Stowe firm converts old ski gear

Residents of Stowe can now send used ski and snowboard clothing to a local workshop for recycling. BirdieBlue processes these items to create new accessories, keeping textiles out of area landfills. The company accepts gear in any condition, including items with tears or broken zippers.

BirdieBlue operates from a manufacturing space in Stowe. Founder Kate Harvey established the business in 2022 after her ski pants ripped on a chairlift at Okemo. She had worn the pants for 20 years and decided to repurpose them instead of discarding them.

Harvey disassembled the damaged pants and used a sewing machine to create zip wallets. Those wallets became one of the company's popular products. The business now produces a variety of items, including fanny packs, scrunchies, and bags of different sizes.

The company has expanded since its early days. Harvey now works with a team of employees in a larger facility. The operation processes more clothing waste than before. Harvey said the team is handling a large volume of material and is open to accepting more gear.

“We estimate we’ve saved about 50,000 pounds of gear with all the downcycling we’ve done,” Harvey said. The workshop washes all incoming items. Workers break the clothing down into usable remnant fabrics. They then cut the material into sewing packs for a home sew network.

BirdieBlue partners with several manufacturers and ski mountains. These partners include Burton and Turtle Fur. Local ski areas such as Sugarbush, Killington, and Stratton also send gear to the company. Marlaina Hunter, a member of the BirdieBlue team, noted that the variety of incoming materials keeps the work unpredictable.

“It’s so exciting because you never know what the day is going to bring,” Hunter said. The company aims to serve as the primary upcycle partner for the ski industry. Harvey said the business is currently scratching the surface of its potential.

BirdieBlue also handles the small scraps left over from the upcycling process. These leftover pieces are too small for new products. The company sends them to a downcycling partner. That partner chops the material into shoddy, which is used to make home insulation.