In the movie classic, "White Christmas," Bing Crosby sings, "What do you do with a general when he stops being a general? What do you do with a general who's retired?"
Connie Swartz had a similar question: What do you do with the fatigues worn by the 200,000 people who leave the military every year? With every soldier, sailor, airmen, and marine receiving roughly five sets of fatigues, there's definitely an excessive amount of camouflage languishing in attics and, more often than not, rotting in landfills. Swartz wanted to do something about it.
"It all started when I got tired of moving my husband's uniforms," says Swartz.
Her husband, who served in the Army for four years during the Vietnam conflict era, had tucked his uniforms away, just waiting for the next time they would be moved to yet another spot in storage. The most tangible mementos of his service to his country had no real purpose anymore.
That box of camo sparked an idea for Swartz. She had always been crafty, having sewn throughout her life. Maybe there was a use for those old uniforms, but not in their current forms. She started to brainstorm her options and honor the men and women who wore these uniforms while keeping them from the landfill or burn pile.
"The dormant fatigues in storage still hold the courage and dedication they held on the first day they were worn. There's so much honor held in these uniforms that they have to come back into the light," she says.
Now that she had a purpose, she had to figure out how to accomplish her vision. Because of the seams in fatigues, her projects had to be fairly compact. After researching, she found that apparel would be tough to execute with the available real estate in a standard uniform, but there were many options for accessories.
That's how the accessories and bags were born. All of the products sold on the Celebrate Fatigues site are made from fatigues that have been donated by veterans or their families or purchased from military surplus stores. Veteran volunteers help deconstruct the uniforms, and every part is used in some capacity, from the drawstrings in pant legs to the branch insignia.
The project quickly grew out of Swartz's home and into the caves in Parkville. She partners with other nonprofits to execute her vision. The veterans at the St. Andrews Veterans Home help with deconstruction. Swartz works with Phyllis Carlyle on patternmaking and design. The Sewing Labs, a nonprofit that teaches sewing as a trade to underemployed people, help with production.
Swartz says that while her primary purpose in creating the company was to honor our military veterans, the ecological impact of saving these items from landfills is a close second.
"My parents grew up in the Depression. You didn't waste a thing, you know?" she says.
That mindset helps to use everything, even scraps left over from cutting patterns. They make excellent stuffing for dog beds, which the company makes and sells.
So who profits from all this industry? Swartz is in the process of getting approved as a 501(c)3, where all profits will be poured back into the business. She currently produces 18 products, from scrunchies to dog bandanas to tissue holders, but she's excited for what else may come to fruition in the next few months.
Celebrate Fatigues products can be purchased on their website, where all products can be broken down by branch of service. After an October 2020 launch, Swartz says that keeping up with the website is enough for now, but she may look into in-store placement in the future.
And what does her husband think of all this?
"I've heard him express, 'I gave four years of my life. This represents my life, and the options that I'm aware of [for disposing of fatigues] don't feel right.' That's why after ten moves, he still had his box, " says Swartz. "He's proud of the fact we're doing it."
To learn more or purchase items, visit CelebrateFatigues.org.
