Madrona Wear is a local business dedicated to giving your activewear new life and keeping torn-up activewear out of the landfill.
Photograph by Dani Winters Photography
The name Madrona comes from the Madrona tree which is a sign of a healthy ecosystem for biologists, which Owner West Persons discovered through years of climbing and being outside. He says of Madrona Wear: “being here in town, it’s kind of a landmark of a healthy town where people can go to get their gear fixed.”
Photograph by Dani Winters Photography
Persons started Madrona Wear in 2020, after years working at outdoor companies and realizing there was a huge need for repairing outdoor wear. Lots of people came in looking for a simple repair, but nobody in the retail space was up to the task, resulting in thrown out active wear and expensive replacements. West had some sewing skills, so he took on some clients—he now repairs items from all over the country, even as far away as New York!
Persons doesn’t just fix items; he puts a creative twist on them as well, using a unique thread color or cool patch to give the piece a unique flair.
Photograph by Dani Winters Photography
“We try to be colorful and unique and bright,” he says. “Here in the PNW we get a lot of rain and … dark days and so we’re constantly trying to find times to put bright fabric into people’s clothes for repair.”
And even pieces that are unfixable get used! All the good parts are either harvested for hardware, used on other pieces, or used as practice or to calibrate the industrial sewing machines. Any scraps that can’t be used in-house are passed on to a company that recycles them and reuses the fibers and makes new fabric and new products.
Photograph by Dani Winters Photography
The most common repair job Persons encounters is broken zippers, which cause a lot of people to throw out clothing. But on a $100 jacket, it’s worth paying a fraction of the price of a new one to get the zipper fixed.
Madrona also hosts events where they do as many free repairs as they can within a limited time, and they’ve been asked by bigger outdoorsy events if they want to have a booth to do repairs on site for the bikers, climbers, etc.
A big goal for the future of Madrona Wear is to set it up where the community can also attempt to fix their own pieces. There will still be employees there to do repairs, but for the people who just need access to an industrial machine or a buckle or a scrap of fabric this will be the perfect outlet to be able to fix your gear!
When you bring a piece of clothing to Madrona Wear, Persons and his team analyze the garment and give honest feedback on whether or not they can repair it, as well as an estimate of how much it will cost. If it’s unfixable or the cost of repair is too high, you can donate the piece and Madrona will use it for scraps, sewing practice, and calibrating the machines.
Madrona Wear is a great place to shop, get repairs, and meet other people with the same passions for the outdoors. Stop in and visit this local business helping better our planet while helping the community better it too. With their amazing staff and incredible seam work you’ll be blown away at the beauty of Madrona Wear.
