The United Repair Centre London (URC London) is opening in Haringey, as part of the partnership between social impact companies United Repair Centre and Fashion-Enter with fashion brand Patagonia will make it easier for clothing brands to join the repair movement.

The new centre will employ and train people who have challenges finding employment in high quality clothing repairs. With space for other brands to join Patagonia at the centre, its objective is transforming the apparel industry for the better.

The opening follows the success of the first United Repair Centre, launched in Amsterdam in 2022, as the result of collaboration between Makers Unite, Amsterdam Economic Board and Patagonia. United Repair Centre Amsterdam currently handles 30,000 repairs per year from brands such as Decathlon, Lululemon and Patagonia. URC London has capacity to perform 30,000 repairs a year by 2025.

Thami Schweichler, CEO, United Repair Centre, said: “The apparel industry has a bad reputation for the harms inflicted on the environment, and the people who make our clothes – but it doesn’t have to be this way. We must help customers keep their clothes in use for longer and practice conscious consumption in the future, if we are to have a living planet to do business on. And now, with the launch of URC London, we’re making it easy for responsible clothing brands to join the growing repair movement.”

Strategic guidance from the British Fashion Council’s Institute of Positive Fashion and circular economy support from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation have been provided to URC London. It will initially provide repairs for Patagonia’s UK-based customers, with three additional brands lined up to join the facility in within the next 12 months, and space for more partners.

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