Earlier this month adidas put together a special sustainability pop-up in New York City as part of their Choose to Give Back initiative. Adidas has been putting a lot of focus on ending plastic waste and wants to motivate consumers to be mindful of how they dispose of goods they no longer need. To take action, adidas created a pop-up model where items were available for purchase through weight in worn goods, and not in monetary value. The items for sale were vintage and upcycled collections from some of the leading voices in sustainable fashion, including Theophilio, Ji Won Choi, Basketcase Gallery, Eva Joan Repair, Frankie Collective, Beepy Bella, and Tyranny & Mutation.
To “purchase” an item, people traded-in used clothing, shoes, or gear for points. For each half pound of old clothes turned-in, shoppers were credited with one point. From there, they used their points to put towards pieces at the pop-up.
Pricing was determined by item type and availability, starting at 2 points and maxing out at 15. Pricing was as follows:
Vintage Tees, Hoodies and Crewnecks: 2-10 points
Vintage Sweatpants and Skirts: 3-7 points
One-Of-One Accessories and Shoes: 5-10 points
One-Of-One Tees, Hoodies and Crewnecks: 7-10 points
One-Of-One Sweatpants and Skirts: 10-12 points
One-Of-One Tracksuits and Dresses: 15 points
In the end, adidas was able to collect nearly 2,500 pounds of textile waste. Over 300 people showed up and the entire pop-up was able to sell out in less than 2 hours. The best part is, the people who traded-in their clothes left with something “new,” and every part of this process was sustainable. All of the donated clothing will be able to be upcycled and live a new life, instead of ending up in a landfill. As of now there’s no official word on if adidas will be doing this again in another city, but we hope that these types of sustainable brand activations will be more of a regular thing in the near future.
