02 Nov Putting Repair at the Forefront

The Fashion-Enter Ltd (FEL) team are absolutely thrilled to be a part of a new repair movement for fashion brands. On the 1st November, the United Repair Centre London (URC London) opened at FEL’s HQ in Haringey. 

The new centre is the result of a collaboration between social impact companies United Repair Centre and Fashion-Enter, with outdoor clothing brand Patagonia. It will employ and train people who have challenges finding employment, such as those with refugee backgrounds, in high quality clothing repairs. With space for other brands to join Patagonia at the centre, its objective is transforming the apparel industry for the better.

The opening follows the success of the first United Repair Centre, launched in Amsterdam in 2022, as the result of collaboration between Makers Unite, Amsterdam Economic Board and Patagonia. United Repair Centre Amsterdam currently handles 30,000 repairs per year from brands such as Decathlon, Lululemon and Patagonia. URC London has capacity to perform 30,000 repairs a year by 2025.

The ethos of the United Repair Centre perfectly aligns with FEL’s on sustainability, circularity, and providing employment opportunities within the community. At the FC Designer Workspace and neighbouring shop, FC Designer Collective, on Fonthill Road the FEL team host regular repair and upcycling classes for local residents. Now with the London branch of the United Repair Centre the FEL team can offer professional repair services for brands alongside workshops and employment opportunities.

The URC London operates out of FEL’s existing facility and the team have been fully trained in technical repairs. Jenny Holloway, CEO, Fashion-Enter said: “Haringey in North London has a long history as a home of high-quality British garment manufacturing, but in the current market for cheaper production we could not maintain our high standards of quality or our ethical standards. We had to pivot the business quickly and be nimble! Now, we have an exciting collaboration to move into repairs. Our highly skilled team are absolutely delighted that they are contributing to a circular economy for fashion today.” 

Thami Schweichler, CEO and Founder, United Repair Centre, said: “The apparel industry has a bad reputation for the harms inflicted on the environment, and the people who make our clothes – but it doesn’t have to be this way. We must help customers keep their clothes in use for longer and practice conscious consumption in the future, if we are to have a living planet to do business on. And now, with the launch of URC London, we’re making it easy for responsible clothing brands to join the growing repair movement.”

Alex Beasley, Country Manager, UK, Ireland & Nordics, Patagonia added: “At Patagonia, we’re in business to save our home planet. But we know we can’t do this alone. With the launch of United Repair Centre London, we are looking to dramatically scale our impact and empower other clothing companies to move away from disposability and waste, and weave circularity into their business models.”

On the 1st November press and industry attended the launch of this new facility and this included designers and students based at the FC Designer Workspace in Islington. FEL Development Coordinator Gee Fletcher (pictured above) said: “I am so proud that I get to take part in collaborations and programmes to recycle, upcycle and repair garments today, this is the future of fashion. What we wear is part of our story, just because we evolve and grow out of old styles, this doesn’t mean we should just dump them – as individuals we can pass them along or learn the skills of repair and upcycling. Now with the United Repair Centre we can offer this service professionally to brands to ensure clothing remains in circulation for longer. It really is time to put the planet first and we hope to inspire the next generation of designers and makers to put this at the top of their agenda.”