(Re)vive

Excess waste has been an issue in the fashion industry since its beginning. Most waste is an outcome of returned inventory, excess inventory, and in some cases, inventory that is slightly damaged. The logistics and resale systems created by the use of models are less flexible, leading to waste instead of sustainability. This growing issue has stimulated the development of new solutions centered on circular fashion, of which (Re)vive is the leader. 

Founded in 2022, (Re)vive is a new company that has developed an efficient and sustainable upcycle model to help brands manage returns and unsellable inventory by CEO Allison Lee. (Re)vive collaborates with brands to refurbish inventory that would otherwise be landfill bound: lightly damaged returns, store try-ons, display samples, and surplus stock. Their upcycling model is designed as a waste, maximising recovery value for brands, and increasing access to quality costs to consumers. Again, it is a competitive labor model. Using their warehouses in Georgia, New Jersey, and Arizona the company inspects, repairs, cleans, and repackages clothing and accessories to be put back into the brand's inventory or resold on established secondary marketplaces like Poshmark and eBay. By working with (Re)vive, companies save time and money around returns while reinforcing brand stewardship of environmental stewardship. The company also has a digital dashboard for brands to see the progress of restoration services, communicate with specialists, and manage inventory easily. While (Re)vive's solution maximizes environmental value, it also maximizes commercial value. With the help of (Re)vive, brands recover up to 4x more value from goods that were previously written off as lost dollars! They also get to participate in the resale economy without investing time and money in their own internal refurbishment or logistics infrastructure. One of (Re)vive's standouts is their technology-enabled restoration pipeline, which helps brands digitize and classify returned goods, identify any repairs needed, and apply automation in the refurbishing process to improve speed and scalability. Their focus on everything from quality to speed has established (Re)vive as a key partner to fashion brands including Michael Kors, Eileen Fisher, Tommy Bahama, and Quint in a service capacity, and are responsible for contributing over $30 million in recovered gross merchandise value (GMV) to date.

(Re)vive is a values-based model that is closely connected to the income outcomes of its partner brands. Unlike a flat fee pricing model, the firm typically monetizes through service fees and commission-based earnings generated on resold items. Partners pay for refurbishment service and logistics services based on the volume and complexity of items, and (Re)vive earns additional income when refurbished items enter the secondary marketplaces of eBay or Poshmark. Overall, its success is dependent on its partner brands recovering value from inventory that would otherwise be unsellable, making it an economically viable and revenue-generating solution for fashion retailers in Quebec and beyond. In order to continue scaling operations, (Re)vive completed a $3.5 million seed funding round in late 2024, led by Equal Ventures and Hustle Fund with investment support from Banter Capital, Coalition Operators, Mute VC, and sustainability-focused angel investors. This brought the company’s estimated valuation to over $20 million. The proceeds from the round are being used to add to the company’s operational footprint, assimilate the upgrades to its AI and logistics technology, and widen the scope of brand partnerships across the United States. In total, (Re)vive also estimated approximately $3 million in revenue in 2024 from service agreements with partner brands and commissions from goods sold on the secondary marketplace.

As more brands are choosing to upcycle instead of disposing of returned inventory, (Re)vive expects to surpass this figure by a factor of three by the end of 2025. In fact, (Re)vive's revenue increased by almost 15x over the past year indicating demand for the sustainable fashion solutions in the market that (Re)vive could provide . Original projections at the beginning of 2023 forecasted roughly 100,000 and expanded to 122,000 units worth approximately 1.6 million dollars by the end of 2025, but this was before launching. By early 2025, (Re)vive surpassed projections, hiring over 60 full-time employees including restoration specialists, logistics managers and AI engineers. In fact, the team grew fast enough to support operations in three U.S. states - Georgia, New Jersey, and Arizona - and planned to open more facilities in California and Texas by the end of 2025. These are desired locations to be in as they can serve a major fashion distribution hub and reduce emissions from transportation as well, similar to the furniture business from the previous section. In this competitive landscape, (Re)vive was somewhat unique but would still face competition both from the incumbent competitors and other new businesses. Trove and Archive provide reasonable resale and returns refurbishing as part of their broader platforms while newer startups like Bazar, which started in 2023, are focused on reselling items the retailer cannot put back on the shelf, working with fast fashion retailers such as Cider. While these competitors exist, (Re)vive can set itself apart with a narrowed focus on upcycling and sustainability while still providing a return. What sets (Re)vive apart is its dual focus on environmental impact and economic return. Whereas other resale platforms rely on either sustainable messaging or resale technology, (Re)vive combines both experiences. It removes the friction to scale between sustainability and scalability.

According to Allison Lee, the company is truly dedicated to reinventing the future of fashion: “We’re here to turn what used to be fashion waste into valuable, sellable inventory — again and again. It’s about building a new system where circularity isn’t the exception, but the standard.” As (Re)vive expands its operations further and brings in new brand partners, it’s anticipated their impact on the retail sector will continue to grow significantly. With their new approach to logistics, new technology, and new purpose, (Re)vive is leading the way to reframe how the fashion industry deals with returns, excess, and sustainability. With more consumers shifting toward more sustainable consumption, (Re)vive is prepared to progress the change, one remade clothing item at a time.

Click here to access (Re)vive's website.