Players get traded or move on. What do you do with stacks of obsolete game jerseys and fan replica jerseys?

The 2019 NBA season is heating up, and just in time to showcase the love for your team, Looptworks is officially debuting our collaboration with the NBA, featuring upcycled fan gear crafted from retired, authentic jerseys.

The NBA has partnered with Looptworks and tasked us with reimagining these obsolete, excess jerseys as amazing new products in order to give them a second life. Each item in our NBA collection is upcycled from authentic NBA replica fan jerseys, all deconstructed and re-fashioned as new fan gear, made in limited edition batches here in Portland, Oregon.

Where do excess jerseys come from?

There are many variables and options available when shopping for an authentic jersey from your favorite basketball player or team. Do you go for the home colors, or are you drawn to the away colors? Icon Edition, Statement Edition or Association Edition?

But what happens to all of these jerseys when that player retires or gets traded? For example, last year when Lebron James moved from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers, Cavaliers jerseys bearing Lebron’s name and number could no longer be sold.

Thousands of jerseys have already been produced and were ready for sale. So what happens next? Instead of putting them into storage indefinitely, they were shipped to Looptworks and our non-profit partner here in Portland. They are then deconstructed and born again as backpacks, pillows and waist packs, a process known as upcycling.

This process happens every season, but by upcycling, we're able to repurpose these jerseys and keep what was special about these materials intact, while giving them another chance to be worn by fans.

Supporting Upcycled Products Conserves Water and Air 

Fans purchasing upcycled products made from excess materials versus buying an item made using virgin materials help conserve water and avoid carbon emissions.