How do you relate to sustainable fashion? Sustainable products that can be selected by mail order

buy upcycled products

Also known as Creative Reuse, it refers to the value-adding recycling of waste materials. For example, in normal recycling, PET bottles are collected as recyclable waste, disassembled into recycled resources, and then reborn as new products.

Upcycling, on the other hand, makes use of the materials and characteristics of the waste material itself so that it can be reused. Purchasing upcycled clothing is a sustainable action.

down cycle

Another term for upcycling is downcycling. This is recycling that reduces the value of the waste.

A familiar example is turning clothes that are no longer worn at home into rags and using them for cleaning. Since things that can be worn as clothes are turned into rags, the value of those items will decrease, and this is called down-cycling. However, in terms of reuse, it is a sustainable action.

Using waste materials for art

Another representative method of upcycling is to use waste materials such as scraps and iron scraps to create works of art. Even in Japan, a contest was held to recruit art works made from waste.

Upcycle clothes you no longer wear

Since ancient times, Japanese people have worn kimono as everyday wear. However, these days, most people are wearing western clothes, and Japanese clothes are becoming less popular.

At WEAR 2.5, we sell Japanese clothes that are no longer needed by upcycling them into new products. Everything is one-of-a-kind, so you can find your one and only favorite in your own world without worrying about overlapping with others.

What is slow fashion

It refers to the value of wearing high-quality, standard and functionally designed clothing for a long time. By taking care of one piece of clothing for a long time, you can prevent unnecessary waste and environmental destruction in the manufacturing process.

In recent years, due to the influence of fast fashion, it has become common to purchase clothes that are mass-produced in a short period of time. However, this encourages the consumer behavior of buying cheap clothes, throwing them away after being damaged and unwearable, and buying cheap clothes again. It can be said that mass production and mass consumption lead to an increase in waste, and this is a high-risk action that threatens the global environment.

Tips for choosing slow fashion products

focus on quality

When it comes to choosing slow fashion products, quality is more important than quantity. Instead of mass-producing, choose clothes that are carefully handcrafted one by one using natural materials. The price is high because it takes time to make, but you can wear it for a long time, so it is not so expensive in the end.

Clothes that really suit you

The point is whether or not the clothes suit you. By choosing clothes that really suit you, rather than being cheap or trendy, you will be able to wear them for a long time.

easy to mix and match

One of the points of wearing minimal clothes for a long time is that they are easy to mix and match. When buying, it's a good idea to assume that you can match it with the clothes you have.

What is minimalism?

Minimalism is also closely related to slow fashion, the idea of ​​reducing the number of belongings and trying to keep everyday life simple and lean. If you wear only the bare minimum, there will be no room for unnecessary garbage to accumulate.

What is ethical?

Ethical means "ethical" in English, and refers to thinking about society, such as human rights, the environment, and animal welfare, from the standpoint of consumption. "Ethical products" and "ethical consumption" refers to the purchase and consumption of the products themselves that are used and socially considerate, or such products. For example, the following choices and actions can be considered ethical.

• Local production for local consumption of ingredients
• Support activities for traditional crafts
• Use of natural energy
• Choose energy-efficient, long-lasting LED bulbs
• car sharing
• Sale or purchase of eco-marked products
• Sale or purchase of fair trade products
• Sale or purchase of animal-free products
• Sale and purchase of products using organic materials

What do you think. You can see that there are actually a lot of ethical things that can be practiced in everyday life, such as food, lifelines, and fashion. Food and fashion can be purchased online, and lifelines can be contracted online, so please check if there is anything you can do yourself.

Sustainability that considers the future of the earth

Sustainability, which means "sustainable" in English, means thinking about the future of the earth. It is considered to meet the needs of the present generation while considering the global environment, and to ensure that future generations will not be disadvantaged. As for the fashion industry, it is important to consider the global environment in terms of clothing materials and disposal methods.

Ethical thinking about society

It is an ethical and sensible way of thinking and approaching society, including human rights and the environment. It is to think and act on human rights issues, environmental issues, animal welfare, social issues, etc. from the standpoint of consumers. For example, when buying clothes, we do not choose items made with child labor or poor working conditions, and we do not choose items that use animal skins or fur to protect the lives of animals. .

communicated to consumers?

One of the problems with sustainability and ethics in the fashion industry is that the language is taking on a life of its own. Even if the words “sustainable” and “ethical” are used in brand marketing, the true meaning of “sustainable” and “ethical” cannot be conveyed to consumers just by marketing them.

There is a high possibility that if you use cool words to appeal to people that "clothes are socially and environmentally conscious", they will buy them easily, and then they will be treated the same as before until they are disposed of. It is also important to spread the efforts of the fashion industry and apparel brands to prevent words from walking alone and to practice the original sustainable ethical.

Low awareness and high prices of sustainable and ethical fashion brands

Fashion brands that focus on sustainability and ethics tend to have low consumer awareness. Also, although the price range is cheaper than luxury brands, it is more expensive than fast fashion.

Instead of mass-producing while keeping costs down as much as possible, there are many systems that produce only the amount that is needed, and because production is carried out while maintaining costs such as materials and manufacturing processes at an appropriate level, the profit margin is low even if the price is to a certain extent. , the reality is that the cost cannot be spent on publicity and advertising.

H&M's Conscious Exclusive collection

H&M, one of the leading fast fashion brands, aims to use sustainable materials in all its products by 2030. Already, more than 50% of our products are produced with particular attention to materials, such as recycled polyester made from recycled plastic, organic silk, and organic linen. Fast fashion's earth-friendly and sustainable initiatives will continue to attract attention.

HANMO

HANMO manufactures clothes by spinning yarn again from the cutting scraps that are inevitably generated in the clothes manufacturing process, and making "hanmo" which will be the fabric. Cutting scraps were sometimes reused for felt and stuffing, but recycling them into threads and fabrics was costly and the process was complicated, so they were never recycled into clothing. As a result, the HANMO brand was born as a joint project between Cysaze Inc. and Hakuhodo Mirai Co., Ltd., with the theme of circulating clothes making.

UNIQLO

UNIQLO, Japan's world-famous fast fashion brand, is implementing various sustainability initiatives. For example, "RE.UNIQLO," which collects clothes purchased at UNIQLO and GU that are no longer worn, is one of the activities familiar to consumers. Those in good condition are reused as clothing support, and some are recycled as fuel and soundproofing materials.

There is also an initiative called "Blue Cycle Jeans" that reduces the amount of water used in the jeans finishing process to about one teacup. This new technology has succeeded in reducing the amount of water required for the conventional finishing process by 99%.