PATAGONIA’S WORN WEAR COLLEGE TOUR IS COMING TO ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
Patagonia recently announced that the Worn Wear College Tour – a mobile activation of the company’s Worn Wear Program – is headed to Rochester Institute of Technology on March 27, 2017. The tour will aim to educate visitors about the philosophy behind Patagonia’s Worn Wear program and the growing zero-waste movements taking place on college campuses. A wide range of speakers, film screenings and other student-led activities will accompany each stop. Mobile repairs and the Repair, Reuse, Repurpose Fair will be held at Fireside Lounge from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Attend the lecture at Ingle Auditorium from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Starting in summer 2017, on the heels of the college tour, Patagonia will launch an e-commerce Worn Wear platform where the company will sell used Patagonia clothing and gear online, sourced directly from its customers. Starting this spring, customers will be invited to bring used items to their local Patagonia store in exchange for Patagonia merchandise credits.
“We want our friends and customers to learn that the single best thing you can do for the planet is to use stuff longer,” notes Rose Marcario, Patagonia’s president and CEO. “Our goal as a company is to continue to provide the tools and resources to make this philosophy a reality in our customer’s lives. We are very excited about the Worn Wear College Tour and our new online platform which we hope will take Worn Wear to a new level.”
Patagonia’s Worn Wear program was created in 2013 to encourage people to change their relationship with stuff. The program provides significant resources for responsible care, repair, reuse, resale and recycling at the end of a Patagonia garment’s life. Known for building highly durable products, Patagonia strongly believes in the intangible value of things that accumulate meaning over time. The memories contained in patches, stitches and scars can’t be replaced with something new – and Worn Wear aims to help customers celebrate those stories.
Worn Wear is partnering with the non-profit, Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN), on the college tour. PLAN offers a network of student leaders across the country with information about the waste crisis, while equipping them with the necessary skills and resources to implement zero waste solutions in their campus communities. As part of creating a lasting impact on campuses, Patagonia is giving a $12k environmental grant to PLAN to distribute as mini-grants to campuses for projects such as opening campus thrift stores, expanding bike share programs and repair services and establishing compost bins in dorms.
Integral to the tour, the Worn Wear Wagon is a one-of-a-kind custom vehicle, created by artist/surfer Jay Nelson in 2015, that has traversed the country four times in the last two years. The camper shell is made from redwood salvaged from giant wine barrels and mounted on a ’91 Dodge Cummins fueled by biodiesel. The mobile repair shop will be open to anyone who brings in a garment, regardless of brand.
“College students are growing up with the emergence of a new and different circular economy. This is exciting because the old, linear model of take, make and discard is driving us towards ecological bankruptcy,” notes Rick Ridgeway, Patagonia vice president of public engagement. “The time is ripe for change as the environmental crisis deepens and students are graduating with more debt than previous generations – resulting in adaptations that are based less on ownership of new stuff and increasingly on borrowing, sharing, leasing and buying used. It comes down to evolving towards a more responsible, circular model of business and living – which is what Worn Wear is here to celebrate and encourage.”
