Repair

Our design philosophy, outlined earlier in the report, reduces waste at the design stage - through garment longevity, multi-purpose use and avoiding over production.

98% of our products are also repairable.

Our clothing repair service has existed since the company was launched in 1926 and is very much a part of our DNA. In early 2016, we launched our ´Indestructible´ program where customers bring in their worn 66°North products in exchange for a discount off their next purchase. We evaluate the state of the product, repair it if needed and give it to the Icelandic Red Cross. Every year we repair around 4000 garments, from our own repair centre in Miðhraun.

66°North also guarantees that it will take back any product at any time and ensure its recycling, or donation, whether done by us or with help of partners such as the Red Cross.

Hófí Saumastofa Repair Department Leader

Hófí takes an artisan’s pride in her work. As a master of tailoring and dressmaking, the simple notion of putting a garment back together has an intrinsic satisfaction. “I think it’s the fact that I’m not sitting in front of the computer all day,” she says. “I’m running around and fixing problems.

On a good day, Hófí and her team might process dozens of repairs; “We will repair any product we´ve ever made, whether it’s from a few seasons ago or sometime in the last century.

The oldest garment that the repair shop has received is over 30 years old, and still in good shape.“ to fix) are tasked accordingly so repairs can keep flowing.

Once a repair has been sized up, materials are gathered. Over decades, 66°North has intentionally accumulated nothing less than an archive of textiles, fasteners, and materials - all in the service of making more true repairs.

“When we order fabrics for the factories, they make sure to order a few meters for us here,” Hófí says. “We get the same fabric, same colors, everything.”

“66°North products are extremely popular in our stores. The tourists are often very happy when they find one of your jackets when searching through the rails.” Guðbjörg

Rut Pálmadóttir Sorting Manager Icelandic Red Cross

No matter how long a garment stays with her team, all but the truly irreparable come back to life. “66°North customer service is in contact with people all around the world,” she explains. On intake, garments are sorted by hand and evaluated. It’s Hófí’s job to make sure more involved repairs (like rips in waterproof materials which require special seam-welding machines

With materials in hand, philosophy can turn into practice. In skilled hands, smaller repairs like rips in puffers and broken zippers may take just 10 minutes. Truly immense tasks, like reconstructing an advanced waterproof membrane jacket? Well, those might even take a few hours or more. “We always try to make the garments look as if nothing was done. We can’t always make it perfect, but the team aim to do the best job possible.”

Revived garments are then processed and collected, or sent back to their original owners. A simple, efficient outpatient procedure - but one with extraordinary results.