This Clothing Collection Transforms Old Clothes into a Fishing-Inspired Range

So often clothing is portrayed as springboards for individuality and confidence, but for many closet visits can actually be pretty deflating.

Take Me Fishing, a national brand from the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, is inviting people to let go of clothes that no longer serve them. In partnership with sustainable fashion brand Rentrayage, donated garments will be upcycled into a fishing-inspired line of clothing. The line, called 'Second Catch Collection,' is meant to inspire the next generation of women to find their best selves on the water. representing the confidence-building power that comes from actively fishing + boating.

People can visit Take Me Fishing’s site for more donation details, including paid shipping labels.

The collection will be unveiled in August of 2024 with pieces donated to the Lower Eastside Girls Club in New York City.

Take Me Fishing is also partnering with a Teen Vogue Generation Next Designer who has spent her life fishing. In a four-part video series she’ll be documenting what fishing means to her, how it inspires her aesthetic and she will create her own piece for the Second Catch Collection under the mentorship of Rentrayage’s founder and creative director.

“Rentrayage was born out of the concept of reimagining what has already existed, and creating beauty and value, new shape, new form, new style from what has been discarded,” said Rentrayage founder and creative director, Erin Beatty. “We regenerate and renew every day, so having the opportunity to apply that to fishing pieces that can help women and girls gain confidence in the outdoors was a new and exciting opportunity for us.”

“As we were searching for directors, Effy Kawira stood apart,” notes Colle McVoy CD Lydia Choi. “With a great eye for fashion and design in all of her work, we gravitated toward her idea of an underwater shoot. More conceptual, water becomes this living symbol of renewal.”

The shoot took place over two days - one day at a middle school pool and another battling bugs at the border of MN and WI, getting muddy and walking through streams. There were mosquito bites. Tick sightings. A tornado that blew in 24 hours after the lake shoot - and a heck of a lot of 'Little Mermaid' medleys sung along the way.

“Having a produce with synchronised swimming experience was amazing,” adds Lydia. “She treaded water for hours while coordinating talent in the pool, essentially acting as a water taxi.”

The original anthem script was four times the length of the final. Words and phrases swapped across dozens of versions before landing on the final.

“Although the whole piece is very poetic, there’s something about ‘the anchor of the past lifts. I rise, renewed,’” shares Lydia. “That feels profound. It’s a line that’s relatable. We can all think of an outfit we didn’t love - each with a story we’d love to release from our conscience. That line could have a deeper meaning: to let go of preconceived notions of who goes out on the water and knowing we all belong.”

Second Catch Collection supports Take Me Fishing’s Find Your Best Self on the Water Campaign. These campaigns were inspired by research conducted by Take Me Fishing, in partnership with Ipsos, that found women who fish have significantly greater grit, confidence and self-esteem than women who don’t, and according to the  Special Report on Fishing, 2023 saw the highest number of female participants ever recorded at 21.3M. At the same time, women’s participation in fishing still lags behind male counterparts, with only 37% of all anglers being female.