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Outerwear staple brand Arc’teryx has sold untold numbers of their technical high-performance apparel and equipment over the years, to everyone from full-blown alpinists to New Yorkers on a coffee run during a winter snow shower. With the right care, these pieces are meant wear long and hard.
For those rare products that reach the end of their useful life though, there's ReBird, a new initiative launched today that aims to connect consumers to the Canadian brand's ongoing initiatives to recycle, repair, and resell traded-in pieces from other consumers. This three-part system of circularity combines a new platform for selling upcycled and repurposed products, their longstanding Used Gear program, and existing care & repair services under one digital roof to further the brand’s sustainability goals, like reducing its greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 65% by 2030.
Rebird also introduces some especially slick one-of-a-kind pieces made from upcycled materials saved from trade-in garments (a lá Greater Goods) and otherwise unused end-of-the-roll materials reclaimed from the usual production process. In the recent past we've seen similar efforts from fellow industry leaders with Patagonia Worn Wear, The North Face Renewed Design Residency, and 66North's upcycled Kria collection, and it's exciting to see Arc'teryx make the leap, too.
While the brand's efforts to bring Used Gear to its brick and mortars in NYC and Chicago throughout the summer are exciting for both outdoorists and hypebeasts alike, the new upcycled gear is what's getting us really going. Because what would an Arc’teryx launch be without outerwear?
Top of the release list is the limited-edition Stowe Windshell, a classic pullover anorak jacket that comes in both men’s and women’s sizing. The fabric of the Stowe comes from the last bit of material at the end-of-the-roll that manufacturers often discard. Sometimes that material isn’t enough to make an additional garment, but thanks to this jacket that material isn’t going to end up in a landfill.
We love the Stowe’s colorblock paneled raglan sleeves and generous center pouch, both of which are sewn in contrasting fabrics for a classic two-tone Arc’teryx look.
Current Arc’teryx product owners can mail in their used gear in exchange for a gift card with the brand's trade in program. From there, each piece is evaluated for resale potential on the Used Gear section of their site if it still has life left in it. If the item’s too far gone, it’s cut up into pieces and upcycled into a new product like the new ReBird Pouches and ReBird Tote. Given that each ReBird product is made from whatever’s around, their colorways should yield some fun and quirky one-of-a-kind colorways.
If you’re already an owner of a fine Arc’teryx jacket, you should definitely take a minute to consult their product care tips to make sure you get the most out of your products. A GORE-TEX jacket can repell water for many years but it does require some pretty specific treatment to reflect water throughout its entire life. And should a zipper go awry or a rip occur, don’t hesitate to contact the brand directly about a repair.
We’re excited to see the ReBird program grow and salute Arc’teryx on their mission to prevent more synthetics from ending up in landfills. Long live the Dead Bird.
Published 05-19-2021
