Porty Clothes, the startup that recovers discarded clothes, fixes them and resells them

Marco Portaro, 24, is a very young economics student at the University of Bologna who had a very interesting idea: a startup that combines creative recycling, waste reduction, and clothing, all in a circular economy context. The platform is called Porty Clothes and the recovery-transformation mechanism-Selling is quite simple and goes through five steps:

• Head collection: used clothes or waste fabrics are recovered.
• Selection of materials: natural fibres (such as cotton and wool) are mainly chosen.
• Restyling and repair: the garments are analyzed and “repaired” (holes, stains, defects).
• Creative transformation: some clothes are modified or combined together to create unique pieces.
• New sale: upcycled garments are put back into circulation as unique and sustainable products.

Marco says: “When I started, many were surprised and called me "crazy," a term that actually flatters me. The idea was born in a moment of vulnerability: at the end of March, I had a sudden abnormal heartbeat. During the rush to the hospital, I felt like I was on another planet. In the emergency room, my attention was caught by a simple object: a vase with a crack. I reflected on that crack all night, connecting it to the Japanese philosophy of Kintsugi, where broken vases are repaired with gold, becoming more valuable than the original. I decided to apply this concept to clothing: giving new life to those pieces that are thrown away because they are considered "dead." Added to this is the symbolism of the lotus flower, which grows from mud, just like the strength of those affected by natural disasters.".

Let us keep in mind that the fast fashion It is one of the most polluting and unsustainable sectors, as demonstrated by European data: 12,6 million tons of textile waste is produced annually, of which only 22% is reused. In Italy, one of the world's leading fashion countries and the second largest in terms of market share (6,8%), 160.000 tons of textile waste are produced. In addition to the environmental problem of discarded clothing, the textile industry consumes enormous quantities of water and holds the unfortunate distinction of being the second most polluting industry in the world (after the oil industry). Fabric recovery is therefore essential to limit water and energy consumption, the production of microplastics, and reduce water pollution.