INTERVIEW #80 NIMBLE PATCH

Based in: Malmö

Founded in: 2020

Founded by: Maria Borbos, Annica-Paulsson Haglund

Stores: www.nimblepatch.se, Myrorna (Sthlm), Mini och Planeten (Örnsköldsvik), Re:Store HK (Härnösand), Herr Buster (Limhamn)

Price range: 199-299 SEK

Instagram: @nimblepatch

Hi Nimble Patch, welcome to A Sustainable Closet. Tell us about this amazing brand and initiative? 

Nimble Patch is a socially, environmentally and financially sustainable concept. We prolong the life of broken children’s jeans. And we do this by buying broken children’s jeans that no longer can be sold second hand, due to wear, holes etc and repair them with a Cordura reinforcement fabric. By doing this, we give broken jeans, that should be discarded, a new and long life.

The end product is in many cases even more durable than it was from the beginning.

How did you come up with the brand name?

We were thinking that we wanted a name that was catchy but also explained a little about the product.

Nimble = quick, vital

Patch = a piece of fabric

So the combination of the words was something like the meaning of quick feet of children and patched clothes.

Tell us more about the production of the garments, where do you source the denim from and who is mending/sewing? 

The mending/sewing is being made in Sweden by socially integrating organisations. We mainly work with Yalla Mellerud, an economic association, with the aim to help women that are far from the labour market, to get a job and be self-sufficient.

The jeans are bought from textile sorting plants that sort clothing collected from different charity organisations. So instead of throwing away broken garments that are submitted, we buy them and give them a new life.

Both the textile sorting plants and the studio that does the sewing are located around Gothenburg, so the transportations for sourcing materials and sewing are very short. This is a strategy that we planned and how we will grow the production, by planning material sourcing and sewing studios close to one another. We also work a little bit with Yalla Trappan in Malmö, which is very close to our office, so there is no transport needed between their sewing studio and our warehouse.

The denim we use for patches is made in Europe, by fabric menders that work with sustainable production.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Since the textile industry is very polluting, I mainly get inspiration from documentaries, facts and organisations working for improvement and challenging linear production. It might sound a little boring, but that is the truth.

Designers like Marine Serre, Rave Review etc are also an inspiration for the way they move the industry boundaries.

What are your dreams with Nimble Patch?

It would be wonderful if we could grow our product portfolio, either in more brand collaborations or with other products.

I want Nimble Patch to be a natural partner in sustainable collaborations and not be seen as a competitor. We want to increase the sustainable offerings in textile and love collaborations that challenge and move the industry forwards.

What do you think needs to change in the kid’s fashion industry to make it more sustainable? 

For one, to use more durable materials – especially in places where the tearing is the most, and maybe to be more inventive when it comes to prolonging the life of the garments in the design. Many of the children’s clothes are of poor quality that break quickly if they are not already produced with a “designed tear”. 

And maybe we don’t have to teach kids from a small age that there are 1000 different options of a “Frost” t-shirt. Maybe 1 is enough. We need to decrease the broad offerings and make fewer designs, but in better quality that lasts.

Kids should be able to play in their clothes without being afraid of clothes breaking. By offering reparations, the garments could be repaired and rescued before they are too torn. But the trick is to make it cost-effective and quick and easy for the customers. H&M and Polarn O. Pyret have repairs offered in some shops or by local tailors, and I think that it will be more common.

Of course, using recycled materials will be a must in the future, but I think that there is still a long way to go, when it comes to the combination of durable and recycled fabrics. But in short: the right way would be to make clothes of better quality, to increase the prices (to the true cost of the making) and decrease the quantities.

 What would you advise consumers to do who seek to create a sustainable closet and lifestyle?

Take care of the garments that you have bought. The secondhand market needs to be the first option, so if you take care of your garment, you will get a better price when selling it and the offer of secondhand garments will be better overall.

Repair the clothes that are broken. Either do it yourself or bring them to a tailor.

And of course, renting is amazing. Especially for kids’ clothes, like outerwear, that is used for a period and then can be used again. Instead of everybody buying new outerwear every season and when it is too small it goes for sale on Marketplace – rent it! Save yourself time.

The best thing about Nimble Patch?

We actually do what many companies are talking about in their sustainability goals for the upcoming 5-10 years. We already do it, and it is not that hard. And we want to share this with others so that more can choose a sustainable product.

And the more we sell, the more garments we have rescued, so we are not afraid to grow. It will only be a good effect on the textile industry, and for that, we are very proud.

What's up next?

We are growing in retailers. We want to be able to offer our products in more physical stores, so the customers can see how nice the pants really are.