Japanese department store operator Takashimaya teamed up with fashion brands to recycle used clothes to make brand-new apparel.
A strategic move for the retailers that aims to double-down on sustainability efforts as circular fashion is becoming more and more popular.
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Each year, 92 million tons of clothing and textile scrap are discarded worldwide—nearly 1.5 million tons in Japan alone, according to BRING. Takashimaya’s Depart de Loop project aims to create a sustainable, recycling-oriented society.
As part of this project, Takashimaya has partnered with BRING™, an initiative that aims to recycle unneeded clothing and textiles, and has begun to manufacture goods using pre-loved fashion items.
Takashimaya collects used clothes from any manufacturer at its stores and use BRING™ technology to convert polyester fibres into recycled polyester raw materials, and then into new clothing again and again.
This autumn, Takashimaya and the outdoor gear company White Mountaineering have teamed up for a special collaboration. The sustainable capsule collection using recycled polyester yarn (BRING Material™) commemorates the 20th anniversary of Takashimaya’s CS Case Study store.
Another collaboration with Mackintosh Philosophy from Sanyo Shokai is set to be launched too.
The items set to hit Takashimaya’s shelves and online shop will be sold in the same price range as conventional counterparts.
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According to The Nikkei, this is one of the first large-scale recycling collaborations between retailers and clothing manufacturers in Japan. The partners seek to broaden the program to about 100 companies so that products can be mass-produced and costs are reduced as well.