Woolrich Passes Scraps to ReFleece

Woolrich is supplying ReFleece, an eco-designer from Somerville, Mss., with wool fabric, damaged garments and other textile scraps that would otherwise have gone to waste. The materials will be used  to iPad sleeves and other accessories.

“We have very little waste in our woolen mill, and what we do have often is too small to be usable, or used in our recycling process,” said Patrick Nebiolo, Woolrich Executive Vice President. “That ReFleece can take these scraps and breath new life into them in the form of their cases is truly amazing.”

Founded in 2011, ReFleece produces protective and functional cases for electronics from upcyced material. Until now, ReFleece was crafting cases solely from fleece jackets, collected through Patagonia’s Common Threads Initiative, or from a scrap of Polartec fabric that could not be used by their customers.

“We are so excited to be working with Woolrich,” said Sam Palmer, founder of ReFleece. “Using wool from the nation’s oldest continually operating woolen mill in our cases resulted in a truly iconic case. We’re also proud to work with a company with such a long history of American manufacturing; all of our products are made here in the USA.”

Using heat and pressure, ReFleece melds the wool with a recycled fleece, primarily from plastic bottles and carpet fibers, to form the cases. The Woolrich x ReFleece collection includes sleeves for the iPad and iPad Mini as well as an e-reader case and a number of catch-alls and coasters. The Woolrich x ReFleece cases will be available at Woolrich retailers nationwide and on Woolrich.com and ReFleece.com this fall.