Here at Têra Kaia, we design garments to live a circular lifecycle. TK is launching a Basewear Repair Program to close the loop on landfill waste. We know you love your basewear, and now with this program, we can extend its life even further.
It All Started with a Sustainability Workshop at TK Bishop
This month our product team met for a workshop focusing on sustainability here at Têra Kaia Bishop. Our goal was to create a company mentality about adapting towards a more sustainable future. The first workshop was such a success that we plan to do more in-person workshops. These will include pop-up repair events, sustainability presentations, and group repair days. We are so impressed with the results our team was able to come up with!
- We learned about sustainability in the fashion industry with presentations and group exercises.
- Our team repaired old basewear tops and created a few totally unique TOURAs!
- We upcycled scraps into new accessories, like headbands and scrunchies!
Check out a few photos from our first Sustainability Workshop at TK Bishop:
From our workshop, we have now finalized and launched two new sustainability initiatives that will go into effect in 2020 and 20201.
How the Basewear Repair Program Works
Once your basewear has lived a full and satisfying life full of outdoor adventures, you may find it begins to malfunction. The TOURA may have seen some rough times (literally and figuratively). Customers send items back to us with a variety of issues. This could be caused by a mantle on a scratchy rock or just a few too many aquatic adventures. Here are the most common reasons our customers send garments back to us:
- Exchange for a different fit
- Stretched or popped straps
- Scratched or pilled fabric
- Ripped seams
- Manufacturer defects
When your TOURA has lived its life and is in need of a little love, simply send it back. Our product team meets monthly to address the month’s repairs and upcycle them into something new and unique.
If the team decides that an item is too damaged to be repaired, do not fret! In return, we will issue a $15 gift card to use on a future order. Think of it as a reward you for keeping the item out of a landfill,
From there, our team will deconstruct the garment and it’s materials will be upcycled into something new!
We’re Upcycling Every Scrap into Something New.
The Basewear Repair Program isn’t just about repairing TOURAs, we’re upcycling our scraps and leftover materials into accessories too! We gather scrap material from our factory leftovers, prototype creation, and damaged TOURAs. All this is to make sure nothing hits the waste bin.
From scrunchies to headbands, our product team is creating a new life for every scrap. Adorable new TK accessories will be added to our website as they are created.
Shop Second Life Repairs & Accessories
With the Basewear Repair Program, the by-product of our garment’s lifecycle isn’t waste. Instead, it’s new items ready to live a second life. We are introducing a new area of our website called the Second Life Basewear section. Here, upcycled accessories and repaired TOURAs can find a new life.
This section will be updated with new and unique repair items. These will be sold on a "First Come First Serve" basis. We can't offer exchanges, due to the limited available sizes. However, we will accept returns for store credit to be used on a different item.
Accessible Pricing meets Ethics and Sustainability
When new, our garments are sold at a high price point in order to maintain an ethical supply chain. Imagine how many people and materials are involved in creating a garment. This includes dying the fabric, weaving it, to sewing the item together. Cheap prices often sacrifice the well being of garment workers and the environment. Someone has to pay the cost.
Despite this, high prices aren’t always the answer either as this can alienate marginalized groups. This makes “Eco Friendly” synonymous with a wealthy, often white, upper class lifestyle.
The new Second Life Basewear section provides us the opportunity to consistently offer more accessible pricing in our store. This way we can reduce waste, offer accessible pricing, and maintain our brand’s commitment to ethics and sustainability.
PLUS, there’s a chance to get an upcycled item that is completely unique... and who doesn’t love that?
Learn more about our repair program at www.terakaia.com/repairs. If you have a Têra Kaia Basewear garment that needs repair, you can contact our in-house product team at product@terakaia.com. If your garment is irreparable we will issue a $15 gift card to use on a future order.
Welcome to the Journal: official blog of Tera Kaia Basewear.
Here we tell stories about the outdoors, sustainability, and life through the lens of outdoor women. Get the latest on TK events, and a "behind the seams" look at everything that's going on with our brand.
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