A second-hand clothing pop-up by Japanese clothing company Uniqlo in Tokyo was not only a first for the company, but also a possible sign of the local population’s dwindling reluctance to use second-hand goods.
Uniqlo operates in an industry that is blamed for immense emissions of carbon and other pollutants, including microplastics. The company has so far benefited from consumers who constantly buy clothing and quickly dispose of it. However, growing awareness of the environmental impact of the fashion sector in Japan, the world’s third-largest clothing market, has not yet sparked much interest in second-hand products.
But the 10-day pop-up in Tokyo’s Harajuku district showed attitudes were changing, said Aya Hanada, who works for recycling program Re-Uniqlo. As part of the temporary sales area, second-hand clothing was offered for a third of the original price. Some items of clothing have even been dyed for a more intense ‘vintage look’. “I think the aversion to used clothing has disappeared in Japan, especially among young people,” Hanada said. The change is partly thanks to the Internet.
‘A Fad’
However, there still seems to be a long way to go until we have a deep appreciation for second-hand pieces. In Japan, 34 percent of discarded clothing is recycled or reused, according to the Ministry of Environment. However, this percentage also includes exports to developing countries, where waste often ends up in landfills or is incinerated. According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a British charity that works to eliminate waste and combat pollution, the equivalent of a truckload of clothing is burned or sent to landfill every second worldwide.
Market research firm JapanConsuming estimates that the Japanese second-hand segment accounts for less than six percent of the $75 billion market, although it has grown significantly in recent years.
For a long time, used clothing in Japan was a small niche that only appealed to alternative fashion enthusiasts, explained Michael Causton, co-founder of JapanConsuming. “Compared to countries like France or the United Kingdom, where ecological environmental factors were paramount, in Japan it may have been just a fad,” Causton told Agence France-Presse (AFP). “We are very concerned about hygiene as it is an integral part of Japanese culture. This was definitely a barrier for average consumers.”
Mercari effect
Uniqlo is now promoting the conversion of used clothing into new products and donating them to refugees and others in need. 2nd Street, a Japanese used clothing company, has also expanded to 800 stores nationwide. Online trade between private individuals has also increased, primarily on the Japanese second-hand platform Mercari, where around a third of the transaction value involves fashion items.
Japanese second-hand clothing is popular even in China and other countries, Causton said, “because buyers know that Japanese people take care of their clothes and the goods being sent are high quality.”
“I think used clothing in Japan is of high quality. Damage is always clearly indicated,” said Charlotte Xu, an eighteen-year-old Australian tourist browsing a thrift store in Harajuku. “In my home country everything is in disarray, there is a lot of searching to be done. Here, however, everything is nicely organized and you can find everything you want.”
inflation
The rising prices that have been felt in Japanese wallets since 2022 after years of deflation were also the reason that some consumers are turning to second-hand goods.
“We conducted a user survey last year. “This indicated that clothing is the most frequently chosen category to purchase on Mercari to combat rising prices,” said a Mercari spokesperson.
For many, however, the fashion factor remains the most important. “I’m aware of the sustainability of second-hand items, but I often buy them just because they’re stylish,” 28-year-old Yamato Ogawa told AFP during the Uniqlo pop-up. (AFP)
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.com. Translated and edited by Heide Halama.