Old cloths become new clothes
What do you actually do with stained, old, worn-out tablecloths with too many service shifts on their CV? You make chef jackets out of them. Together with the textile service provider Elis, Segers is testing a new upcycle project with textiles that previously lived another life. Test pilot Paul Svensson has tried it and gives a thumbs up!
Restaurant life can be tough – even for a tablecloth. Spills, tight laundry schedules, and many transports wear heavily on textiles and they don't last forever. But now there is a chance for worn-out tablecloths to make a comeback in restaurants while reducing the industry's environmental impact. Together with the textile service provider Elis, Segers has carried out a project to make new clothes from old worn-out tablecloths. Upcycling instead of recycling. It's about new restaurant clothes that previously lived a life as tablecloths.
– Making new clothes from old tablecloths actually goes against all processes and truths in conventional textile production, but we need to find new ways to reduce environmental impact. At the start of the project, we encountered many challenges, but along the way, we have gained at least as many lessons about how the circular products of the future can be developed and produced, says Peter Frank, product manager at Segers.
Chef jackets and table napkins
In an initial pilot project, both chef clothes and table napkins have been produced. Each new garment has received a chip that collects important data about usage, which will then be evaluated in product development. The test pilot for the new-old garments is Paul Svensson – chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author focused on sustainability.
– We've had time to work in the clothes for a while and they are super comfortable. The staff say the clothes work really well in service and that the napkins get extra attention from our guests, says Paul. For several years, Paul had been looking for a solution where existing materials could be used for staff workwear, but the upcycled garments available in traditional clothing stores did not have the durability required in the restaurant industry. And the number of suppliers willing to go the extra mile to offer sustainable options for the restaurant industry was few.
– The industry needs a combination of stylish, durable, and resource-wise clothes. Apart from aprons in upcycled material, we haven't found any supplier who can offer anything similar within chef clothes – until now with Segers and Elis, says Paul.
Unique differences are part of the charm
One of the production's challenges has been to create identical products from a textile raw material that is anything but uniform. Bleaching the clothes to an identical look is unthinkable because the method harms the environment.
– If you put two chefs side by side and know what to look for, you can probably spot minor shade differences in these chef jackets. But how often does the guest notice such things? And is it really a problem? There is a good reason why the clothes are not identical. Nature is full of differences, and if we can find carrots in different shades charming, we can surely learn to feel the same about chef jackets or napkins. I don't see the problem, says Paul.
Sustainable clothes for more people
For Segers, it's now about evaluating the project together with Paul and Elis. The hope is to scale up and offer the new-old clothes to more in the industry who want to become more sustainable.
– A project like this stirs things up and requires new solutions in collaboration, logistics, product development, and production. Change can be uncomfortable, but this project has only been fun. In the end, it's about being able to present products we are proud of and that contribute to a more sustainable industry. We want everyone to have the chance to work in these clothes, says Peter Frank at Segers.
