Recover Brands launches upcycling and T-shirt recycling program at UCLA Store

Recover Brands brought its circular apparel playbook to campus when the UCLA Store announced the partnership launching Feb. 23, 2026, introducing a limited-edition UCLA collection and a T-shirt recycling program at the BearWear department in Ackerman Union. The collaboration pairs campus merchandising with Recover’s sustainability mission, folding collegiate apparel into a textile recycling system designed to divert clothing from landfills.

The UCLA collection comprises 10 new items described as repurposed, low-impact apparel and will be available in-store at the UCLA Store’s campus flagship. ASUCLA’s release framed the roll-out with the line, “The latest UCLA Store collection introduces new vendor partner Recover Brands to the campus flagship, bringing new collegiate styles with a purpose.” The campus tie-up positions blue and gold alongside Recover’s materials strategy, presenting collegiate merchandise as part of a closed-loop supply chain.

Alongside the product launch, Bruins can now drop off old or unused polyester or cotton T-shirts or sweatshirts at the main BearWear department on B-Level in Ackerman Union. Donated items will be “sorted, broken down and reused to create new Recover Brands gear” through Recover’s textile recycling system, a local in-store activation of the company’s wider collection programs. ASUCLA emphasized the program’s objective “to help divert clothing from landfills,” linking campus donations directly to Recover’s remanufacturing pipeline.

Recover Brands founder and president Bill Johnston underscored the partnership’s intent, stating, “We are thrilled to collaborate with the UCLA Store and this world-class institution to provide students, parents, alumni, staff and fans with products that support our planet and deliver on our mission of ‘Helping Earth Recover,’” His words place the campus rollout within Recover’s corporate mission and its audience of students, alumni, staff and fans.

Recover’s manufacturing claims supply the technical backbone for the UCLA initiative. The company reports that its process “utilizes 99% less water and 95% less energy than conventional garments” and that it manufactures from repurposed recycled cotton and plastic as well as lines that use 100% recycled materials or 100% USDA Certified Organic Cotton. Recover has also emphasized vertical manufacturing and HyperLocal® supply chains in its corporate materials—mechanisms intended to shorten lead times and reduce the resource intensity of production.

The UCLA activation reflects components of Recover’s 360° Closed Loop Program and related services. That program collects post-consumer garments at race expos and packet pickups, breaks them down and respins the fibers into new apparel, and has partnered with events including the Marine Corps Marathon, Big Sur International Marathon and Charlotte Marathon. Recover’s print-on-demand service, another arm of its model, aims to cut excess inventory by printing and shipping per order, while experimentation with unique colors of post-consumer cotton waste has broadened the brand’s fabric palette and storytelling around circularity.

Logistics for campus participation are straightforward: the collaboration launches Feb. 23, 2026, and Bruins can drop off eligible polyester or cotton T-shirts or sweatshirts at the BearWear main department on B-Level in Ackerman Union; donated garments will enter Recover’s textile recycling stream to be sorted, broken down and reused as new Recover Brands gear. By routing campus merchandise and community donations into a closed-loop system, the UCLA Store partnership translates Recover’s claimed resource savings into a visible campus program and a tangible example of collegiate retail meeting circular manufacturing.