Patagonia will relaunch this autumn its « Wetsuit Repair Tour », a travelling repair workshop that will crisscross towns and surf spots in the Royaume-Uni, the Pays-Bas, Belgique, France, Portugal, Allemagne, Suisse and Espagne. The tour, run by the brand's « Worn Wear » repair team, will make a total of fourteen stops, four of which will be longer, with full weekends of workshops, film screenings and surf sessions.
Three French stops in September
In France, the convoy will make three stops: from 12 to 14 September in Bretagne, from 17 to 19 September in Seignosse, in the Landes, then from 21 to 23 September on the Plage Centrale in Lacanau. In Espagne, the tour will make only one stop, from 26 to 28 September, at Coraza de Orzán, on the Paseo Marítimo in Corogne, in Galice, before continuing on to Portugal.
At each stop, surfers will be able to have their neoprene wetsuits repaired free of charge, along with other clothing and equipment, regardless of brand. Durant the events, they will be able to borrow a wetsuit so they can keep surfing while theirs is being repaired; the company makes these loaner suits from natural rubber, developed, it says, thanks to knowledge accumulated over years of repairing neoprene.
A programme expanded to include care techniques
The programme includes masterclasses with the brand's surf ambassadors, meetings with local ONG and talks. Lors of certain events, upcycling workshops will give worn-out neoprene a second life, and collection points will be set up for end-of-life wetsuits. Buddy Pendergast, a neoprene repair technician at Patagonia, recommends, for example, rinsing the wetsuit with water after each use. L'équipe also shares care techniques to extend the lifespan of garments over several seasons, such as applying patches, reproofing outer layers or repairing zippers.
The Worn Wear programme was launched in 2013 with the aim of encouraging customers to maintain and repair their gear. L'année last, Patagonia repaired more than 3,000 items of various brands at 50 Worn Wear events across Europe, including at festivals and events dedicated to snow and climbing. The brand works with 15 repair partners in Europe and claims more than 110 locations where it repairs its clothing free of charge or at low cost worldwide.
Patagonia cites the British ONG WRAP, according to which wearing a garment for nine months longer reduces CO2 emissions, waste and water consumption per garment by 20 to 30%.
