Online apparel start-up Looptworks re-imagines product creation with ground-breaking “upcycling” process, creating limited-edition clothing and accessories from excess materials. The socially responsible designs are made from pre-consumer excess materials and are available for purchase at their online apparel shop, Looptworks.com.
Portland, OR July 18, 2009 — A new online apparel and accessories company has imagined a new way to create clothing using no new materials: introducing Looptworks. Looptworks is a ground-breaking business that repurposes abandoned materials into meaningful, long-lasting and limited-edition products. By re-using the world’s pre-consumer excess, the U.S.-based company aims to rid the world of waste while inspiring a generation to reduce their impact on the planet.
“Excess materials do not belong in a landfill,” says Scott Hamlin, founding partner of Looptworks. “We’re trying to call attention to excess and change the way people think about buying. Looptworks will create nothing new in the manufacturing of its products or in the running of its business. Everything will be designed and created from what already exists.”
Limited Resources, Limited-Edition Products
The inaugural collection, created from 100 percent, top-quality, excess materials and components, consists of 20 apparel pieces for both men and women. Initial styles include jackets, hoodies, skirts, shirts and graphic t-shirts. Each product is a limited edition and will be numbered based on the quantity of materials that are found for each item. Unlike traditional apparel seasonal collections, each line has an extremely short lead time and therefore the brand will offer fresh, collectible styles frequently.
“The cool thing is that we never know what we are going to find,” says Gary Peck, founding partner. “By using design to create meaningful products out of materials that would otherwise get scrapped, we are giving people the option to have something that is very individual and we are doing less harm to the planet in the process.”
The company will target an active lifestyle that brings together elements of board sports (surf, skate and snowboard) and outdoor activities (hiking, climbing, mountain biking, etc.) while adding a sophisticated, urban flair for style.
Initially, products will be available exclusively at http://www.looptworks.com starting August 2009, with the intent to expand into specialty retailers in the future.
Waste Not, Want Not
In 2006, Americans generated more than 11.8 million tons of textile waste, which represents 10 pounds for every person. Every week, one factory can dispose of about 60,000 pounds of textile waste that goes into landfills. Clothes that are discarded not only contribute solid waste in landfills, but also are part of a system that uses energy and creates carbon emissions in transit to distant lands. Cast-off clothing is replacing traditional locally-made textiles, creating significant cultural and economic ramifications.
While buying organic is less harmful than conventional cotton, it is still a huge tax on the world’s limited resources. According to Canadian Research Institute, it takes 400 gallons of water to make one organic cotton T-shirt. Even more shocking, it requires about 1800 gallons of water to manufacture one pair of denim jeans.
“Buying green, eco-friendly, organic, or sustainable products are great first steps in reducing our impact on the planet,” says Hamlin. “However, we are introducing the idea of creating even lower impact products by not making anything new and creating our clothing from materials that already exist.”
The Team
In their experience in the athletic and outdoor industry working for brands like Nike, adidas and Royal Robbins, founding partners Gary Peck, Scott Hamlin and Jim Stutts have witnessed first-hand how much excess is created during the product creation and manufacturing process. They also realized that excess will continue without limits unless there is a dramatic change in how products are made.
Hamlin says, “Gary, Jim and I felt a responsibility to repurpose these materials. This is our opportunity to not only stop creating excess waste, but to inspire people to think about how they consume and motivate the industry to change by reducing excess.”
About Looptworks
Launching in August 2009, Looptworks is a ground-breaking business that repurposes abandoned materials into meaningful, long-lasting and limited edition products. By re-using the world’s pre-consumer excess, the U.S.-based company aims to rid the world of waste while inspiring a generation to reduce their impact on the planet. The inaugural line includes jackets hoodies, skirts, shirts and graphic t-shirts for both men and women The Portland, Oregon-based start-up is led by apparel industry veterans with extensive experience from Nike, adidas and Royal Robbins. For more information and to get looped in, visit http://www.looptworks.com or subscribe to the company’s Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/LooptWorks.
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Contact:
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2443 Fillmore St.
No. 184, San Francisco, CA, 94115
415-839-7546
[email protected]
http://www.looptworks.com
