Patagonia’s Worn Wear College Tour is coming to Cal Poly Tuesday, April 25. Students and faculty can bring Patagonia clothing to the mobile repair shop for mending, learn about Patagonia’s Worn Wear program, learn how to fix their own gear and get more information about the zero-waste movements taking place on other college campuses.
The tour’s goal is to promote and reinforce sustainability by encouraging students to use their purchased items for as long as possible before replacing them.
In addition to the Worn Wear Repairs, there will also be film screenings and the chance to swap and donate gently used clothing. Unique to Cal Poly, the event will also include lunch provided by the Real Food Cooperative, and a speech on sustainability by iFixit CEO and Cal Poly alumnus Kyle Wiens.
The events are as follows:
- Worn Wear Repairs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Mott Lawn
- Lunch from Real Food Cooperative from noon to 1 p.m. on Mott Lawn
- Clothing swap and donations from noon to 2 p.m. on Mott Lawn
- Screening and presentation by Wiens from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Bonderson Engineering Project Center (building 197), room 107
- The Stories We Wear film screening from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Mott Lawn
“The time is ripe for change as the environmental crisis deepens and students are graduating with more debt than previous generations — resulting in adaptations that are based less on ownership of new stuff and increasingly on borrowing, sharing, leasing and buying used,” Patagonia Vice President of Public Engagement Rick Ridgeway said in a press release. “It comes down to evolving towards a more responsible, circular model of business and living — which is what Worn Wear is here to celebrate and encourage.”
Beginning this summer, Patagonia will launch an online Worn Wear platform, where the company will sell used Patagonia clothing and gear sourced from its own customers. This spring, customers will be able to bring their used merchandise into Patagonia stores to exchange them for merchandise credits.
“Our goal as a company is to continue to provide the tools and resources to make this philosophy a reality in our customer’s lives,” Patagonia’s president and CEO Rose Marcario said in a press release. “We are very excited about the Worn Wear College Tour and our new online platform which we hope will take Worn Wear to a new level.”
Post-Landfill Action Network (PLAN), a non-profit organization, will join Patagonia on the college tour. PLAN provides student leaders nationwide with information about waste while giving them the necessary skills and resources to start zero-waste solutions within their campus communities. Patagonia is donating $12,000 to PLAN to distribute to campuses for sustainable, zero-waste projects.