Dare to Repair

May 9, 2024 | icebreaker

After a highly successful pilot in 2023, icebreaker Dare to Repair program returned in April 2024. Customers were encouraged to bring in their worn icebreaker clothing which had developed holes or unravelling stitching for repair.

What is Dare to Repair?

Dare to Repair is an event hosted by icebreaker stores where customers can bring in their worn icebreaker clothing and have it repaired by professionals as well as learn how to makes repairs themselves at home. Dare to Repair was piloted in 2023 in the Toronto store and in April 2024 was extended into Kitsilano and Park Royal in Vancouver.

Why was the Dare to Repair event created?

We all hate it when our favorite clothing starts to wear and develop holes and imperfections. Dare to Repair aims to extend the life of icebreaker clothing as well as teach customers how to make repairs to all their clothes in an effort to keep clothing out of landfills and in use longer. As icebreaker clothing is made largely from merino wool it can be daunting to repair. The ultra-fine merino fibers are delicate and the last thing a novice wants to do is to make more holes and the garment worse! However, it is important to repair any holes quickly after they develop otherwise they can expand and unravel. In 2023 172 garments were repaired and in 2024 over 300 garments were repaired.

As a premium product shouldn’t icebreaker clothes last longer?

icebreaker clothes are made with some of the highest quality merino wool available, this also makes it less durable compared to synthetic fibers. icebreaker clothes use merino wool between 15.5 and 19 microns. For reference a human hair is 50 microns. This fine fiber is what makes icebreaker merino so soft, lightweight, and comfortable to wear. The trade-off is that it can be less durable especially when comparing to synthetic outdoor clothing which is made predominantly from polyester and elastane. Synthetic fibers are designed not to break which is also why they take years to break down in landfills. In the past icebreaker has blended merino with synthetics to enhance the durability but in our quest to create 100% natural clothing we have either switched to 100% merino or a bio-based alternative. We are not quite at our 100% plastic-free goal (96.14% as of 2024) but are working on the final 4% as well as making our products the best merino outdoor clothing available. Learn more about our plastic-free journey>>

Why is it important?

At the end of the day, we want our customer to be able to use our garments for longer. It not only saves customers from having to replace the items they are happy with and have shared many adventures with but also keeps them out of landfill. As we reflect on the events, we are excited of ways to extend the Dare to Repair program. More to come.