Fashion
Dec 14, 2021
by Carolina Sandeman
Eastpak and Depop Launch Upcycled “Re-Built to Resist” Collection
by Carolina Sandeman
Dec 14, 2021

Depop seems to be on a roll with its positive initiatives. After joining forces with the Black in Fashion Council, it has now teamed up with global lifestyle brand Eastpak on a new sustainable collection.

Named “Re-Built to Resist,” a play on the brand’s slogan “Built to Resist,” the collection consists of a limited drop of fifty upcycled backpacks, which can be found exclusively on Eastpack’s US Depop shop. This new collection is the brand’s sustainably conscious solution to reducing waste while preserving style.

Eastpak’s quintessential backpacks were originally designed to last. In order to guarantee their longevity, it chose durable materials that would endure an active lifestyle. To further the lifespan of these pieces, it launched a limited warranty policy for most of its designs up to 30 years, this way aiming to encourage consumers to buy better and therefore less.

This warranty program made it possible for the Re-Built to Resist collection to come to life. The Padded Pak’r backpack from the collection is made from pre-worn bags from Eastpak’s warranty center that can’t be repaired. In these cases, two colorways or prints were fused together, arriving at a one-of-a-kind design. Every piece has a main section, a pocket in the front with a zip fastening, a 13-inch laptop sleeve space, jacquard webbing and a detachable branded keychain. The bags also feature a padded back panel, padded shoulder straps and a wrapping bag, which is also made from leftover resources.

On Eastpak’s website, you can find its sustainability game plan, focusing on reducing, reusing, recycling and repairing, which perfectly incorporates the ideas that go into the production of this new collection.

“We are thrilled to work with a like-minded partner like Depop – a leader in changing how we view and buy fashion – as Eastpak continues to work for a sustainable future,” says Domitille Parent, VP of Global Brand Management at Eastpak. “The Rebuilt to Resist upcycled collection will showcase just how durable Eastpak product is.”

While these are clearly still made out of nylon, which is a thermoplastic, this is a great solution in how to give these bags a whole new life. In a perfect world, we’d have fibers that are both super durable and could naturally decompose once we’re done with our pieces, but in reality, since the intent of the original piece was to last 30 years, if not more, the most reliable solutions have been synthetic materials. But that’s changing. Just recently, Fjällräven remade its iconic bags with a wood-based material.

Nevertheless, this collaboration highlights the importance of upcycling goods and how you can achieve a new piece through this process, but that once you look closer it still has its own history and origin story. By selling these pieces on Depop, Eastpak manages to connect with a new customer-base by offering unique, limited edition designs. Together, Eastpak and Depop, are working to prove that a better future can be achieved through sustainable fashion.

The Re-Built to Resist collection backpacks go for $50 USD and were launched on November 30 at Eastpak’s Depop Shop.