I visit United Repair Centre on a quiet day at the tail end of summer, and there’s not much happening in the suburban streets of west Amsterdam. Inside, however, this bright workshop generates its own buzz. The radio is on, people are popping in and out of the open kitchen for coffee and snacks, chatting over the noise from sewing machines or gathered around the cutting table puzzling over burst seams, holes and knotty technical problems. The walls are lined with completed and ongoing repairs – fleeces, coats, tops, jumpers, jeans and more – and boxes and rails display colourful zips and buttons.
The place has a laid-back Dutch vibe. The communal garden and bespoke textile art lend a creative startup feel, and the slogan “repair is the new cool” appears everywhere. But what’s happening here is far from ordinary startup stuff. At United Repair Centre (URC), newcomers to the Netherlands from across the world, many of them former refugees, are using their tailoring skills to mend clothes on behalf of some of the world’s biggest brands. The project started in partnership with the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia, but clients now include sportswear behemoth Decathlon and yogawear brand Lululemon, among others – and it’s building day by day.
