If you’ve ever wondered where your clothes go after you throw them away, you might be interested in hearing the story of Forewear. The project which won the Social Impact Award in 2013 and the “Sole Trader” of the City of Prague in 2015 started as a clothes swapping initiative between friends, in an attempt to make each other happy, help people in need and reduce the amount of clothing that ends up burned or in landfills.
It has since evolved into a business based upon a unique method of making products out of recycled textiles. Old textiles are collected and brought to a factory in the Czech Republic where they are essentially chopped up and processed into new unwoven textile material that somewhat resembles recycled felt. FOREWEAR designs various prints on these recycled textiles and then collaborates with seamstresses from a sheltered workshop who sew diaries, phone and iPad covers and other accessories from them, resulting in a unique, colorful and completely locally-made product usable by individuals and companies.
The accessories can be bought online as well as in a few small design shops in Prague, including Kuráž and Koloběh.
“We wanted to make use of clothes left over from our clothes swap parties and, at the same time, not ever forget about a socially beneficial aim. It’s not just about the product but also about social impact.” – Markéta Borecká, Founde