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Sustainability at UNIQLO
The joy of upcycling
Photography by UNIQLO Text by Miyuki Sakamoto, UNIQLO
By upcycling your well-loved clothes, you can give them a new life. At the UNIQLO Regent Street store, opened this past spring in London, the RE.UNIQLO repair studio helps you to get more life out of your wardrobe.
UNIQLO Regent Street
The UNIQLO Regent Street store opened on April 21st in London’s premier shopping district. Housed in a building from the nineteenth century, the store proudly displays its gorgeous vintage architecture while making a new statement with a spacious atrium. The RE.UNIQLO repair studio (right) is located on the lower level in what used to be a renowned barbershop in the art deco style.
103-113 Regent St. London W1B 4HL United Kingdom OPEN Monday-Saturday 11:00-20:00, Sunday 12:00-18:00
Sustainability at UNIQLO
The joy of upcycling
By upcycling your well-loved clothes, you can give them a new life. At the UNIQLO Regent Street store, opened this past spring in London, the RE.UNIQLO repair studio helps you to get more life out of your wardrobe.
Photography by UNIQLO Text by Miyuki Sakamoto, UNIQLO
UNIQLO Regent Street
The UNIQLO Regent Street store opened on April 21st in London’s premier shopping district. Housed in a building from the nineteenth century, the store proudly displays its gorgeous vintage architecture while making a new statement with a spacious atrium. The RE.UNIQLO repair studio (right) is located on the lower level in what used to be a renowned barbershop in the art deco style.
103-113 Regent St. London W1B 4HL United KingdomOPEN Monday-Saturday 11:00-20:00, Sunday 12:00-18:00
The value of a unique and special piece
Clothes damaged from extensive use can be repaired and worn again. This was once a fundamental aspect of our relationship to clothing, but we seem to have forgotten it for some time now.
One of the major thoroughfares of London, Regent Street is home to many of the city’s premier shops. The new UNIQLO store, which opened this past spring, offers basic repair and sashiko services.
Sashiko is a form of ornamental embroidery originating in Japan in the seventeenth century. Intricate geometric patterns are sewn directly into the fabric, closing tears and strengthening worn-out areas. Generally a different colour thread is used, distinguishing sashiko from conventional repairs, which aim to be inconspicuous. There are also a variety of different stitches to choose from, and different threads and fabric colours can be utilised in endless combinations.
The idea is not to simply let go of old clothes, but to repair damage and enliven the design. It goes beyond imparting old clothes with renewed expressiveness: the resulting garment is truly one-of-a-kind. There’s something incredibly satisfying about being able to wear your old favourites in a fresh, new way.
Advocates for a circular economy that reuses discarded products and materials have brought upcycling to the fore. Conventionally, upcycling involves the creative reuse of disused articles. But here at UNIQLO, “upcycle” includes customising worn-out clothes using sashiko and other techniques to create truly unique items. On top of being good for the environment, this instills clothes with a personal quality you can be proud of.
Clothes damaged from extensive use can be repaired and worn again. This was once a fundamental aspect of our relationship to clothing, but we seem to have forgotten it for some time now.
One of the major thoroughfares of London, Regent Street is home to many of the city’s premier shops. The new UNIQLO store, which opened this past spring, offers basic repair and sashiko services.
Sashiko is a form of ornamental embroidery originating in Japan in the seventeenth century. Intricate geometric patterns are sewn directly into the fabric, closing tears and strengthening worn-out areas. Generally a different colour thread is used, distinguishing sashiko from conventional repairs, which aim to be inconspicuous. There are also a variety of different stitches to choose from, and different threads and fabric colours can be utilised in endless combinations.
The idea is not to simply let go of old clothes, but to repair damage and enliven the design. It goes beyond imparting old clothes with renewed expressiveness: the resulting garment is truly one-of-a-kind. There’s something incredibly satisfying about being able to wear your old favourites in a fresh, new way.
Advocates for a circular economy that reuses discarded products and materials have brought upcycling to the fore. Conventionally, upcycling involves the creative reuse of disused articles. But here at UNIQLO, “upcycle” includes customising worn-out clothes using sashiko and other techniques to create truly unique items. On top of being good for the environment, this instills clothes with a personal quality you can be proud of.
REPAIR SERVICE
At the RE.UNIQLO repair shop, trained UNIQLO staff take care of everything from hemming pants and sewing on buttons, to mending holes and other damage on down jackets, jeans, and knitwear that have had years of use. Prices start at £3, with a variety of options available. For tiny holes in pants, consider a blind stitch. The staff can also repair larger tears on the sewing machine, or even use a patch in a contrasting colour, for a personal touch. We treat each job individually, depending on the damage level and the customer’s needs.
