Maurice SkinnerJapan’s largest city and international hub may be Tokyo, but Osaka is also a hub of activity, lively people and colorful fashion. Osaka is the epicenter of the Kansai region, surrounded by Nara, Kyoto, Kobe and Wakayama, and has much to offer when it comes to sustainability. The city is a growing destination for upcoming designers who also have the environment in mind. It is only fair to present a few retailers who are aiming to create a form of consumerism that does not negatively impact the planet.
Shiochi
First up on our list is Shiochi. Shoichi is a company that sells clothing that was meant for disposal. The company purchases more than 10 million pieces of clothing each year from different brands and manufacturers within Japan. These clothes were meant to be thrown away and discarded by other companies due to “defects” and other reasons deemed to be reasonable by any big company. Through these secondary purchases, Shoichi is able to create a secondary distribution of apparel.
The company is named after its president and CEO Shoichi Yamamoto. Yamamoto began his career in apparel and fashion while still at university. During this time, he was an independent seller that would sell items through Yahoo auctions. Afterward, Yamamoto spent more than 20 years within the stock disposal industry.
During that time, he was surprised at the vast amount of clothing that was disposed, incinerated or simply discarded. This helped him develop a business scheme that would see that “defected” apparel could find a new home. The company now handles inventory disposal from over 4000 companies.
The company has also launched its own brand of sustainable clothing by the name of MARTHA ETHICAL. This brand is special because it helps consumers become voluntarily involved in the apparel disposal process. Through this brand consumers are actively able to help bolster the domestic craftsman industry, while also promoting the use of sustainable methods and techniques related to fashion.
Furthermore, Shoichi also works with other countries in order to deliver clothing to the impoverished. Shoichi’s headquarters may be in Osaka, but it hopes to change the views of sustainable fashion in Japan and around the world.
Love and Sense
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Love and Sense, created and established by Fukushi Co. Ltd., is a company that has devoted itself not only to the fair trade movement, but it has also dedicated its time to creating fashion that does not have a negative impact on the environment.
Moreover, the company’s mission is to help fight poverty in other countries, but also in Japan. Love and Sense recognizes that poverty has turned into a large issue and is now attempting to make its fair trade products readily available to the domestic market in Japan. The company also states that by purchasing fair trade products, it will help curb or even eliminate poverty and environmental damage.
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Love and Sense has various different goals. These goals include the export and import of fair trade clothing, consulting and information, as well as publications related to the fair trade industry and marketing. Love and Sense has been providing sustainable clothing since 2006 and continues to be an ever-growing presence in not only Osaka, but the rest of Japan.
Kana Organic
Sustainability and organic fashion isn’t limited to only adults. Kana Organic’s brand is limited mainly to infants and young children. While it is important to understand that sustainability is important, it’s great that Kana Organic is also making the purchase of organic clothing possible for children.
Kana Organic creates clothing with only 100% organic cotton. Furthermore, the cotton used is made only in Japan by domestic manufacturers. The company also sells special-made items to which a child’s name is attached. Due to the organic nature of the company’s clothing, no harmful pesticides or abrasive chemicals are used in Kana Organic’s products. In lieu of harmful agents, compost and other natural fertilizer is used when growing the cotton. The harvesting of the cotton is undertaken after it has naturally developed and is ready for use. Kana Organic uses this cotton in order to not only protect the environment, but also the future generations of children in Japan and around the world.
Re: Edit
Re: Edit is an outlet store that is based in Osaka. This store caters to women and sells a wide array of fashion that is not only ethical, but also sustainable.
What makes Re: Edit a great purchase is knowing that all of their materials are purchased from within Japan too. This helps lower the amount of emissions as well as damage to the environment. The company’s website also contains information regarding sustainability and the current situation in Japan. According to the website, Japan discards approximately one million tons of clothing each year. Furthermore, the incineration of clothing has an annual CO2 emission rate of around 239,000 tons. This has led the company to provide its consumer with ethical clothing that could help possibly undo the damage that has affected each and every country.
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Re: Edit states that it considers it a responsibility to create, sell and manufacture fashion in a sustainable manner so that the world will be a better place one hundred years from now. One example of this is the company’s Soy Bean series. By using plant-derived soy fiber, Re: Edit has been able to create breathable fabrics that fit comfortably. The fiber also provides UV protection and antibacterial sterilization. The Soy Bean series is one of many projects that has been launched by Re: Edit in order to promote sustainability.
Osaka is a bustling city that continues to create a world that is sustainable and safe for the environment and humans alike. This trend is only the beginning of a future focused on providing ethical clothing for not a select few, but for each and every person.
More sustainable brands in Japan
- 2024-03-06: 3 eco-friendly wallets from Japan to get this spring
- 2022-09-08: Ethical jewelry brand iriser by women-led Fukushima lampworkers
- 2021-12-03: Well-being and a circularity of gratitude at Konnyaku Shabon Kiyomizu Kyoto
- 2021-08-13: Sustainable, vegan, and zero waste cafe: Kyoto’s riverside cafe Veg Out
- 2021-05-05: Sisam Fair Trade + design: strong ally in fair trade selection
