The apparel industry has come a long way over the years, with ever more fashion houses embracing sustainable initiatives to keep worn garments out of landfills. In-store textile recycling and resale programs have become increasingly prevalent, as outfitters pursue clever ways to reduce environmental impact without cutting into their bottom line. Arc’teryx exemplifies this evolution—a label dedicated to helping consumers connect with nature, and now helping them save it, too.
Based in North Vancouver, Canada, a city abutting mountainous terrain, Arc’teryx manufactures technical clothing tailored to alfresco activities ranging from hiking and climbing to skiing and snowboarding. Leveling up its longstanding sustainability efforts, a few years ago the retailer launched ReBird, a comprehensive program that extends the product lifecycle. ReBird invites patrons to bring in their used merch either to repair for continued wear or donate for store credit. Arc’teryx revives the donated items for resale or, when more appropriate, repurposes them as scraps to fashion into one-of-a-kind creations. These “re-wilded” jackets, shells, and pants are priced significantly less than new products, making the company’s high-performance wares more accessible to a wider range of budgets and effectively expanding its customer base.
How The Arc’teryx ReBird Service Center Embodies The Brand’s Ethos
For its first site-specific “in-the-field” location, a ski destination in Jilin City, China, a pop-up tent by Still Young houses the Arc’teryx ReBird Service Center, which invites patrons to bring in used merchandise to repair for continued wear or donate for store credit, the latter revived for resale or repurposed as textile scraps to fashion into one-of-a-kind creations, including elements for this project.
ReBird, which first appeared as shop-in-shops throughout North America, has steadily expanded and now includes a handful of overseas service centers. Now, the British Columbian brand unveils its first outpost “in the field,” so to speak: a pop-up at a popular ski destination in Jilin City, China. The strategic slopeside location by Shanghai firm Still Young, places sustainability efforts directly in the natural environment that Arc’teryx products are conceived to explore and protect, and broadens brand awareness in a market experiencing surging growth since the country hosted the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Open for ski season only, the pop-up embodies ReBird’s core concepts of repurposing, upcycling, and waste reduction. The 10-sided, steel-framed yurt sits lightly on the land, minimizing environmental impact. The vibrant coloration of its tarpaulin top stands out against the surrounding snow; “skiers can see the tent as they zoom down from the mountaintop,” Still Young founder Eric Ch explains. Brand loyalists slaloming past will recognize the illuminated logo at the tent’s peak: the skeletal fossil of the archaeopteryx, a winged and feathered Jurassic-era dinosaur from which the company derives its name. Both the colorful tarp roof and the service center’s 20-foot-tall sign, in the shape of a supersized jacket, are crafted from an angular patchwork of repurposed Arc’teryx textile scraps, elevating the individual purpose of clothing into a collective one, Ch notes: “Outerwear that originally protected just one person has been transformed into a shelter, carrying greater meaning.”
Amenities Include A VIP Lounge And On-Site Gear Repair
Translucent film on windows mimic the effect of rippling water as seen from above.
Still Young was an apropos choice for the project, having previously teamed with the client to conceive four Arc’teryx stores throughout China, including the 9,500-square-foot Beijing flagship featured in the February 2024 issue of Interior Design. The studio has built a reputation as a retail and rollout specialist, creating shops and cafés that put a regional spin on global conglomerates like McDonald’s and Nike. “Our current focus is the localization of international brands and the modularization of commerce,” Ch says. Here, that meant channeling the natural features of the surrounding Changbai Mountains and Songhua Lake.
Inside the 1,755-square-foot Arc’teryx ReBird Service Center, as it’s officially called, is a VIP lounge and a workshop space offering on-site repair and refresh services. A bank of washing machines invites shoppers to get their gear laundered, while technicians use sewing machines and specialized tools to replace zippers, patch holes, and restore insulation to extend each garment’s lifespan. While waiting, guests can relax and enjoy coffee beverages decorated with custom latte art—the brand logo, a faithful depiction of the tent—rendered by a 3D printer. Sips are served from a central bar-in-the-round partially crafted of molded resin formed to resemble stacked snowflakes or shattered ice—a nod to the winter environment. Completing the cabinesque decor are a campfire-style gas firepit that encourages gathering, and wood grain–print paneling and product displays carved into organic shapes to echo the terrain outside. Windows are veiled by translucent film illustrating a birds-eye view of rippling water, waves radiating outward like the aftermath of a pebble tossed into a pond.
Appointments can be made for the workshop to repair garments, from zipper replacement to adding new insulation.
A testament to creative reuse, the project represents a flipped approach to retail: highlighting typically back-of-house operations to create immersive, customer-facing experiences that demonstrate and celebrate eco-friendly values. “It’s a full-service store without any commercial retail purpose,” Ch says. “The aim is to educate outdoor enthusiasts on environmental protection concepts and provide a place for them to rest and relax.” By choosing the location of a working ski resort, Arc’teryx connects its sustainable practices directly with the outside activities its products are designed for, creating a prescient circular narrative that reinforces the retailer’s commitment to protecting the natural world its clientele cherishes.
Walk Through The Arc’teryx ReBird Service Center in Jilin City
Upholstered custom seating units are warmed by a gas fireplace.
A waterproof tarpaulin crafted of upcycled Arc’teryx scraps caps the 10-sided, steel-framed tent.
The curves of the paneling, surfaced in a wood grain–print film, echo the surrounding topography.
The molded resin forming the bar and sculptural element it encircles is meant to resemble ice.
Sinuous apertures routed into paneling are lined in weathered stainless steel to create the effect of window frames.
The service center is located at the base of a mountain, accessible to skiers as they descend.
A closeup of the bar reveals its layered composition, created via a mold.
The base of the bar is a wood-plastic composite, as is the floor.
Guests can have their Arc’teryx-branded clothes professionally cleaned and dried per manufacturer’s recommendations at operable washing machines.
Custom product displays showcase Arc’teryx merchandise, although nothing is for sale.
A steel skeletal fossil of the archaeopteryx, a winged and feathered Jurassic-era dinosaur from which the company derives its name, crowns the 1,755-square-foot center, open only during ski season.
The lounge area, with custom seating, offers a view of the gondolas and ski slopes beyond.