United Repair Centre (URC) offers an alternative to purchasing new clothes by providing repair services for brands. Established as a social enterprise, URC is a cross-sector collaboration involving clothing brands, consulting groups, government agencies, NGOs, and educational institutions, including the Amsterdam Economic Board, Makers Unite, and Patagonia. URC aims to make garment repair the new norm, thereby reducing textile waste while also benefiting local communities.
Designed as a B2B service, United Repair Centre offers a comprehensive suite of solutions that foster repair as a core element of brand circularity and cutting-edge technologies that ensure efficiency, accuracy, and scalability. The centralised platform developed by the company seamlessly connects brands such as The North Face, Decathlon, and Lululemon with repair services, providing real-time tracking, quality control, and data insights.
“We repair the clothing industry by putting people first” is one of URC's mottos. Founded by Thami Schweichler, URC prides itself on fostering an inclusive community of workers who would otherwise face challenges entering the labour market.
Based in Amsterdam and London, the company also started the United Repair Academy, to train future tailors through courses that, depending on the knowledge offered ‒ ranging from basic to becoming a repair technician ‒ last from 5 to 10 weeks. The courses are also designed to provide training and employment opportunities for individuals with refugee backgrounds, youth, and those seeking employment. “Within five years, the URC will contribute about 4.5 million euros to the Dutch economy,” Schweichler claims. “Through our repair work, we will save nearly a million kilos of clothing from the dustbin each year.”
Website
Name:
United Repair Centre
Sector:
Circular Fashion
Plus:
Training activities intended for tailors and garment repair experts and targeted to people with difficulties in accessing the labor market
Features:
Service of repairing, renovating, or refurbishing garments for the B2B market.
This article is also available in Italian / Questo articolo è disponibile anche in italiano
Images: United Repair Centre
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