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How one company is tackling the tricky — and expensive — task of recycling clothing

May 1, 2023
Diverting textiles from landfills is more difficult and more expensive than doing so for paper and glass. A group of formerly incarcerated workers is paving the way.
Companies send in unsold stock and returned clothes to divert their waste from landfills.
Caleigh Wells

Not wearing those leggings? Many retail stores are expanding into resale

Apr 15, 2022
Sustainability and demand for apparel make reselling used clothes an attractive option for brands, including Lululemon and Target.
Lululemon is getting into the clothing resale game, and it's not alone.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

People are clothes shopping in person again, and small businesses want to be ready

Mar 14, 2022
In-store purchases of clothes and accessories rose 21.9% from last year. Small businesses stand to benefit if they can attract once-cautious shoppers.
Jill Lindsey said she received two federal loans totaling $86,000 to keep her eponymous Brooklyn boutique open during the pandemic.
Stephanie Hughes/Marketplace

After 18 months on lists of Black-owned businesses, her clothing company is "leveling out"

Dec 23, 2021
Aliya Wanek's clothing line is still more popular than it was in 2019, so she reduced her hours at her day job.
Aliya Wanek now works part-time as a speech therapist to devote more time to her clothing business.
Photo courtesy Aliya Wanek

Sweatpants have gone professional, and there's no going back

Dec 20, 2021
The comfy remote uniforms are emblematic of the blurring between home and work.
In his experiments, social psychologist Adam Galinsky found that while “traditional work clothing” made some remote workers feel more powerful, “home clothing” made them feel authentic and more engaged in their work.
FreshSplash via Getty Images

What California's new law means for garment workers and businesses

Nov 11, 2021
The law will guarantee an hourly wage for workers, but higher labor costs will put pressure on many small factories.
Garment worker Francisco Tzul has recently started working for a sewing contractor that pays an hourly wage rather than a piece rate.
Caroline Champlin/Marketplace

Are people ready to step out in rented clothing again?

Oct 19, 2021
Rent the Runway prepares for its IPO at a time when the logistics around delivery and consumer demand is still in flux.
Shoppers look through Rent the Runway's West Coast flagship store in San Francisco in 2019. The clothing rental business is aiming for a valuation of up to $1.5 billion.
Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for Rent the Runway

For public good, not for profit.

"The past couple of months have been pretty crazy": How one clothing business grew in 2020

Dec 28, 2020
As her collections continue to sell out, Wanek is adjusting to increased demand for her clothing.
MoiseXVII via Getty Images

Small businesses prepare for the holidays amid the pandemic

Nov 25, 2020
Small business retailers are facing a holiday season like no other. Three owners share how they're preparing for the shopping season.
A worker decorates the Christmas tree at The Grove outdoor shopping center in Los Angeles on, Nov. 5.
Valerie Macon/AFP

How COVID-19 changed this U.S. clothing manufacturer

Oct 19, 2020
Los Angeles-based Lefty Production Co. became a PPE manufacturer to remain essential. But will the need for U.S.-made masks and gowns remain?
Above, a worker at Lefty Production in Los Angeles. CEO Marta Miller thinks brands ordering less inventory in the wake of the pandemic could help drive American manufacturing.
Ira Joffe, courtesy of Lefty Production Co.