONTENTS
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 3
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 4
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 5
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 6
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 7
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 8
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - THE PULSE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - HEADLINES
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 11
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - MERCHANDISING
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 13
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - MARKETING
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 15
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BIG PICTURE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 17
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 18
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 19
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - CASE STUDY
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 21
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 22
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 23
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 24
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 25
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - IDEAS
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 27
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - CHRISTIAN DE LA IGLESIA
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 29
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - SHIRA EPSTEIN
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 31
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 33
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - RESEARCH
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 35
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - SAWYER LAND + SEA
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 37
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 38
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 39
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 40
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 41
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - DISASTER STRIKES
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 43
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 44
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 45
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BE THE BRAND
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 47
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 48
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 49
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 50
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BREAD+BUTTER
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - PADDLING HARDGOODS
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 53
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - THE RENEWAL WORKSHOP
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 55
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BROWN GIRLS CLIMB
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 57
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - COUNTER CULTURE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 59
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - THE VIEW
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 61
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 62
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 63
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 64
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 65
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - HOW I GOT HERE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 67
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - FROM THE ROAD
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 69
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - #REPLIFE
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - 71
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - BACKSTORY
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - Cover3
Outdoor Retailer - Summer 2018 - Cover4
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