There are many variables and options available when shopping for an authentic NBA jersey from your favorite basketball player or team. Do you go for the home colors, or are you drawn to the away colors? Icon Edition, Statement Edition or Association Edition?
But what happens to all of these jerseys when that player retires or gets traded? For example, last year when Lebron James moved from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers, Cavaliers jerseys bearing Lebron’s name and number could no longer be sold.
Thousands of cheap jerseys have already been produced and were ready for sale. So what happens next? Instead of putting them into storage indefinitely, they were shipped to Looptworks and our non-profit partner here in Portland. They are then deconstructed and born again as backpacks, pillows and waist packs, a process known as upcycling.
This process happens every season, but by upcycling, we’re able to repurpose these jerseys and keep what was special about these materials intact, while giving them another chance to be worn by fans.