UPCYCLING SERVICE
Sashiko upcycling involves ornamental patchwork, as seen in these display pieces featuring Japanese patterns (left), costing £10 per 10cm squared. The repair counter is equipped with thread and needles used especially for sashiko. Japanese tailoring products are also on display and available for purchase. Veteran tailors from Savile Row come by regularly to stock up. By helping average customers become acquainted with these tools, the staff hopes to cultivate a curiosity, so that more people will try these techniques on their own.
REPAIR SERVICE
At the RE.UNIQLO repair shop, trained UNIQLO staff take care of everything from hemming pants and sewing on buttons, to mending holes and other damage on down jackets, jeans, and knitwear that have had years of use. Prices start at £3, with a variety of options available. For tiny holes in pants, consider a blind stitch. The staff can also repair larger tears on the sewing machine, or even use a patch in a contrasting colour, for a personal touch. We treat each job individually, depending on the damage level and the customer’s needs.
UPCYCLING SERVICE
Sashiko upcycling involves ornamental patchwork, as seen in these display pieces featuring Japanese patterns (left), costing £10 per 10cm squared. The repair counter is equipped with thread and needles used especially for sashiko. Japanese tailoring products are also on display and available for purchase. Veteran tailors from Savile Row come by regularly to stock up. By helping average customers become acquainted with these tools, the staff hopes to cultivate a curiosity, so that more people will try these techniques on their own.
Repair studio in partnership with UNIQLO in London
In setting up our repair store, UNIQLO partnered with East London’s Studio Masachuka, a clothing manufacturer established in 2012 by Masahiko Morikawa that specialises in Japanese techniques. With a profound knowledge of sashiko and other traditional Japanese crafts, they train staff in repair work and sashiko, select tools for the shop, and create sashiko garments for display purposes. In the future, they’ll continue to develop the upcycling program for the store.
Holes and tears in this UNIQLO denim shirt were repaired using sashiko patchwork. By stacking simple wave stitches, a delightful pattern is created. No small number of customers go straight from the register to the repair shop to have a brand-new item decorated with sashiko.
STUDIO MASACHUKA
9 Essex House, 375 High Street London. UK E15 4QZ OPEN 9:00-17:00 CLOSED Saturdays and Sundays
Repair studio in partnership with UNIQLO in London
In setting up our repair store, UNIQLO partnered with East London’s Studio Masachuka, a clothing manufacturer established in 2012 by Masahiko Morikawa that specialises in Japanese techniques. With a profound knowledge of sashiko and other traditional Japanese crafts, they train staff in repair work and sashiko, select tools for the shop, and create sashiko garments for display purposes. In the future, they’ll continue to develop the upcycling program for the store.
Holes and tears in this UNIQLO denim shirt were repaired using sashiko patchwork. By stacking simple wave stitches, a delightful pattern is created. No small number of customers go straight from the register to the repair shop to have a brand-new item decorated with sashiko.
STUDIO MASACHUKA
9 Essex House, 375 High Street London. UK E15 4QZ OPEN 9:00-17:00 CLOSED Saturdays and Sundays
It only takes a little creativity to give your worn-out clothes new life. The repair shop at the UNIQLO Regent Street store was inspired by a Berlin-based initiative that began as our first in-store repair studio. We chose Berlin for this new venture because of the city’s receptivity to tailoring in general and to traditional Japanese practices, like kintsugi, in particular.
In the beginning, our staff had never done more than hem trousers. To bridge the gap, we’ve been partnering with Berliner Stadtmission since 2015. This NGO collects used clothes at our stores and sorts out items that can be used and those ready to be upcycled. With their collaboration, we opened a repair and upcycling studio at the Berlin Tauentzienstrasse store in August 2021.
This isn’t some clinical transaction, where a customer drops off old clothes to be repaired by somebody they’ll never meet, but an opportunity for UNIQLO and customers to make something together. To do this, we hold workshops where we have a conversation about clothing and the true value of repairs while mending items. For the first ten months, studio space was available free of charge on afternoons Thursday through Saturday, alongside regular paid services. By hosting these collaborative events, we’ve helped to make upcycling a familiar practice.
Our goal is for the atmosphere to combine play with creativity. You might sit down and make a tote bag from a pair of jeans or T-shirt, or use some denim fabric to create a wallet or even a pair of earrings. It’s easy to view these things through the lenses of ecology and sustainability, but this practice of exchanging ideas with customers while making new, unique objects has the added benefit of capturing the interest of staff in other regions. As a result, the repair studio idea has branched out from Berlin to other UNIQLO stores all over the world.
In the hope of extending the lifecycle of well-loved clothes in New York, we followed Berlin’s example and opened a RE.UNIQLO repair store at our SoHo store in January 2022. These in-store repair services have become quite popular in the US among customers who want to get the most out of their clothes. Simple repair jobs like fixing holes in down jackets and jeans have won the hearts of New Yorkers. But things aren’t only picking up in Europe and the US. This past March, employees at our store in Ang Mo Kio in Singapore received basic training in sewing and alterations, establishing our first in-store repair studio in the country. In April, another repair studios opened at DA Square in Malaysia, with an upcycling studio opening at UNIQLO Taipei in Taiwan. In addition to basic services like mending holes and fixing buttons, these studios have set the bar high with upcycled items made from worn-out UNIQLO products, like recycled cushions, tote bags and card cases.
