TORONTO — In a nook of the gleaming new Arc'teryx store on Toronto's Bloor Street West, Jesse Chan and Yamel Zacarias rifled through a rack of jackets most would consider misfits one October afternoon.
Some had gashes or nicks in their sleeves, a stubborn musk or zippers that wouldn't budge with the best of tugs. At least one had a hemline so tattered, the elastic that cinches in its waistline was hanging on for dear life.
But none of the pieces were beyond repair. With some stitching, patching, pressing and a spin cycle or two, Chan, Zacarias and their team knew they could return the garments to their owners just like new in a matter of days, if not minutes.
The work would be done on-site and at no cost to consumers through Arc’teryx’s ReBird, one of several in-store repair programs retailers have launched in recent years to help customers hold onto their beloved garments for longer.
Such programs spanning Levi’s, Uniqlo and more are meant to boost sustainability, but they present a dichotomy: if consumers shop less because their purchases last longer, does that spell trouble for retailers?
No, insist companies and marketing experts. They say what a retailer might risk in profit by offering repairs, they get back in consumer affinity for their brand over the long run.
"Customers are going to be more and more loyal to that company and overall, they will choose them over their competitors," said Tandy Thomas, the E. Marie Shantz fellow of marketing at Queen’s University.
"They might not buy as many winter coats, but they'll certainly buy more of the whole diversity of products, so it's taking that long-term customer lifetime value perspective."
The threat of customers not needing to buy products as often because of repairs doesn't scare the vice-president of ReBird at Arc'teryx.
"We don't really see it as a tension point," Dominique Showers said. "We naturally see it as ... adding value."
She reasons that shoppers treasure companies that stand behind their products and even improve their future designs based on the top issues their repair centres uncover.
Restoring products also diverts items from already-overflowing landfills.
In 2023, researchers from the University of Waterloo and Seneca College found Canadians trash almost 500 million kilograms of textiles, including apparel, every year.
While Thomas recalls brands were previously advised to steer clear of social issues, gen Z and generation alpha, who were born before the 2010s, want companies to take action, especially if they tell shoppers they value sustainability.
"Consumers will go after them as being inauthentic, as being hypocritical, and that becomes the death of a brand," Thomas warned.
In-store repairs were fitting for Arc'teryx, which has an environmentally friendly ethos. The Vancouver-based company dating back to 1989 has long helped shoppers with second-hand sales and repairs.
For years, store associates have been equipped with Milwaukee toolboxes packed with needle nose pliers, sealant tape and other gadgets that could mend apparel.
Anything in need of a big fix was shipped to Vancouver, but sending jackets across the country — and in some cases, the world — was costly and time consuming,
"So for us to put (the ReBird centre) in our store, it just made a lot of sense," said Showers.
Thomas was more surprised that Uniqlo — a Japanese clothing brand that's been expanding through Canadian shopping malls — has gotten in on the trend, charging $5 to stitch tears, replace buttons or patch holes in garments at the Eaton Centre in Toronto.
"It's a really interesting twist to see them trying to pull that sustainability element into their image," she said. "It really counters ... just being in fast fashion to begin with."
Uniqlo had no one available to comment for this story.
While Thomas expects other brands to dabble with in-store repairs, she feels the model won't become ubiquitous because it can be a pricey endeavour that isn't financially viable outside many city centres.
Arc'teryx, whose jackets can surpass the $1,000 mark, has 15 ReBird service centres, mostly in major hubs like New York.
Zacarias estimates her crew cleans about 60 jackets and repairs another 25 every week. They rely on industrial washing machines and dryers, mild detergent and some tennis balls to get dirty coats clean, but the repairs can be a much more involved process that uses presses, sewing machines and other proprietary tools.
Behind the counter of their ReBird centre sits a rainbow of thread spools and an equally diverse array of coloured zippers and patches. Most of the time, they can find a match for whatever element they must fix, but people who come in with decades-old jackets in rarer hues often have to opt for a fresh colour combination, Chan said.
Though repair times fluctuate, during a mid-October visit, customers were being told patching rips and tears would take only 30 minutes, but if they needed a front zipper replacement or work on their seams, hem or cuffs, they should expect a weeklong wait.
"When it gets cold, everyone has the same thought to bring it in," Chan explained.
While he had jackets getting a rinse in the washing machines, colleague Jahmaal Campbell was fixing some small rips in a black jacket with a press and Michelle Pinochet was hunched over a sewing machine.
Zacarias was tending to shoppers picking up repairs, inquiring about purchasing used gear that had been mended and dropping off items in need of some TLC, including a maroon jacket one man left, saying "hopefully it doesn't stink too much."
Showers sees such scenes as a part of an evolution geared toward getting people to care for their clothes and realize repairs are not just meant for cars or phones.
"It's the way of the future," she said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
