Eileen Fisher Renew Program

Eileen Fisher runs a take-back program called Renew where customers return used Eileen Fisher garments in any condition. The company cleans, repairs, or repurposes them into new products that sell at a discounted price in dedicated Renew stores and online. Over 1.5 million garments have been taken back since the program started. That scale distinguishes it from symbolic gestures by brands that accept returns and then send them to landfills. Renew products are interesting because some pieces are resewn from multiple garments, combining fabrics and colors from different original pieces into patchwork designs that couldn't exist without the return program. The company publishes data on how many garments were resold versus recycled versus composted, and that transparency lets you evaluate the claim rather than accepting it on faith. That returned garments are sorted by condition. Pieces in good shape are cleaned and resold as-is, pieces with minor damage are repaired and given a second life. Pieces beyond repair are deconstructed for fiber recovery or composted if the fabric is natural. Tiered system means almost nothing goes to waste. Labor required for sorting, repairing, and resewing is reflected in the Renew prices, which are lower than new Eileen Fisher but not cheap. The program works in part because Eileen Fisher's designs are intentionally timeless, simple silhouettes in natural fabrics that don't go out of style. A piece from 2015 looks current on a Renew rack in 2024. At $79 for a resewn blouse, you're getting something genuinely unique — no two Renew patchwork pieces are alike.