These exciting ways of upcycling clothing are what happens when you blend old-time perspectives and techniques with the values of today. These initiatives have made the circle even wider, brightening our future relationship with clothes.
It only takes a little creativity to give your worn-out clothes new life. The repair shop at the UNIQLO Regent Street store was inspired by a Berlin-based initiative that began as our first in-store repair studio. We chose Berlin for this new venture because of the city’s receptivity to tailoring in general and to traditional Japanese practices, like kintsugi, in particular.
In the beginning, our staff had never done more than hem trousers. To bridge the gap, we’ve been partnering with Berliner Stadtmission since 2015. This NGO collects used clothes at our stores and sorts out items that can be used and those ready to be upcycled. With their collaboration, we opened a repair and upcycling studio at the Berlin Tauentzienstrasse store in August 2021.
This isn’t some clinical transaction, where a customer drops off old clothes to be repaired by somebody they’ll never meet, but an opportunity for UNIQLO and customers to make something together. To do this, we hold workshops where we have a conversation about clothing and the true value of repairs while mending items. For the first ten months, studio space was available free of charge on afternoons Thursday through Saturday, alongside regular paid services. By hosting these collaborative events, we’ve helped to make upcycling a familiar practice.
Our goal is for the atmosphere to combine play with creativity. You might sit down and make a tote bag from a pair of jeans or T-shirt, or use some denim fabric to create a wallet or even a pair of earrings. It’s easy to view these things through the lenses of ecology and sustainability, but this practice of exchanging ideas with customers while making new, unique objects has the added benefit of capturing the interest of staff in other regions. As a result, the repair studio idea has branched out from Berlin to other UNIQLO stores all over the world.
In the hope of extending the lifecycle of well-loved clothes in New York, we followed Berlin’s example and opened a RE.UNIQLO repair store at our SoHo store in January 2022. These in-store repair services have become quite popular in the US among customers who want to get the most out of their clothes. Simple repair jobs like fixing holes in down jackets and jeans have won the hearts of New Yorkers. But things aren’t only picking up in Europe and the US. This past March, employees at our store in Ang Mo Kio in Singapore received basic training in sewing and alterations, establishing our first in-store repair studio in the country. In April, another repair studios opened at DA Square in Malaysia, with an upcycling studio opening at UNIQLO Taipei in Taiwan. In addition to basic services like mending holes and fixing buttons, these studios have set the bar high with upcycled items made from worn-out UNIQLO products, like recycled cushions, tote bags and card cases.
These exciting ways of upcycling clothing are what happens when you blend old-time perspectives and techniques with the values of today. These initiatives have made the circle even wider, brightening our future relationship with clothes.
August 2021
BERLIN
Our global flagship store in Berlin offers two distinct services. The first, paid repairs for mending holes and tears in denim or knitwear, starts at 5 € and can be scheduled anytime. The other is “Second Life Studio,” a free service developed with our longstanding partner Berliner Stadtmission, where staff help customers to upcycle items they bring into the store. Everyone is welcome to these workshops, which blend lectures on clothing and sustainability with community revitalisation while spurring creativity.
January 2022
NEW YORK
At our SoHo Store in New York, simple repair services help customers to wear their favourite clothes even longer. Like other locations, the store mainly repairs holes in down jackets, jeans and sweaters and replaces zips and buttons. With costs starting at $5, more and more customers are bringing their clothes to UNIQLO to take advantage of these services.
March 2022
SINGAPORE
At select stores throughout Asia, RE.UNIQLO repair shops offer specialised upcycling services informed by the local culture. In Malaysia, the repair program gives back to society by creating jobs.
April 2022
MALAYSIA & TAIWAN
August 2021
BERLIN
Our global flagship store in Berlin offers two distinct services. The first, paid repairs for mending holes and tears in denim or knitwear, starts at 5 € and can be scheduled anytime. The other is “Second Life Studio,” a free service developed with our longstanding partner Berliner Stadtmission, where staff help customers to upcycle items they bring into the store. Everyone is welcome to these workshops, which blend lectures on clothing and sustainability with community revitalisation while spurring creativity.
January 2022
NEW YORK
At our SoHo Store in New York, simple repair services help customers to wear their favourite clothes even longer. Like other locations, the store mainly repairs holes in down jackets, jeans and sweaters and replaces zips and buttons. With costs starting at $5, more and more customers are bringing their clothes to UNIQLO to take advantage of these services.
March 2022
SINGAPORE
At select stores throughout Asia, RE.UNIQLO repair shops offer specialised upcycling services informed by the local culture. In Malaysia, the repair program gives back to society by creating jobs.
