ReTribe Clothing

What ReTribe Clothing does

ReTribe Clothing LTD is a Sheffield, UK-based private company founded in August 2023 by co-founders Lauren and Ben, with its first products sold in October 2023. The company manufactures handmade clothing, bags, accessories, and water bottle carriers from salvaged festival tents, deadstock fabric, and military surplus at its 109-111 Randall Street facility. Its core technology is an upcycling and circular-design process where products are pre-engineered for end-of-life transformation, and the company has publicly stated a goal of salvaging 100,000 tents over its lifetime. To date, it has saved 652 tents from landfill.

ReTribe generates revenue primarily through unit-priced physical product sales across multiple channels: a Shopify-powered DTC website (currently seasonally closed), an Etsy marketplace account, and face-to-face sales at festivals and markets (over 1,000 items sold in year one at events including Wilderness Festival). In 2024, the company shifted retail distribution to an exclusive partnership with The Kit Vault. Additional revenue streams include in-person sewing and upcycling workshops at the Sheffield HQ and digital gift cards. Pricing is per-unit with no subscription model, and specific price points are not publicly disclosed.

The customer base consists of environmentally-conscious consumers, festival-goers, outdoor enthusiasts, and DIY/crafting community members. Marketing is community-led, anchored by a 14,000-follower Instagram presence and viral TikTok content (best video: 8.7M views, 195k likes), supported by an educational blog, an email newsletter, and a Change.org petition mandating festival waste management. The business is bootstrapped and founder-owned; both co-founders work multiple jobs, and the company has experienced financial strain including a June 2024 staff reduction and a studio relocation.

Name

ReTribe Clothing

Legal name

Retribe Clothing LTD

Website

https://retribe.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2023

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ReTribe Clothing is a Sheffield-based upcycled fashion brand that designs and hand-makes clothing, bags, and accessories from salvaged festival tents, deadstock fabric, and military surplus for environmentally-conscious consumers, festival-goers, and outdoor enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Apparel

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300)

akta.pro primary industry

Parts Harvesting & Component Reuse (EUAIANAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports, Outdoor & Adventure Packs Manufacturing (Backpacks/Duffels) (IMAOAHAE)

Keywords

• Upcycled clothing
• Salvaged material fashion
• Circular economy apparel
• Sustainable accessories
• Festival tent upcycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Sheffield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Product Sales (E-commerce & Retail): Sale of upcycled clothing, bags, accessories, bottle carriers, and reworked vintage items through their Shopify e-commerce store and exclusive retail partner The Kit Vault. One-time transaction model for physical goods.
2. Workshops & Education: In-person sewing and upcycling workshops offered at ReTribe HQ in Sheffield, guiding participants through the upcycling process in small group sessions.
3. Gift Cards: Digital e-gift cards available for purchase, allowing customers to give the gift of choice for ReTribe products.
4. Face-to-Face Event Sales: Direct sales at markets, festivals, and events. Over 1,000 items sold face-to-face at events in first year, including successful presence at Wilderness Festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ReTribe designs and hand-makes upcycled clothing, bags, hiking accessories, and water bottle carriers from salvaged festival tents, deadstock fabric, and military surplus in its Sheffield workshop. It complements these physical products with paid sewing/upcycling workshops, raw material bundles for crafters, and gift cards, all sold through its own e-commerce, exclusive retail partner The Kit Vault, Etsy, festivals, and events.

