British outdoor clothing brand KEELA has launched a new two-phase LEGACY PROJECT in a sustainability effort which will see the brand repairing vintage clothing, originally made by the brand, to give garments a second life as well as reusing and repurposing older garments into new items entirely. Keela was the first Scottish clothing manufacturer to sign up to the Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (SCAP).
The move is a further indication of the brand’s commitment to UK manufacturing and sustainability stretching back over 40 years.
The first phase of the project promotes a ‘save the planet, save your wallet’ message, as well as product longevity and sustainability with a nod to the current cost of living struggles. It offers a chance for outdoor enthusiasts to pick up a vintage collector’s piece, a designer one-of-a-kind sample or a preloved exclusive online.
Previously only available at the brand’s Glenrothes factory shop, the collection aims to give garments a second life without the need for a recycling process to reuse fabrics.
The LEGACY COLLECTION offers three categories of garment:
- Archive: a new, still-in-packaging, and unused garment.
- Blueprint: where Keela’s designers have brought new concepts to life through a combination of new colours, new materials and blue sky ideas – these are the one-of-a-kind designer specials.
- Déjà vu: a preloved, previously used garment which has been meticulously tested and any necessary repairs taken care of by the quality team at Keela with a full description of the item and repair included.
The second phase of the project involves creating new memories from old, transforming used Keela products into something else entirely. This will be done by either providing a guide and educating Keela customers on how to repurpose an item at home or by the creation of simple items such as washbags, tote bags, and cushions out of a beloved garment.
Keela Sales Director Sam Fernando said, “Sustainability has been at the heart of Keela’s ethos for over 40 years, and the Legacy initiative is the next step in our ongoing sustainability mission. We believe there is only one way to deal with your damaged or end-of-life garment: by recycling, reusing and repurposing.
“The Legacy project brings that to life and offers a rare opportunity to acquire one-of-a-kind items that are entirely unique to anything else we have created before.”
Further sustainability initiatives from the brand include production of the Ronas Smock, a lightweight jacket named after the highest point on Shetland made from deadstock fabric in the UK plus Keela’s recycling service which sees end-of-life items reused and recycled with a discount offered to encourage customers to recycle their garments rather than discard them.
Keela has been pushing the boundaries of outdoor gear and textile design for 40 years with a history of bringing garments back from the brink of destruction in the brand’s clothing hospital, seeing garments stitched, patched, sealed and bonded back to full health to get a second life.
