What Rework does

Rework AG is a privately held Swiss upcycling fashion company headquartered in Bern at Marktgasse 58. Founded in 2003 as a spin-out from the Fizzen secondhand store, Rework applies a proprietary "serial upcycling" methodology in which secondhand garments are sourced, sorted, cleaned, cut apart, and reassembled into new fashion products with maintained collection coherence and full size runs. The catalog spans Women's, Men's, and Accessories collections; a Premium sub-brand developed with Zürich designers Dorothea Knori and Lilla Wicki; a Vintage line of curated 1960s-70s pieces; a Second-Chance line of unmodified resale items; gift cards; and a small signature assortment of leather goods including the Bill backpack.

The company operates a fully vertically integrated supply chain through two wholly-owned production subsidiaries: Rock The Boat Co. Ltd. in the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand (founded 2013, ~20 staff) and Om Siddh Vinayak in Kandla, Gujarat, India, which is co-located inside a free-trade-zone clothing sorting facility processing 30 tons of used textiles daily (~40 Rework staff). Co-founder Kaspar Schlaeppi spent 15 years in Bangkok establishing production; Camilla leads design and product development; Vann (Thailand, 20+ years), Kiran (India, 10+ years), and Navin (India vintage picking) anchor production leadership.

Rework generates revenue through direct-to-consumer channels: five owned physical retail stores across Bern, Basel, Lausanne, and two locations in Zürich (Europaallee and Zollhaus); the e-commerce site rework.ch shipping within Switzerland and internationally; and wholesale through Fizzen store locations. Unit pricing spans CHF 5 (sale items) to CHF 198 (premium collaborations), with core apparel at CHF 29.90-89.90 and the Premium line at CHF 48-188. The company publishes sustainability credentials including a University of Bern study showing up to 20x lower CO2 emissions versus European bio-cotton production, and is a member of Sustainable Textiles Switzerland 2030, Swiss Retail Federation, and Swiss Textiles Association.

Name

Rework

Legal name

Rework AG

Website

https://rework.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Rework AG is a vertically integrated Swiss upcycling fashion company that transforms secondhand garments into new clothing and accessories via proprietary serial upcycling, selling through five retail stores across Switzerland, an e-commerce site, and Fizzen wholesale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Upcycled Sustainable Fashion & Apparel

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159), Used Merchandise Retailers (459510)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Apparel, Footwear & Accessories Resale (CRAFAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Reuse & Resale / Recommerce Operations (EUAIANAC), Resizing & Restyling / Garment Upcycling (HSAJAFAN)

Keywords

• Upcycled fashion apparel
• Secondhand clothing retail
• Sustainable fashion brand
• Upcycled bags accessories
• Circular fashion retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Berne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct retail and e-commerce sales of upcycled clothing and accessories. Revenue is generated through one-time purchases of individual upcycled products. The company also sells vintage items, premium collection pieces, and gift cards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rework manufactures and sells upcycled clothing and accessories (women's, men's, bags, backpacks, laptop sleeves, etc.) created from secondhand garments through its proprietary "serial upcycling" process. Products are designed in Switzerland and produced in the company's own factories in Thailand and India, then sold via five Swiss retail stores, the rework.ch e-commerce site, and Fizzen partner locations. The portfolio is rounded out by a Premium sub-brand, a vintage resale line, an unmodified "Second Chance" secondhand line, gift cards, and a Made-To-Order service.

Product overview

Rework is a Swiss upcycling fashion brand operating as a vertically integrated retail company. The core offering consists of clothing and accessories crafted from secondhand garments through a serial upcycling process—disassembling used clothing and reassembling them into new products. The product portfolio spans three main collections: Women (coats, jackets, dresses, skirts, pants, shirts, tops, shorts, sweaters, hoodies, vests), Men (coats, jackets, pants, shirts, shorts, sweaters, hoodies, t-shirts, tops, vests), and Accessories (backpacks, crossbody bags, shoulder bags, totes, fanny packs, laptopsleeves, pouches, lanyards). Above the core line sits Rework Premium—a higher-end sub-brand developed with Zürich designers Dorothea Knorr and Lilla Wicki, featuring stricter material selection and refined craftsmanship. The company also operates a Vintage sub-brand for curated secondhand pieces and a Second Chance line for unmodified resale items. Gift cards and a Made-To-Order service round out the offerings. Products are sold through five Swiss retail stores (Zürich Europaallee, Zürich Zollhaus, Bern, Basel, Lausanne), an online shop, and selected Fizzen store locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rework Premium: A premium upcycling line developed in collaboration with Zurich designers Dorothea Knorr and Lilla Wicki, featuring stricter material selection, more precise cuts, coordinated color concepts, and refined finishing.

