French sports goods retailer Decathlon has tied up with Indian sustainable brand, Doodlage, to restore, repair or upcycle customer returns in a bid to reduce waste from its stores. As a part of the collaboration, Decathlon’s Bengaluru store at Brigade Road now includes a segment dedicated to “repaired products”. This comprises products that have been upcycled or repaired by Doodlage using garment waste and customer returns from the store.
This collaboration brings together the two brands that have long been dedicated to their visions of sustainability. Doodlage specializes in upcycled fashion and makes its collections out of repurposed factory waste including cotton, denim and rayon slub. Decathlon on the other hand, has achieved its aim of having all its products made with its eco-design strategy, and 100 per cent of their reparable products are also repaired in their workshops by its customers. The sportswear brand also aims at using 100 per cent renewable energy in its stores and warehouses.
“We had pitched for the 'second life project' last year to reduce in-store waste tackling consumer returns and store defectives by repairing, upcycling, and finally reselling the products,” the co-founder of Doodlage, Kriti Tula, said in a statement about the collaboration. “Repaired products on sale include t-shirts, accessories, swimwear, and sports goods. The initiative reflects Doodlage’s own values as the brand uses textile scraps to create its signature relaxed, tactile designs,” she continued.
While the first month of the collaboration aims at streamlining the upcycling process, the project will eventually extend to other Decathlon stores as well, depending on the success of the pilot phase.
Image Source: Doodlage.in, Twitter/Decathlon_india