In 2022, we featured Patagonia co-founding a textile repair center in Amsterdam, enabling multiple brands to jointly offer mending services. A year later, United Repair Centre expanded to London, and a few weeks ago, it launched United Repair Academy, which is aimed at building both capacity and careers.
United Repair Academy trains its students to become clothing repair specialists through course modules ranging from accurate measuring and fabric knowledge to pattern drawing and complex repairs. Because the academy is specifically focused on creating opportunities for people with a distance to the labor market, including those with a refugee background, extra attention is paid to building language skills.
Offered in partnership with local trade school ROC Amsterdam and the city of Amsterdam, the half-year course is provided at no cost to participants. Upon completion, a job at United Repair Centre is more or less guaranteed, working for brands like Cortazu, Lululemon, Decathlon, Rapha — and, of course, Patagonia. United Repair Academy's first cohort started on 15 January 2024.