Products and services

• Rework Women Collection Upcycled women's clothing including coats, jackets, dresses, skirts, pants, shirts, tops, shorts, sweaters, hoodies, and vests, all made from disassembled and reassembled secondhand garments under Rework's serial upcycling process.
• Rework Men Collection Upcycled men's clothing including coats, jackets, pants, shirts, shorts, sweaters, hoodies, t-shirts, tops, and vests, all produced via the serial upcycling process.
• Rework Accessories Upcycled accessories including backpacks, crossbody bags, shoulder bags, totes, fanny packs, laptop sleeves, pouches, lanyards, and hair accessories, many crafted from upcycled leather, denim, and outdoor jacket materials.
• Rework Premium Collection Premium upcycling line developed in collaboration with Zürich designers Dorothea Knorr and Lilla Wicki, featuring stricter material selection, precise cuts, coordinated color concepts, and refined craftsmanship including clean seams and interior finishing. Prices range from CHF 48 to CHF 188.
• Rework Vintage Curated selection of vintage clothing items sold as-is, sourced from secondhand collections and including pieces from brands of the 60s and 70s era.
• Rework Second Chance Unmodified secondhand clothing items sold directly without upcycling transformation.
• Rework Gift Card (Gutschein) Gift vouchers available as physical cards with hand-sewn envelope made from fabric scraps, or as digital versions for self-printing or electronic delivery.
• Leather Backpack "Bill" Leather backpack made from disassembled secondhand leather jackets; each piece is unique due to the combination of different leather fragments and vintage aesthetic.
• Premium Denim Midi Skirt Premium patchwork denim midi skirt crafted from secondhand jeans with mixed blue tones; each piece is unique. Part of the Rework Premium line designed with Zürich designers Dorothea Knorr and Lilla Wicki, priced at CHF 98.
• Rework Physical Retail Stores Five physical retail locations across Switzerland (Bern, Basel, Lausanne, Zürich Europaallee, Zürich Zollhaus), each featuring a mini sewing atelier for repairs and alterations and offering exclusive in-store creations.
• DIANA RIKASARI x Rework — "Home is Love" Collection Limited capsule collection created in collaboration with artist Diana Rikasari, featuring playful hand-drawn motifs inspired by childhood doodles including houses, stars, and flowers symbolizing innocence and belonging.
• REWORK x LD Design — OLIN Outdoor Backpack Outdoor backpack collaboration with LD Design (Ladina Designs), combining urban elegance with robust outdoor functionality, designed to seamlessly integrate into users' lives as if it had always been there.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 20x less CO2 emissions compared to bio-cotton shirt from European production (University of Bern study)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LD Design (Ladina Designs)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration on the OLIN backpack, an outdoor backpack combining urban elegance with robust outdoor functionality. The backpack was designed to seamlessly integrate into users' lives as if they had always been there.
• Diana RikasariminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Artist collaboration for the 'Home is Love' collection featuring playful doodles and creative designs inspired by childhood, including motifs of houses, stars, and flowers.
• Dorothea KnorrcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZurich-based textile designer who co-developed the Rework Premium collection with a clear focus on cut, silhouette, and proportions.
• Lilla WickicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZurich-based fashion designer who co-developed the Rework Premium collection, bringing expertise in design and construction.
• Sustainable Textiles Switzerland 2030 (STS 2030)minorOthersMulti-stakeholder initiative with various participants committed to contributing to improvements in the textile industry, aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Kaiserhaus Of GoodsminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollective retail experiment in Bern with 60 progressive fashion labels in one historic building. Rework operates a store within this collective retail space.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The RealReal: Largest US luxury consignment/resale platform — comparable consumer-facing secondhand fashion model at scale, with authenticated resale and circular commerce mechanics relevant to Rework's Vintage and Second Chance lines.
• Vinted: Major European peer-to-peer secondhand fashion marketplace — relevant comparability on secondhand apparel consumer behavior and circular commerce, though structurally different (C2C marketplace vs. vertically integrated brand).
• Stella McCartney: Global luxury fashion house built around sustainability and circular design; overlaps with Rework Premium's positioning and designer-led, sustainable fashion narrative, though at vastly larger scale.
• Vestiaire Collective: Global luxury and premium fashion resale marketplace with strong European presence — comparable secondhand apparel marketplace model and overlapping premium/pre-loved customer base.

Direct peers

• Eileen Fisher Renew: Eileen Fisher Renew takes back used Eileen Fisher garments and resells or remakes them — a close functional analog to Rework's serial upcycling of women's apparel with similar repair and remanufacturing emphasis.
• Patagonia (Worn Wear): Patagonia's Worn Wear program takes back, repairs, and resells used Patagonia garments — the most direct large-scale analog to Rework's serial upcycling and resale model, with similar sustainability positioning and take-back ethos.
• Nudie Jeans: Swedish denim brand offering free lifetime repairs and a take-back/reuse program for used Nudie jeans — directly comparable operating model combining apparel manufacturing, repair services, and circularity messaging.
• Mud Jeans: Dutch circular denim brand using post-consumer recycled cotton and a Lease A Jeans take-back program — comparable vertically integrated circular apparel model with strong sustainability credentials in the European market.

Emerging players

• For Days: US-based circular fashion brand with a take-back/closed-loop model for basic apparel — closely comparable mission to Rework's no-new-material upcycling, though operating at smaller scale and in a different geography.

Regional players

• Brother Vellies: Sustainable accessories brand using reclaimed and artisanal materials — comparable premium positioning and materials ethos to Rework's accessories and Premium sub-brand, primarily operating in North America.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRIAbz7667-kmTOTmtvdElg
• Facebookfacebook.com/rework.ch
• Instagraminstagram.com/rework_ch
• TikToktiktok.com/@rework_ch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rework-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rework