More and more people are buying secondhand these days, drawn towards the increasing popularity of vintage and the promise of unique and affordable pieces, at a fraction of the cost to the environment. While I have noticed that this has also led to the rise of less accessible, “luxury” secondhand stores, the general spotlight on secondhand shopping is still undoubtedly a net positive for the environment. However here I will insert this reminder: wearing and rewearing the pieces you already own is always the most sustainable option. Shopping used is better than shopping new, but shopping your own closet is best.

Commercial brands have been catching onto this and I’ve been noticing more and more brands starting their own internal recycling and repair programs. This isn’t really something new, but definitely something increasingly more widespread. Below is a list of programs I’ve come across for my own record and if you were already looking to buy something from these brands (holiday shopping?), perhaps consider buying from their used programs. I’d love to see more of these programs be transparent about how much of the clothes they receive they’re actually able to resell and repair and how much still goes to landfill, but for now, this is a move in the right direction.

Repair Programs

These are programs that take your used clothing and accessories and help you repair them, extending their life in your wardrobe.

• Eileen Fisher (ReSew): Eileen Fisher was one of the first commercial brands with a garment recycling program that I heard of. I think they’ve had it since 2000 or so! They have a recycling program discussed below, but they also repair items they receive that are in poor condition using a felting technique in their ReSew program. Their latest collections are focusing on visible mending by local artisans. Eileen Fisher’s program was one of the only ones I could find that accepted donated clothes in less-than-ideal condition to be remade. I definitely think this is something that can be emulated.

• Levi’s (Tailor Shop): Levi’s has brick and mortar tailor shops in a few select locations, mostly along the coasts. I’m not super sure how it works, but presumedly if you take your garment to one of these shops, they’ll help you repair and even remake or customize your garment!

• Chaco (ReChaco): Chaco has had a repair program for their Z sandals for a while now, allowing you to select a wide variety of repair options, from unsticking straps, resoling the sandal, to replacing the straps. I believe it’s a mail-in program, but they’ve also been known to roll around the country on a mobile repair cart during some of the warmer months, so they might roll right near you! We love to see it.

• The North Face (Remade): The North Face Remade line does exactly what the name says. They use visible mending techniques to refresh old pieces and resell them to give them a new life. While I don’t think they’re actually collecting your old clothing and repairing it, it’s still a cool initiative.

• Arc’teryx (ReBird): Arc’teryx launched ReBird earlier this year and it seems like it’s centered around using post-production waste to create new products. 

Resell Programs

These are programs that let you trade in used clothing and resell them, extending their product lifecycle. Make sure to check what kind of condition these resell programs expect your gear to be in.

• Eileen Fisher (ReNew): Eileen Fisher was one of the first commercial brands with a garment and textile recycling program that I heard of. I think they’ve had it since 2000 or so! Anyone can bring or ship used clothing to a EF store and get $5 credit, regardless of the condition. They resell what is still in great condition and repair the items that are beyond repair using a felting technique in their ReSew program.

• REI (Good and Used): REI sells used shoes and outdoor gear and equipment! And they have a mail-in trade-in program for gently used clothing and gear. And pre-pandemic, they also had Garage Sales for selling gear in good or okay condition! The Trade-in program and Garage Sales are only available for Co-op members. And while the entry fee is really quite low ($20 for lifelong membership), we love to see even lower barriers of entry. Anyway, REI is great.

• The North Face (Renewed): The North Face also has a Renewed program where you can trade in used products to be resold on their site. Anything that can’t be remade or renewed is donated or recycled.

• Levi’s (Secondhand): Along with their Tailor Shops, Levi’s lets you bring in used jeans, shorts, and trucker jackets and trade them in for credit. They then resell what’s in good condition their site and can donate the rest. I truly believe no one should be buying jeans new anymore. There are so many in circulation secondhand and as a garment, they last for so long, second denim is the way to go.

• Patagonia (Worn Wear): Patagonia’s trade in program lets you bring in used (but in good condition and fully functional) gear online or in-stores for credit where they will resell it back into the world. 

• Arc’teryx (Used Gear): Similarly, Arc’teryx accepts functional clothes in good condition online or in-stores (US and Canada only) for credit, and they will clean and resell the gear.
• Rachel Comey (Resale Shop): Rachel Comey has a resale shop where people can list their pre-owned pieces! I particularly like the strategy of setting up a community within a brand’s website for consumers to resell to each other. Instead of having to sniff out the brand in an third party reselling website, this strategy targets consumers who were originally thinking about buying new and giving them the option to buy used right on the website.

• Madewell (Forever): Madewell has a denim resell and recycling program partnered with thredup. They take your denim (of any brand!) for $20 credit. Madewell brand jeans in good condition can be resold on Madewell Forever, non-Madewell brand jeans in good condition can be resold on thredup, and everything else gets donated to the Blue Jeans Go Green program that recycles it into cotton insulation. 
• Mark Cross (Vintage): Mark Cross is a luxury brand bag that has a vintage resell market on their website. They authenticate each piece themselves and gives the original owner a percentage of the selling price.

• Reformation (x thredup): Reformation has partnered with thredup to collect your used clothing for credit and resell it, presumedly on thredup. Not gonna lie, I have conflicting feelings about Reformation as a brand, but they’re on this list because they have a resell aspect to their business. 

Recycle Programs

These are brands with programs that let you send in your used clothing, where they will help you recycle or downcycle them. This is fine, but there is much less of a guarantee in where these recycled garments go (to landfill or elsewhere) and whether or not their lifecycle is actually extended. I won’t go into too much detail about these programs, because I think these types of recycling programs lack more transparency + traceability than the ones above.

• Knickey
• H&M
• &OtherStories 
• Universal Standard
• Girlfriend Collective
• J. Jill

I wanted to add a lil’ disclaimer here and mention that I’m here learning about this entire world alongside you. If you have any additional questions or comments on the accuracy of this, please please please drop a note!  I’d love to educate and be educated or just have a chat with someone else who is passionate about this. Cheers, Em.