Japan’s revolutionary circular fashion brand embraces biodegradable washi clothing

The fashion industry has long been recognized as a significant threat to the environment, mainly due to its mass production and consumption. One solution gaining traction is the concept of circular fashion.

In the traditional fashion industry, clothing is often discarded immediately when it goes out of style or becomes old. In contrast, circular fashion aims to eliminate waste entirely by designing products for collection, recycling, reuse or return to the soil. The concept of circular fashion not only extends the product’s lifespan but also ensures they are safely returned to the ecosystem.

Now, you might be curious about how circular fashion works in practice. Let’s explore an example from Japan.

A biodegradable washi clothing brand “aloof home”

aloof home is known for its 100% biodegradable apparel crafted from traditional Japanese paper, “washi.” Washi is considered more eco-friendly than traditional Western paper because the raw materials (plants) grow rapidly and can be harvested annually, thus avoiding contributions to deforestation.

As a circular fashion brand, they naturally prioritize sustainability and quality of their clothing. To achieve the desired softness and ease of processing into apparel products, they invested an extended period collaborating with experts in the washi fiber industry, ensuring their safe transformation into compost within the ecosystem.

In addition to washi, this brand has introduced other carefully selected natural materials such as silk and cotton, and all products can be completely biodegradable. While the clothes look simple initially, they feature small details with accentuating designs. The versatile designs make mixing and matching any items in your wardrobe easy.

A new fashion life cycle: Clothing transforming into organic vegetable

Another unique feature of aloof home is its cycling system. The brand adopts a model where purchased items have a designated wearing period, and customers are encouraged to return them afterward. This approach aims to address the issue of many clothes being forgotten in the closet, left unworn, and eventually discarded.

The wearing period is aligns with fashion seasons (spring/summer, and fall/winter). If you return a purchased product within 180 days from the purchase date, you will receive a 30% discount for your next purchase. This benefits those who want to wear variety of clothing each year without cluttering their closet.

After being collected, the clothing takes on new roles at aloof farm in Nantan City, Kyoto Prefecture. It’s finely cut, fed into a pellet machine, and transformed into compost to grow vegetables. The harvested organic vegetables are then available for purchase in their online shop.

Throughout this process, the brand collaborates with local farmers, aiming to create employment opportunities in the industry. Moreover, they’ve set a goal to establish new farms to revitalize agriculture in Japan, given the industry’s decline.

The business model teaches us the importance of taking a broad view of things and approaching the issue from a different perspective. Their sustainability initiative is expected to have a positive impact on both the community and the earth.