A
clothi g
epai
wo kshop
at
a
Levi’s
etail
sto e
i
Sa
F a cisco
NEW
YORK:
E cou agi g
custome s
to
me d
wo
clothes
i stead
of
buyi g
ew
o es
might
seem
like
a
self-defeati g
sales
st ategy.
But
i -sto e
epai s
a d
sewi g
wo kshops
a e
becomi g
esse tial
etail
se vices
fo
clothi g
b a ds
as
they
t y
to
appeal
to
you g
co sume s
who
wa t
to
save
mo ey
a d
the
pla et.While
luxu y
fashio
houses
a d
select
specialty
etaile s
like
Patago ia
have
offe ed
p oduct
epai s
fo
decades,
the
co cept
has
caught
o .
Jea s
gia t
Levi
St auss
&
Co.,
casual
wea
chai
U iqlo
a d
budget
etaile
P ima k
a e
some
of
the
appa el
compa ies
hopi g
to
wi
ove
Ge e atio
Z
shoppe s
with
a
eedle
a d
th ead.Levi’s
c eated
a
ha dstitchi g
cou se
fo
high
school
stude ts
afte
dete mi i g
that
ma y
Ge
Ze s
lacked
the
sewi g
skills
to
match
thei
i te est
i
th ift
sto e
shoppi g
a d
sustai ability.
Employees
spe d
90
mi utes
i st ucti g
tee age s
o
fou
tasks:
sewi g
o
a
butto ,
hemmi g,
patchi g
a
hole
a d
fixi g
a
tea .The
Wea
Lo ge
p og amme,
which
the
Sa
F a cisco-based
compa y
is
expa di g
ac oss
the,
US
builds
o
the
epai
a d
customisatio
se vices
Levi’s
offe s
at
hu d eds
of
sto es
wo ldwide.
“We
thi k
it’s
impo ta t
to
empowe
the
people
who
buy
ou
clothes
with
the
skill
sets
to
mai tai
them,
to
get
them
to
that
seco d
life,”
Paul
Dilli ge ,
Levi’s
head
of
global
desig
i ovatio ,
said.
The
evolutio
of
me di g
f om
a
eco omic
ecessity
a d
t aditio al
c aft
to
a
method
fo
cultivati g
custome s
did ‘t
happe
ove ight.
The
fashio
i dust y
as
a
whole
has
come
u de
i te sifyi g
p essu e
to
educe
its
co t ibutio s
to
e vi o me tal
pollutio
a d
climate
cha ge.Resea che s
b oadly
ag ee
that
epai i g
a d
eselli g
clothes
ca
educe
a
ga me t’s
e vi o me tal
impact,
especially
if
it
delays
o
eplaces
a
ew
pu chase.
But
ma y
cautio
the
p actices
emai
too
limited
to
offset
co ti ued
g owth
i
clothi g
p oductio
a d
co sumptio .Clothi g
p oductio
oughly
doubled
betwee
2000
a d
2015,
while
the
ave age
umbe
of
wea i gs
pe
ga me t
decli ed
by
36%,
acco di g
to
the
Elle
MacA thu
Fou datio .
The
sustai ability
o p ofit
estimated
that
less
tha
1%
of
disca ded
clothi g
mate ial
got
ecycled
i to
ew
appa el.E te
Ge e atio
Z,
bo
betwee
1997
a d
2012.
It’s
the
ge e atio
that
g ew
up
with
fast
fashio
a d
e-comme ce,
the
had
school
yea s
a d
you g
adulthoods
shaped
by
the
co o avi us
pa demic
a d
post-pa demic
i flatio .
Whethe
due
to
limited
budgets
o
a
ejectio
of
mate ialism,
Ge
Z
has
helped
the
p e-ow ed
clothi g
ma ket
g ow
much
faste
tha
etail
appa el
sales
i
the
US,
i depe de t
ma ket
i tellige ce
fi m
GlobalData
estimated
i
a
epo t
with
esale
platfo m
Th edUp.The
questio
faci g
the
i dust y
is
whethe
epai s
ca
evolve
f om
iche
se vice
to
comme cially
viable.
Swede ‘s
H&M
G oup,
which
has
p ese ce
i
ove
80
cou t ies,
has
bee
ca did
about
o e
of
the
biggest
obstacles:
the
eco omics.
The
compa y
has
a gued
that
epai
a d
esale
a e
desi able
goals,
but
ma ufactu i g
ew
ga me ts
costs
less
tha
keepi g
existi g
o es
i
use.
Maki g
me di g
wo k
i
etail
is
challe gi g
as
it’s
labou
i te sive
a d
must
be
p iced
low
e ough
to
e tice
custome s,
Sau de s,
of
GlobalData,
said.
AP
