At Arborwear, we strive to make a more sustainable future for the green workwear industry. Our Product Development team found a way to take old samples, unsalvageable returns, or closeout products and give them a new life. Thus, the Rekindle Project was born.

We sat down with Director of Product Development Marcy, Technical Design & Developer Tessa, and Intern Clare to discuss these efforts. 

1 Clare cuts up old Original Tree Climbers' Pants to make the base of the Flannel Lined Wallet.

2 Clare (sewing-machine-machine) sews the Flannel Lined Wallet together.

3 aaand it's complete! The Flannel Lined Wallet is made from old Original Climbers' Pants and Chagrin Flannel scraps.

What was the inspiration behind the Rekindle Project? 

Tessa: We were originally trying to make Arborwear a circular brand*. Instead of the end-use products going to the landfill, we asked ourselves how we could give these products a second life. We had so many returns or samples we couldn’t resell.

Clare: We can’t give the [products] with embroidery mistakes to Goodwill. So we used those to upcycle. We hope to eventually have a customer return box [in the retail store] if [a particular item] is un-wearable. Then, we’d use [material] from the samples and get the donated product from the store to make the process more circular.

*A circular brand designs products with their end life in mind. Clare said, “The Rekindle Project takes the product at the end of its life and uses it to birth a new product, creating a circular model.”

Marcy: Our clothes already have longevity. They’re not fast fashion. We think of it like, immortal clothes extending their life cycle even longer. 

Tessa and Clare noted that the fashion industry is the second most polluting industry in the world, behind oil. 

Marcy added, “And we use oil to make fabrics.”

Clare: The overall inspiration [behind the Rekindle Project] was that I was trying to find the most powerful link between Arborwear’s culture and my goal of more sustainability. It’s like creating a community beyond the brand, showing customers the power they have to be more environmentally friendly.

Some of these “Rekindled” products include: 

• The Flannel Lined Wallet, made from old, USA-Made Original Tree Climbers' Pants and Chagrin Flannels
• Drink Coolers from old sweatshirts 
• Dog Beds* from OTC Pants and miscellaneous fleece, filled with all the scraps from the other products, chopped, tossed, and fluffed by Clare.
• Chagrin Bandanas for Dogs made from Chagrin Flannels
• A Crossbody Bag made from OTC Pants and Recycled Rope
  
  *Extra “aww”: The beds come in three sizes, named after famous Arborwear office dogs: Gnarly (Small), Daisy (Medium), Brooklyn (Large) 

In conjunction with the Rekindle Project efforts, the Product Development team spearheaded the Arborwear Rope Recycling Program. 

Everyone is encouraged to donate their retired coiled rope to our retail store and drop it in the rope recycling bag.

Most ropes are made of nylon and polyester and can take over 100 years to decompose in a landfill. By turning these ropes into new products, we’re doing our part to improve our eco-footprint and preserve the outdoors we all work and play in. 

We look forward to having you join our mission for a sustainable future. As an Arborwear-er, you have the power to create positive, sustainable change for our planet. 10% of the proceeds from the Rekindle Project will go to the Arbor Day Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to planting more trees and encouraging others to do the same. 

Interested in more? Check out the process of turning old Original Tree Climbers' and Chagrin Flannels into the Flannel Lined Wallet.