Re. Uniqlo Studio

repair, restore, re. uniqlo!

The clothing company Uniqlo recently began the RE.Uniqlo Studio section of their clothing store as a place to bring old or ripped clothes. Then they can fix, sew on a pattern or they can embroider something to patch up your rip. They can also use sashiko, a type of traditional Japanese embroidery that is stitched onto your clothing to make the fabric even warmer and stronger. (click here if you want to learn more about sashiko, go to our previous article on boro and sashiko).

RE.Uniqlo Studio started in Germany in 2021. Since then RE.Uniqlo Studio expanded to New York, London, Singapore, Taiwan, and Japan. In Japan, Uniqlo collects workers at clothing stores and teaches them how to repair and remake old or ripped clothing. The workers learn how to do different techniques and styles. After the practice, the workers are permitted to open RE.Uniqlo Studio within the local stores. 

I thought it was cool that instead of hiring new workers, they chose to train workers that were already at Uniqlo in how to sew with the sashiko technique. It caused these workers to build up a heart to cherish products, (like having mottainai feeling) and they can be proud of the products that they are selling to the customers. Uniqlo wants the customers to come back not only for buying new clothing but also for repairs and upcycling. 

This is such an interesting idea and I know Levi’s and Patagonia are doing similar types of repairing initiatives. I hope that other clothing companies can learn from them and open repair stations in each store. With more brands doing this, there will be less people buying and throwing out clothing. I know clothing brands still need to earn money but fast fashion is not the right direction. For those companies, there is a chance to make money from repairs as well.

We all need to rethink the lifespan of our clothing. With a bit of effort we can learn to fix our own clothing. These ideas can lead to conserving resources and helping our Earth.