If you are anything like me, you probably have a ton of old t-shirts in your wardrobe that you don’t wear but have emotional attachments to or simply don’t want to get rid of them. Sure, you could donate them or give them away to a friend or family member, but chances are you will never see that t-shirt ever again. Luckily, all it takes is a creative mind to solve this dilemma.
During his time at Boston University, Ross Lohr double majored in Economics and Psychology. It was in his college years that he founded a nongovernmental organization that improved educational opportunities for children in Tanzania. While he was there, he noticed something interesting. He noticed that everyone was wearing Americans’ secondhand clothing. This is where his idea for Project Repat started.
Lohr is from Newton, Massachusetts, and is now a BU alumni. One day while he was in Africa, he was stuck in a traffic jam for a very long time. When he discovered the cause of the accident, he saw a guy at the scene wearing a t-shirt that said, “I danced my ass off at Josh’s Bar Mitzvah.” This made Lohr stop and think. “What I realized was just how much excess clothing there is in the United States. Then I started thinking about ways to add value to that clothing in the United States rather than dumping it elsewhere or in landfills.” – Ross Lohr
Project Repat gives people a unique way of preserving their t-shirts and the memories that go with them by turning them into something that is new and reusable. The most popular item that is sold at Project Repat is their t-shirt blankets. Blankets can be made from 9 to 42 t-shirts, and make great graduation gifts! The blankets range in size from 3 X 3 feet, for $62.00 to 6 X 7 feet for $107.00, and anywhere in between those prices and sizes.
Project Repat is now offering 15% off HerCampus readers!! Just enter the discount code ‘hercampus’ at checkout!
For more information on blankets, and other products offered by Project Repat, visit their website, the website’s FAQ page, or “like” their facebook page!
Project Repat is also currently looking for campus ambassadors to sell their products on campus! If you are interested, or for more information, please e-mail: Nathan@projectrepat.com
“All of our blankets are made in the United States by an individual earning a fair living wage. In Massachusetts, we work at NuPath, Inc., a non-profit providing employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. “ – Lohr