Amsterdam, the laboratory where migrants repair clothes from big brands

«Repair is the new cool». This is the motto that animates a new project born in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Is called United Repair Center (Urc), and is an innovative laboratory where migrants from all over the world, many of them former refugeesuse their tailoring skills to repair clothes on behalf of some major clothing brands.

The project began in collaboration with the Patagonia outdoor clothing brand, and customers now also include Decathlon and yoga clothing brand Lululemon. But the United Repair Center is constantly expanding: since its official launch in July 2022, the workshop has grown from a team of four (three tailors plus Schweichler) to 19 full-time employees. The goal is to hire 140 tailors by 2027. A training program will also be launched in February (United Repair Academy) to provide more people with tailoring skills, and 10 participants will be guaranteed jobs once they complete their studies.

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The ambitious project is the result of a collaboration between the 38-year-old CEO Thami Schweichler, of Dutch and Brazilian origins, the city of Amsterdam and the Patagonia brand. Amsterdam is a green city, which aspires to a fully circular economy (which does not produce waste and does not use new materials) by 2050. The United Repair Center is part of this philosophy. And it pairs well with Schweichler’s other project, Makers Unite, which uses the skills of new citizens of the Netherlands to work on sustainable fashion (for example, making laptop cases and bags from life jackets abandoned on Greek beaches by refugees) through the promotion of talent development and their entry into the world of work.

«In the Netherlands the average unemployment rate is currently around 3%; for the refugee population it is much higher”, explained Schweichler al Guardian. “Why? Are they less intelligent? Are they less qualified? It’s just unfair». The CEO has seen many migrants, placed in low-skilled jobs that do not satisfy them, become depressed and abandon their jobs. «Many migrants arrive in the Netherlands with skills in the textile industry, and they would not find satisfaction doing other jobs. Feeling like you belong to a community and can contribute meaningfully with your skills is one of the biggest challenges a newcomer has to face.”

Before starting the collaboration with Patagonia, Schweichler wanted to make sure that we could use the opportunity to create jobs for people who really need them. United Repair Center staff were recruited through city officials or by word of mouth, and receive a union-negotiated salary based on collective agreement of the textile industry for the Netherlands. “Concerning a refugee’s past, what happened to him, the burden he carries, I can’t do anything about it,” says Schweichler, “but I can build a new future together with him.”

The importance of repairs is increasingly evident in a world where awareness of the social and environmental costs of repair is growing fast fashion. The idea of ​​the United Repair Center is to involve as many brands as possible, even if it is not so immediate. “What helps is to show brands how repair can reframe their relationship with customers,” explains Schweichler. «It’s something that Patagonia has ascertained: people become fond of their clothes and appreciate repairs. But for things to change on a large scale, repair cannot be a luxury limited to high-end brands. My dream is that sustainability becomes accessible to everyone.”


Source: Vanity Fair

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