Marketing Director John Rossell on ‘Using Old AG to Make New AG’
AG Jeans is calling for consumers to give back worn-in jeans made by the Los Angeles denim label.
On Earth Day, the premium jeanswear brand kicked off its AGain Program, enabling consumers to recycle their unwanted AG jeans at any of the company’s retail store in exchange for 25 percent off a full price jean purchase.
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The collected denim will be shredded, refined and spun into new cotton yarn that gets woven into new denim fabric to be used in a future AG capsule. The denim collection period runs through July 22.
To keep the process clean and sustainable, John Rossell, AG director of marketing and creative, said the brand’s “state-of-the-art partner” offers eco-friendly recycling that eliminates hazardous chemicals and reduces water and energy consumption. The same partner then processes the fiber and weaves it into new denim fabric that because new AG jeans in a closed-loop system.
“The most sustainable option when it comes to unwanted clothing is to extend the item’s lifespan by reusing, repurposing, or upcycling it, but when it comes time to finally say goodbye, our mindfully recycled denim program offers a genuine second-life to our items, with tangible results and a circular fashion model to help close the loop,” the company stated.
AG introduced AGain in 2021. Rossell said the goal for the program is to raise awareness with customers around the possibilities of circular fashion. He said the brand expects the program to grow roughly 20 percent year-over-year, saving thousands of pairs from being trashed every season.
“It isn’t a collection in itself, but it is the fuel behind our newest exploration of our The Jean Of Tomorrow program, a collection that zeros in on sustainability,” he said. “We’ve explored biodegradability and natural dyes with the first two installments, the newest capsule will focus on circularity and closing the loop using old AG to make new AG.”
The project supports AG’s other circular efforts, including the AG Workshop which identifies garments and textiles that can be refinished or restructured into new items.
The brand launched Revival Workshop in 2020 with a limited-edition run of shorts cut from archived inventory. Its success inspired the brand to turn it into an annual initiative, including a 2022 collection of denim shorts, jeans and jackets for men and women. The updated garments featured hand-finished details like dip-dye effects, frayed hems and distressing.
“At AG we know that the most sustainable option is to reuse and upcycle, especially with denim, which has a potentially long lifecycle,” Rossell said.
