The international multi-stakeholder initiative Denim Deal has announced a partnership with United Repair Centre (URC), a social enterprise specializing in garment repair. URC currently provides repair services for major brands including Patagonia, The North Face, Arc'teryx, Lululemon, Levi's, and Decathlon, reaching across the global apparel industry.

Under the partnership, Denim Deal members will gain direct access to URC's repair technology and service resources across Europe, along with exclusive member discounts available only to participants in the initiative.

Denim Deal positions itself as a global platform uniting the denim value chain, dedicated to scaling the use of post-consumer recycled cotton and building circular denim operations within its regional hubs. These hubs cover EMEA, North America, Latin America, the Indian subcontinent, and Asia-Pacific, closing the loop between denim production and consumption by empowering local ecosystems. The initiative's core goal is to produce one billion pairs of jeans containing at least 20% post-consumer recycled cotton by 2030, while advancing broader objectives around transparency and durability.

Denim Deal Program Director Laura Vicaria said the partnership strengthens the link between material innovation and garment lifespan across the full product cycle. She said post-consumer recycled cotton becomes more credible when brands can see it, touch it, and understand how to use it; durability, meanwhile, runs through the entire product journey from material selection and design to repair and future recycling.

The economics of repair are also significant. A study by the Circular Fashion Federation citing KPMG data estimates that by 2030, the "reinvent" segment of Europe's new garment market will be worth €71 billion (US$80.9 billion).

URC founder Thami Schweichler emphasized that high-quality execution is key to making repair a credible part of brands' circular strategies. He said none of this works without consistently top-quality repairs, excellent service, and industry-leading technology, noting that investment in repair can drive positive social change.

Founded in Amsterdam in 2022, URC has completed more than 100,000 repairs for over 35 brands, and as a B Corp its partner network continues to expand. The company employs more than 50 repair technicians across hubs in Amsterdam, London, and Paris, many of whom are refugees who previously worked as tailors in their home countries.

The partnership was announced at Paris Denim Deal Days, a one-day, product-oriented working event organized by Denim Deal with URC and the Circular Fashion Federation, held at URC's hub in central Paris. The event connected participating brands directly with Denim Deal members DNM, Indigo Textile, Kipas Denim, Soorty, Demco, Artlab, Thirty2, World Collective, and PLNTmatter, and included an eco-design workshop and a hands-on Sashiko denim repair workshop.

Source: Denim Deal Partners With United Repair Centre To Scale Circular Denim Across Europe · Originally published 2026-09-28