BRING and ‘momiji’ unveil upcycled art T-Shirts

BRING, in conjunction with lifestyle brand “momiji,” has declared the production and retailing of a line of original art T-shirts. These aren’t just any T-shirts; each piece is an eclectic canvas featuring the work of 15 distinct artists, breathing life into the fabric, turning the utilitarian into the extraordinary. The T-shirts are currently being sold at the “momiji Artist Collection” event taking place at Ginza-Wako until June 28th.

The backdrop to this story is the fashion industry’s waste problem of staggering proportions. Consider this: about 60% of all fiber production worldwide stems from polyester-derived products. To address this issue, BRING has ingeniously turned to its proprietary PET chemical recycling technology. The resulting T-shirts are crafted from sustainable, recycled polyester, 100% derived from recycled fibers.

This product line springs from a pact with BRING’s innovative “Making Clothes from Clothes®” initiative, which sees old clothing not as waste but as resources for creating new garments. The collaboration thus manifests a critical push towards resource conservation and sustainability in the fashion industry.

In a unique take on retailing, the Artist Collection offers customers an interactive shopping experience. Upon selecting a piece of art, Brother’s “GTX” printer brings the design to life on the T-shirt, right there on the spot.

This pioneering project, known as “momiji,” was kicked off by actors Kenichi Matsuyama and Koyuki in March 2022. What started as a response to Matsuyama’s realization of the complex interplay between human activity, climate change, and wildlife biodiversity has transformed into a full-blown upcycling initiative.

The “momiji” project responds to the reality that, while some wild animals are captured and used for meat by local governments for the conservation of agricultural and mountain biodiversity, their skins are often wasted. “Momiji,” named after another term for deer, adopts a unique approach. It leverages these seemingly difficult-to-use resources, turning discarded animal skins and other waste materials into fashion-forward, upcycled items. This ingenious solution offers a new pathway to sustainability, reaffirming that waste isn’t waste until we waste it.