Rag News: September 2019

  Ground-Breaking Innovation Manufacturing “New” out of Used, at Industrial Scale Bank & Vogue is proud to announce that we have developed the capacity to remanufacture post-consumer apparel at industrial scale. Our work with Converse on their Converse Renew Denim collection has introduced an innovative reinvention of used apparel and made it into the world’s […]

Rag News: July 2019

Discarded Jeans to Reinvent Iconic Sneakers [Photo:Converse] We are thrilled to collaborate with iconic sneaker brand Converse to develop the process behind their upcoming Renew Denim collection. For more information check out this article about the project by Fast Company.  

Rag News: June 2019

denim jeans as part of recycling in circular economy

  The Circular Economy Applied to Denim In the circular economy model, we keep denim in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from it during use, then recover garments and fibers at the end of each service life. The circular economy of denim rests on three principles: Preserve natural capital by […]

Rag News: April 2019

bales of denim at bank and vogue

  Used Denim in Numbers Denim is a very popular, long lasting material within the fashion industry. In fact, denim represents 7% of total used clothing.   When the bales of mixed rags leave the thrift store warehouse, only 60% of denim within these bales will find new lives in second hand markets. That includes […]

Rag News: March 2019

used denim creative projects

  Denim Upcycle The term “upcycle” is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the reuse of discarded items or materials in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original”. It was used for first time in the 1990s as a blend of up- and recycle. LABEL is […]

Rag News: February 2019

denim repair

  Artistic Repair of Denim Repairing denim at scale is similar to triage in the emergency room. First the jeans are categorized into categories of how they need to be repaired. The following are the main five categories: Repairs along the pocket Small hole in the upper thigh Hole on the upper part Hole on […]

Rag News: January 2019

Vintage clothing store showing denim

  The Vintage Side of Discarded Denim Imagine, if one day you go back to your parents’ house and decide to help them with their cleaning. You open a dusty old trunk and you find a bunch of denim clothing inside. Here they are, your father’s bell-bottoms jeans from the 80’s; and this hippy denim […]

Rag News: December 2018

pre-owned denim

  Extra-Large Size Denim Items, How to Recycle Them? Every textile recycler aims to achieve zero waste. The ultimate goal is to prevent every garment from going to landfill. That is not always an easy task. For example, denim jeans are donated to your organization. You extend the life cycle of these jeans by putting […]

Rag News: November 2018

bundle of denim

  Denim, What Can We Do With It? Denim is, by definition, a material designed to last. Jacob W. Davis proved it right when he made the first pair of denim jeans back in 1873, after receiving an special order from a female customer who wanted a pair of durable pants for her husband to […]

Rag News: October 2018

recycled items

Winter in the Thrift World Traditionally speaking -December, January, February and March are the months in which credential clothing & bric brac are most in demand. This is also the time of year where these commodities are the hardest to come by. Weather plays a huge factor in peoples’ willingness and ability to donate, and […]