A sea of red tents at Cycle Oregon. We upcycled many of these tent flies into new products this year. Photo: Cycle Oregon

It's been a big year for us at Looptworks. Through the course of the year, we've partnered with brands across the spectrum, creating sustainable products and reusing materials of all kinds. From airline seat covers to tent flies to skis to unused domestic and overseas materials, we take pride in aiding brands with their sustainability initiatives, knowing that we're helping to change an industry one step at a time. 

For the first time, Looptworks products are available at REI. Custom editions of our beautiful Felt & Leather Collection are also available at Patagonia stores as well as select Mercedes Benz dealerships. 

 A few highlights from our work in upcycling in 2016:

Portland Trail Blazers

We began working with our home team this year to help them create new products from 25,000 pounds of new jerseys. Players retire and move on; it is a reality of the sport. When that happens, these jerseys are pulled from the shelves and put away, often being disposed of. 

Blazer fans: you can find these limited edition products for sale at local home games.

Royal Robbins

We're currently hard at work developing new products as part of our new partnership with Royal Robbins, helping them with their sustainability initiatives and finding ways to create new products using their excess materials, which will launch on the Royal Robbins and Looptworks sites.

Alaska Airlines 

Our on-going partnerships with Alaska Airlines continue as they replace a fleet's worth of leather seat covers in order to reduce the weight of planes. Our Carry On Collection features beautiful products upcycled from seat leather retired from their Horizon Airlines brand. This year we're utilizing gray and blue leather from Alaska planes with new products in production now that will launch on the site after the first of the new year!

Girls Inc & the Power of the Purse

Our partnership with Girls Inc. of the Pacific Northwest continues in 2017 with this spring's Power of the Purse fundraiser. In 2016 we teamed up with actress Claire Coffee of NBC's Grimm to create the Calvin. We're proud to continue our participation in this event, which has raised over $2 million in funds to support Girls Inc. programming in the Pacific Northwest to date.

Stay tuned for the announcement of 2017's Purse-O-Nality Lineups in January!

 

Southwest Airlines

43 Acres of Leather. That's what 80,000 leather seat covers amounts to, when you spread it out. We began the LUV seat project in 2014, and with the help of Southwest Airlines fans, we've upcycled almost all of it in the course of two years. 

We're coming down to the home stretch now, as our supplies of this leather are beginning to dwindle, forcing us to be ever more creative with our use of these materials. However, we still have a few great ideas and products brewing!

We're looking forward towards an even bigger 2017.

Cycle Oregon

Not only did we print and create upcycled event t-shirts for Cycle Oregon, but when they retired their fleet of tents, they turned to us to ensure the materials would be put to use and given new life as opposed to burned or added to the land fill. 

We utilized the materials and made table cloths for our coffee kits and stuff sacks for our portable coffee kit. We also used it to make the carry bag for our Folding Shot Ski.

We have a big soft spot for the environment and alternative forms of transportations are always on our mind. Which is why in 2016 we started a local community giveback with the portions of the proceeds of the Upcycle Coffee Travel Kit going to the Bicycle Transportation Alliance and Community Cycling Center here in Portland, Oregon. For 2017 we're planning to expand this further!

 

Thanks for coming along for the ride and upcycling with us.