Product overview

ReTribe Clothing is a sustainable fashion brand operating as a single unified product line focused on upcycled clothing and accessories. Their portfolio consists of eight distinct offerings: Upcycled Clothing (handmade garments from salvaged materials), Upcycled Bags (including military surplus tote bags), Hiking/Outdoors Accessories, Water Bottle Carriers (made from salvaged festival tents), Reworked Vintage items, Material Bundles (raw upcycled materials), Workshops (hands-on sewing/upcycling training), and Gift Cards. All products are handmade to order in their Sheffield facility, with materials sourced from festival tent salvaging operations and textile industry deadstock. The company operates exclusively through The Kit Vault for online sales, with direct sales at events and festivals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Upcycled Clothing A range of handmade upcycled clothing made from salvaged and deadstock materials, designed to keep fabrics out of landfill and create circular-economy garments; each piece is handmade in ReTribe's Sheffield facility for environmentally-conscious consumers seeking sustainable alternatives to fast fashion.
• Upcycled Bags Upcycled tote bags made from salvaged and deadstock materials, including military surplus, designed for outdoor adventures and everyday use; handmade in the Sheffield facility.
• Accessories Hiking and outdoor accessories made from upcycled and deadstock materials, all handmade to order in the Sheffield workshop for outdoor enthusiasts seeking functional sustainable gear.
• Water Bottle Carriers Handmade water bottle carriers created from tents salvaged from festivals, featuring shoulder strap, key clip, and mesh pocket for snacks; made in the Sheffield facility and targeting festival-goers and hikers.
• Reworked Vintage Clothing created from upcycled vintage items, handmade in the Sheffield workshop, designed to prevent discarded items from going to landfill.
• Material Bundles Salvaged materials available for purchase, giving customers access to deadstock fabrics and upcycled materials for their own craft and sewing projects.
• Workshops In-person sewing and upcycling workshops offered at ReTribe HQ in Sheffield, guiding participants through the upcycling process in small group sessions; targets the DIY and crafting community interested in learning hands-on sustainable-making skills.
• Gift Cards Digital e-gift cards available for purchase in various denominations, allowing recipients to choose their own items from ReTribe's upcycled product range.

Quantifiable outcome

• 652 tents saved from landfill (cumulative)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• The Kit VaultcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive retail partnership where The Kit Vault (thekitvault.co.uk) sells ReTribe products. Website redirects customers to The Kit Vault for purchases. This represents a significant channel shift for the company's distribution strategy.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Elvis & Kresse: UK-based luxury brand that transforms decommissioned materials (fire hoses, parachute silk, leather off-cuts) into bags, accessories, and homewares. Directly comparable as a UK upcycled-accessories manufacturer selling through DTC and select retail, with a strong sustainability story and handcrafted production.
• Bottletop: Sustainable accessories brand making bags and accessories from upcycled materials including ringpulls and deadstock fabrics. Highly comparable in product category (bags/accessories), upcycling process, and sustainability-led positioning targeting conscious consumers.
• Rapanui: UK-based circular fashion brand on the Isle of Wight, using organic cotton and recycled materials with a transparent, low-waste supply chain. Comparable as a UK-headquartered sustainable apparel DTC brand with strong e-commerce, workshop/community engagement, and circular design principles.
• Fanfare Label: UK sustainable fashion label creating garments from upcycled, recycled, and organic materials with transparent supply chains. Comparable as a UK-based sustainable apparel brand with circular-economy messaging and DTC-led distribution.
• Lucy & Yak: UK sustainable clothing brand built on community-led growth, strong social media following, and ethically made colourful apparel. Comparable as a values-driven UK DTC apparel brand that grew organically via Instagram and engaged community, with a similar founder-driven story.
• Birdsong: London-based ethical fashion brand producing handmade garments by women artisans from deadstock and sustainable fabrics. Directly comparable in handmade production model, use of surplus fabrics, women-led founder team, and mission-driven positioning.
• Stay Wild: UK-based sustainable fashion brand offering essentials made from organic and recycled materials with a strong community and DTC focus. Comparable as a UK DTC sustainable apparel brand with similar target customer (eco-conscious consumers) and small-team founder-led operating model.

Broad incumbents

• Patagonia: Established multi-billion-dollar outdoor apparel brand and the gold-standard incumbent in sustainable/circular outdoor clothing (Worn Wear program, recycled materials). Comparable as the benchmark for circular outdoor products at scale, against which ReTribe's outdoor upcycled accessories and apparel compete for the same values-driven outdoor consumer.
• The North Face (Renewed / Circular): Major outdoor brand running Renewed (recommerce) and circular design initiatives for outerwear and accessories. Comparable as a broad incumbent bringing circularity to the outdoor category, competing for the same festival/outdoor-conscious customer with substantially greater scale and distribution.

Others

• BOTTLETOP Foundation / Allbright: Adjacent UK-based sustainable/ethical consumer brand ecosystem (Allbright operates as a curated sustainable marketplace). Included as a thematic adjacency — connecting to the same conscious-consumer network in which ReTribe operates, and as a potential distribution or partnership venue for upcycled apparel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/retribe_clothing
• TikToktiktok.com/@retribe_clothing
• Facebookfacebook.com/ReTribe-Clothing-61552338375614

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 ReTribe Clothing