Review Fix chats with Project Repat co-founder Nathan Rothstein, who discusses his company and how they can take your favorite band Ts and more and turn them into quilts. For those with a drawer full of old concert, band, or even pop culture shorts looking to repurpose them in a cool, new way, Project Repat can do just that.
About Project Repat:
Project Repat can turn those fun t-shirts into a comfy quilt! By repurposing concert t-shirts into unique quilts. Project Repat is not only preserving the memories, but can save old and worn shirts from the trash bin
For More Information on Project Repat, Click Here.Â
Review Fix: What inspired this?
Nathan Rothstein: The Project Repat story starts in Nairobi, Kenya, where Project Repat co-founder Ross Lohr was doing non-profit education work. After sitting in traffic for 2 hours, he discovered the cause of the jam: an overturned fruit and vegetable rickshaw pushed by a Kenyan man wearing a t-shirt that said “I Danced My Ass Off at Josh’s Bar Mitzvah;â€
Amazed by all the incredible t-shirts that get sold off and sent overseas by non-profit and for-profit companies in America, we began working with Kenyan artisans to design new products out of castaway t-shirts, including bags, scarves, and re-fabricated t-shirts. Those products were “repatriated†(or returned to the country of origin) back to the United States and sold to raise money for non-profits working in East Africa.
When trying to sell our upcycled products at markets in Boston, we quickly discovered the difference between a “good idea†and a real business: while potential customers liked the idea of a repatriated upcycled t-shirt bag, they didn’t like it enough to actually buy it. What customers did ask for, time and time again, was an affordable t-shirt quilt.
We had heard enough: instead of shipping goods all around the country, why not create fair wage jobs in the United States and create a product that has a lot of meaning for customers? As they say, the rest is history. Rather than ‘repatriating’ t-shirts back to the United States, Project Repat creates a high quality, affordable t-shirt quilt with minimal carbon impact that ‘repatriates’ textile job back to the United States.
Review Fix: How does it work?
Rothstein: Customers go on our site, and pick out what size they want to order, and then we send them detailed prep and shipping instructions. They pack them up and send to us and a few weeks later, we send them back a cozy t-shirt quilt.
Review Fix: Bottom line, why should someone buy one?
Rothstein: It’s the best way to preserve your t-shirt memories. Also, we provide the most affordable option. In addition, it creates fair wage jobs in the USA and keeps t-shirts out of landfills.
Review Fix: Where can people learn more?
Rothstein: See projectrepat.com
Review Fix: What’s next?
Rothstein: There are 2 billion t-shirts printed and sold in the USA every year, we want to upcycle every shirt.
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