Reworked 348 is no exception. Their claim is that they don't make clothes - a claim that is arguably true, as they simply rework vintage pieces. The members of the collective have been around the textile and clothing industry for some 25 years. Disturbed by the waste and pollution endemic in new clothing production they aim to tackle it by taking used workwear garments and remaking them into wearable and stylish clothing (for links see below).
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| Wearing the Reworked348 indigo coverall jacket |
They kindly sent me a few pieces to try. All are beautifully made in the UK and while benefiting from the patina of age most have never been worn. As workwear they would have been originally well made but roomy to fit all sizes - so they are remade to a contemporary style and fit. Buttons are usually replaced with sustainable corozo (though not on the jacket I wear above), the cotton is soft and comfortable and prices are very reasonable indeed - most are well under £100, remarkable for what are effectively one-offs.
I spoke to Reworked 348 who gave me more information about their approach:
GF: Please introduce Reworked 348.
RW: We are three friends who've been discussing the idea of doing something together for years, after taking about it for so long, we decided the time had arrived, in 2018 we formed The Reworked 348 Collective. Our aim is to create clothes we’d love to wear, always working to leave the lowest impact we can on the planet and all who live here.
We all worked in the clothing industry and had been discussing the idea of doing something together for years. After talking about it for so long, we decided the time had arrived to start a clothing company that does things in a different way. In 2018 we formed The Reworked 348 Collective.
Our aim is to create clothes we’d love to wear, with the lowest impact on the planet, now and for the future.
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| Clothes arrive sustainably packaged with paper, cardboard and string and no plastic |
GF: What is your background and how did you come to start the business?
RW: We are all 20+ years in the industry working in design, textiles and product development, all bringing different skills and know-how to the group. Long before we founded Reworked 348, we’d been discussing how the clothing and textile industry has become one of the major polluters on the planet and were often coming up with ideas of how to create clothes in a more sustainable way. Then one day someone said “ultimately if we are really concerned about this negative impact, then just don’t make any clothes”. That was the start.
GF: You describe Reworked 348 as 'the clothing company that doesn't make clothes'. How do you operate and what sorts of products do you make?
RW: Reworked 348 is committed to never producing a new piece of clothing. Almost all of the garments we Rework have never been worn. They are original, authentic pieces created for a different purpose often produced many decades ago, when things were built to last. We search out these garments, breathe new life into them through Reworking to create a more current product we would want to wear.
As a group we have always been inspired by original work-wear, military and utility clothing. These garments are well constructed, durable and enable us to create Reworked pieces which will stand the test of time.
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| Shirts and jackets from Reworked 348 |
GF: Ethically and sustainably made clothing is the essence of what you do? Please tell us more about your thoughts on these important issues.
RW: Globally an estimated 150 billion new pieces of clothing are produced each year, of which a large percentage are shipped and flown around the world. Then after all that, in the UK alone an estimated 11 million garments end up in landfill every week.
When you consider the carbon footprint and the issues surrounding waste, the numbers are truly staggering. Over consumption is driving down prices and, so too, the wages for textile workers who often have to endure working in awful conditions. It almost feels like a runaway train, for these reasons we wanted to create in a different way.
At Reworked 348 it’s all about creating product, whilst attempting to leave the smallest footprint we can. As “The Clothing Company That Doesn’t Make Clothes” we are able to cut out many steps that are part of the regular production cycle. This means we can reduce the impact we have on the planet whilst creating quality, unique garments we can be proud of.
GF: Do you see a move by consumers to demand more sustainable products?
RW: We believe more and more people want to do the right thing and awareness is growing not just in clothing, but in everyday life, in fact it really feels like a movement is forming!
RW: We believe more and more people want to do the right thing and awareness is growing not just in clothing, but in everyday life, in fact it really feels like a movement is forming!
There are so many mixed messages out there it can often be confusing for consumers, the word “Sustainability” has now become a trend, the new buzz word. We weren’t sure how the idea of Reworking would be received, but we've been very encouraged by the response. In our experience people are open to trying something different, especially when the environmental benefits are clear.
GF: How do you go about finding the materials for your reworked products and what do you do to them to make them into interesting garments?
RW: We spend as much time searching for product as we do Reworking them, one of us can often be found in some old warehouse looking for the garments we can bring back to life. These original garments are almost always surplus to requirements and unused, and back in the day fortunately they were made to last. Once we find the right product our designer gets to work with our product developer on the styling and fit. All the products are individually Reworked in our UK studio by hand or within the local area, we definitely know who Reworks our collection.
GF: What inspires you to do what you're doing?
RW: We get great satisfaction from creating unique pieces and avoiding the regular production cycle; feels a bit like we are bucking the system, which we quite like. It’s actually really exciting wondering what we’ll find next to Rework and how we can inspire others.
We’ve met some fantastic people and got quite a few regular customers now, it gives us a real boost when we hear people understand what we are trying to do and are happy with the garments we have Reworked. It is said "if you love what you do, then you’ll never work a day in your life” this is how it all feels at the moment.
GF: How do you see the business developing over the next few years?
RW: We keep learning new stuff everyday, finding ways to improve the product and keep pushing to reduce our footprint. We’ll just keep keeping on, slow and steady, weren't looking to build a big corporation, we'll just see what turns up. We quite like the idea of a pop up store, meeting people and getting feedback is key for us, but with the current situation, probably won’t happen for a while.
Thinking about it, I guess we should have a business plan, no doubt we’ll get round to it one of these days.
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I'd like to thank Reworked348 for their help with this piece. I loved what they are doing and highly recommend the quality, value and fit of the clothes they produce. To find out more about Reworked 348 and to buy their remarkable products, go to the Reworked348 website here.
Read other features in my Sustainable Style series here.
Some samples were gifted - all views are mine alone.
