Article by: Miku Kudo

Sustainable Clothing Production

　The Tokyo Collection for Spring/Summer 2023 was held in Tokyo from August 29 to September 3. About 50 brands from Japan and abroad participated in this season's event. Clothes that were scheduled to be discarded and brands that use recycled materials in their new products were conspicuous, indicating the expansion of sustainable clothing production.

Made of recycled materials from used clothing and plastic bottles

　About 60% of the participating brands held shows to which the audience was invited. Many brands introduced "upcycling," which is the process of converting discarded clothing into high-value-added products.

　Designer Masanori Morikawa's company Basix chose a warehouse owned by DHL, a logistics company, as the venue for the show, and showed a dress made from about 50 colorful uniforms that were to be discarded and layered like frills.

　

　For the recall, the company collaborated with a vintage clothing shop, making use of discarded items by arranging and combining old jeans with a jacket made of ripped T-shirts for decoration. Designer Tetsuya Doi said, "We need to think about reusing clothes to eliminate overproduction.

　Anrealage creates brightly colored patchwork dresses and coats from scraps of fabric after cutting. 2,000 to 3,000 scraps, each measuring 2 cm square, are sewn together for each dress.

　First-time participant Hidesign used plant-derived polyester fiber developed by Toray Industries, a major textile manufacturer, and recycled materials made from plastic bottles in its new products. The aprons and vests with multiple pockets for storing small items sublimated work clothes into fashion.

　YoshioKubo declared, "We will not do large-scale shows in the future. In an age when clothes abound, I tell people what only I can do and how to make clothes." From now on, they will disclose the materials used and the process of making clothes on SNS, etc., and "make clothes with a visible face," just like vegetables, in which the producer is clearly indicated.