Wearable Collections organizes clothing recycling collection in buildings around the city, helping style-sensitive New Yorkers free up space in their tiny closets while easing the waste stream and supporting multiple charities in the process. I met the founders in Brooklyn last week to talk about their organization and the meaning of New York fashion in a floundering environment.

Michael Kroon: Please explain the personal inspiration for your organization.

Michael Sorel: In 2000 our partner Ethan Ruby was hit by a car while crossing Delancey St. The accident left him paralyzed from the chest down. He became president of the NYC chapter of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, and we wanted to find a way to support our friend by raising funds to support research in the field of spinal cord research.

Adam Baruchowitz: After seeing clothing being left in my hallway for over a week to be picked up, I had this light bulb over my head for a moment, and I realized that it was quite inefficient to drive around NYC and pick up one bag at a time. What if we could place bins inside buildings, the way you might see clothing recycling bins in a mall’s parking lot in the suburbs. I saw each building as a community being able to sustain permanent clothing drives within them. Perhaps we could create a more convenient way for tenants to dispose of their unwanted clothing, shoes, boots, linens, hats, belts, bags, and bedding.

MK: How do you fund your operations and make the profit that translates into donations towards charity?

MS: After collecting the clothing we sell it to a third party vendor. We then donate 20-25% of our collected gross to The Miami Project for spinal cord research and The Council on the Environment for NYC, as well as many other organizations.

AB: The clothing then gets sorted into what can be reused and what will be reground. Anything that can’t be re-worn gets out-sourced to different companies that use it for insulation, machine cloth, stuffing, fillers, etc. There are 100’s of different uses, and more and more as people are becoming more aware of the need to recycle and re-use.  

MK: What were some challenges and breakthroughs in transition from vision to reality?

AB: One of the greatest hurdles has been navigating the bureaucracy of property management companies. We have found the quickest way to get into buildings is through the tenants themselves. When a tenant brings up our program to their super or management company, they are more receptive than if they were to receive a cold call from us.

MS: We have tried to make this easy for tenants by setting up a letter from the tenant to the resident manager on our website. All that needs to be done is fill in the names and send it. The bins and pick up comes at no cost to the building.

AB: And we are now in about 60 buildings in Manhattan, and work with other organizations throughout all five boroughs.

MK: Some testimonials on your site are pretty great. For example, "Josh" writes, "If you guys were around 20 years ago, there would be a lot less landfills stuffed with parachute pants today!" Would you share some other examples of memorable feedback?  

MS: The feedback that makes us most proud comes from the building managers. Quite often we start with a pilot program in one building of a management company. So far every time, they have asked us to expand the program to their other buildings, simply off the feedback they are receiving from their managers and residents. That is proof that we are doing something right. 

MK: Well, let's talk about what's wrong. According to your site, textiles comprise 6% of this city's waste-stream which equates to 386 million pounds annually stacked in our landfills. Do you see your business plan uniquely-suited to the throw-away fashion culture of NYC and how can New Yorkers become less wasteful in this regard? 

MS:  Being New Yorkers ourselves, we certainly think Wearable Collections strikes a chord with the locals. Convenience is the name of our game, and we know all too well about the limitations of closet space in NYC. With all the clothes people are buying, most likely, that same amount gets disposed. That said, our business plan is more diverse than it seems. We can help any organization raise funds through the collection of clothes. The opportunities are limitless. 

AB: And in order to become less wasteful, people should be more conscious of what they consume.  Many items that we throw away can be useful to someone else. We like the ideas that have sprouted around the city, such as clothing swaps, and book swaps. At these events people bring unwanted goods and happily take home somebody else’s unwanted goods. It would be great if every building dedicated space for their residents to swap all types of goods. 

MK: I recently attended Fashion Week where the "Be Eco-Chic Event" kicked off ceremonies. With the finicky nature of seasonal New York fashion, is sustainable style even possible? How does Wearable Collections fit into that equation? 

MS: Well, there are always technological improvements that we can’t necessarily foresee. Presently, when I look at some of the clothing made by bamboo, I am really impressed. I like the texture, and consistency and bamboo is a very renewable resource. So I am optimistic about learning to make clothing out of different types of renewable materials. Frankly, with the amount of water it takes to grow cotton, we need to find other staples that are less stressful to the environment.

AB: On the other hand, when I look at finicky fashions in NYC, there always seems to be some sort of retro movement going on, whether it’s bringing back styles of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s, so you never know when the clothing collected by Wearable Collections will be hot again.

MK: Is there anything else on your mind that you'd like to share with our readers? 

MS: Well, we want to thank New Yorkers for helping take our initiative as their own.  Wearable Collections is nothing without their support, and our growth depends on it.