Hipcycle is proud to offer ReFleece™ Products.
ReFleece is a new kind of felt, made from recovered fleece jackets and recycled fleece scrap. Using low energy manufacturing processes, they build cases that give the fleece a new form and a new life. ReFleece was founded by Sam Palmer and Jennifer Feller, a husband and wife team committed to great design and sustainable practices.
Recently, Hipcycle Intern Extraordinaire Evan Hopkins chatted with co-founder, Jennifer Feller. Here is the interview....
"Sam and I met while folding clothes at the Boston Patagonia store..."
How did you get involved in Upcycling?
Sam (Jennifer's husband) and I met while folding clothes at the Boston Patagonia store, on Newbury Street. He went on to design their first surfboard, out in California, with Fletcher and Yvon Chouinard, and I went on to found an environmental non-profit, and then to teach science. But we still have a closet full of almost indestructible Patagonia clothing that has traveled with us over the years. It’s just too useful to throw away.
In fact, we are just not throw-away people. This means that a) we have a messy house, and b) we think a lot about ways we can re-use stuff. So when Sam started tinkering with molded fleece forms in our basement, we naturally thought of the Patagonia fleece that was already at hand, and from there, we thought about a more large-scale project. Using virgin plastics is just not a direction we would take.
Patagonia is already very responsible about re-using the clothes that cannot be sold. The company donates lots of clothes to those in need, and reduces waste wherever possible. They had already started a take-back program called Common Threads, and we simply got in touch with the director of that program, Todd Copeland. The whole crew at Patagonia has been incredibly supportive throughout our development process.
How did you get involved with Hipcycle?
I just love the website. I’ve always been a fan of upcycled and sustainable products, so I actually knew of Hipcycle before we started ReFleece. It made sense to suggest our product, and dealing with the company has been a friendly, straightforward process. It’s refreshing to do business with down-to-earth folks who I know share our values.
How do you create your products?
The design process starts with Sam. He’s always looking at people and stuff, and mulling over how it could be improved or re-designed. He loves simple, elegant solutions. He sketches and prototypes in our basement (or at Fringe in Somerville, where we now have an office with a bunch of other cool entrepreneurs.) Once he has a working prototype, we hand it off to a bunch of friends and family, and ask them to use it and give us their feedback. After a lot of tinkering and fixing and re-prototyping, we start talking to our manufacturers, and usually go down and work with them on getting the process just right. It helps that they are in the U.S., so it’s not too hard to visit. Finally, the actual cases are produced: the used jackets are cleaned and sorted by color, then cut, molded, and sewn by just a few people, all of whom we have met. They do a great job, and we are impressed by how friendly and accessible they have been in working with us on this new process.
The design process starts with Sam. He loves simple, elegant solutions.
What do you think about the Refleece products? Share your thoughts below!
________
If you like our Upcycling Posts become a Hipcycle Insider! Sign up here:
Evan Hopkins is one of Hipcycle's fantastic interns, and a general writer of fantastic things. When he isn't encouraging green living through his writing, he enjoys going on adventures, swimming, and being awesome.
