Short Takes: Why Blundstone Boots Are Having a Culinary Moment, ‘Always Athleta’ Launches
Farm Friends: Though an Australian brand that’s been around since 1870, Blundstone’s workwear boots are finding a friend in farming and the culinary community lately.
Through the Blundstone x Brooklyn Grange partnership (an organic rooftop farm in Brooklyn, New York), Blundstone funds the growth of dedicated farm space in the city so community-based organizations — among them Brooklyn Rescue Mission, Fig and Playground Youth — can grow healthy food.
More from WWD
Located in Sunset Park, Brooklyn Grange has been bridging fashion and food for some time. Last year, the venue hosted runway shows from Collina Strada as well various climate-conscious seated dinners. Together with two other farms, the locations bolster 100,000 pounds of organic produce a year with a portion (30 percent) benefitting community needs. In 2021, Blundstone’s partnership resulted in more than 60 deliveries, supplying more than 30,000 pounds of donated produce and 7,500-plus seedlings.
Resale Moves: Athleta unveiled its first resale platform “Always Athleta” on Wednesday.
The Gap Inc.-owned retailer will partner with ThredUp to foster a 360-degree resale program that lets Athleta customers (starting in pilot at first) shop “Preloved” items on Athleta.com for up to 90 percent off retail. Already for the past two years, customers have been able to ship used clothing and accessories (regardless of brand) to ThredUp in a prepaid Clean Out Kit. Through Athleta’s in-store clean out program with ThredUp, it has processed more than 125,000 Clean Out Kits and sold more than ! million secondhand items on its marketplace since it launched in February 2020. With the launch of “Always Athleta,” customers can receive Athleta shopping credit for both branded and non-Athleta branded items sold on ThredUp.
Gap Inc. sister brands Banana Republic and Gap already have partnerships with ThredUp. Athleta’s move is inspired by the almost half of Athleta customers participating in the circular economy.
Expressing excitement for the partnership, Kim Waldmann, chief digital officer at Athleta, said the move marks a “major milestone” toward its vision for a more sustainable future.
In other news, secondhand furniture is growing. Online furniture reseller Chairish released its second annual resale report finding online resale is expected to grow 86 percent across all categories from 2021 to 2027. Within resale, home furnishings is said to be the fastest-growing category with $22.2 billion in estimated spend by consumers within the next five years.
Sights on Fashion: Amy Powney, the woman behind London-based label Mother of Pearl, is trying to change the course of the fashion industry — and she wants an audience. She’s starring in a new film directed by Becky Hunter called “Fashion Reimagined” in which she explores the intersections of fashion, design and the environmental devastations of the built environment.
The opening night is Wednesday at the SVA Theater at 7:30 p.m. as part of the Architecture & Design Film Festival in New York (ADFF:NY), which runs through Oct. 2 at the Cinépolis Theatre in Chelsea.