Rise of the Reuse Generation: Kyoto’s “Used Clothes Population”

Junkan Fes, a festival celebrated in Umekoji Park in Kyoto City, brings circular fashion to life and has quickly become a favorite among the young. Organized by Human Forum, the event seeks to establish a culture of reuse that captivates and inspires a new generation. On April 7, visitors experienced a blend of food, shopping, and interactive activities, creating a vibrant atmosphere of community and sustainability.

The heart of the festival was the main stage, which offered insights from guest speakers involved in sustainable fashion, including representatives from Wacoal and SPINNS. Between talks, attendees explored various exhibitions and participated in workshops, creating a dynamic environment for learning and engagement. The festival also catered to families, featuring a balloon castle that provided children with a space for play and excitement. Truly, there was something for all ages.

Popular among Kyoto’s fashion-forward crowd, retailers like SPINNS, Urban Research, MARU, RE;CIRCLE, and troika setup their booths. A unique feature of some stores was their promotion of used clothing, sold at set prices regardless of the number of items a customer could fit into a tote or bag.

One of the key attractions at Junka Fes is the “0 yen Market,” where participants get to pick three pieces of clothing of their choice from over 2000 items. And as the name suggests, participants do not pay anything! These clothes come from the collection of old clothes over the past few months, mainly within Kyoto City.

One of our favourite sections at Junkan Fes is the collection point of unwanted items. Located beside the “0 yen Market,” it acts as a catalyst to continuing the circular flow for sustainable fashion. Here, organizers collected not only old clothes and accessories but also bicycles and futons, ensuring these items were recycled or repurposed appropriately.

In fact, between “0 yen Market” and the collection of old clothes, the organizer is able to measure the tangible impact of circulating clothes. They estimated reducing about 72 tons of CO2 for this event alone.

There were pleasant discoveries too. Patagonia’s popular Worn Wear included the Junkan Fes as one of their destinations of their travel series. Shinpei Hara, shared that the Worn Wear service was pay-as-you-will, and not about making a profit. It was more about bringing attention to the habit of repair, that there is another path available other than discarding that which you love. Just as their customers fell in love with Worn Wear, so were our support for Patagonia revigorated. (Be sure to check their Unfashionable Week series!)

We also saw Kuro Montuski Co., Ltd. (kmintsuki.co.jp), who uses the traditional kurozome (black textile dyeing) to revive old clothes. It doesn’t matter whether they are old or stained, Kuro Montuski is able to dye a variety of clothes, from shirts to denim to bags to caps. You can send them items to assess for viability from anywhere in Japan, and they’d be able to do the dye job in about one month.

Circular fashion, circular economy

Junkan Fes’s key motif, of course, is used clothing, addressing the needs of what might be called the “Used Clothes Population.” These are the people who are actively purchasing and wearing used clothing. There is even a retro fashion trend that is conventionally accepted. It’s really more than just a fancy term, as it is highly relevant in this era of eco-consciousness for sure.

If we look at circulating old clothes as part of the 10 R’s of Circular Economy, Reuse is one of the top strategies that is utilized to prevent waste. Instead of discarding the old and manufacturing/purchasing the new (which often is resource intensive), items are made to be reused or are reused through other channels (like selling to a secondhand shop for resale).

We see that theme beyond clothings too. For example, Loopach, a company promoting the reuse culture of shopping bags. On one hand, they encourage businesses to use their electronic chip to encourage their customers in using reusable shopping bags. On the other hand, customers get to play an active role as they find organizations to donate to as they earn gifting points through each purchase. Perhaps this is the next evolution to our personal shopping bags.

MUSUBI also had a booth near the main stage, showcasing their beautiful designs of Furoshiki, a piece of Japanese cloth often related to wrapping and bundling. We talked the versatility of Furoshiki before and their role in sustainability. You can use and reuse them for wrapping lunch boxes, wrapping bottles, use as bags, even utilize them during emergencies. The designs were quite the delight to see even without the lens of sustainability!

The Used Clothes Population, The Reuse Generation

Fashion is just a start. Junkan Fes may seem like an event for used clothes, but remember, “Junkan Fes” means Circular Festival in English. The organizer, Human Forum, understands the importance of the circular economy, slowly extending the concept beyond clothes in two ways: circulation of materials beyond textile, and Refuse, Repair, and Repair beyond Reuse.

And Junkan Fes has achieved success on many levels. As an event, it has gathered hundreds of participants, from those interested in sustainability, to those looking to enjoy finding treasure among the used clothing. Perhaps the best example revealing how hopeful this success is comes from one of the sharings of our guest speakers:

“There was already a queue when I arrived at 9.30am. [The event officially starts at 10am.] A grandma in the queue grabbed my attention, and asked where the collection point for the old clothes were. And as we talked, I asked why she was here. The grandma said, ‘My grandchildren were the ones who asked me to bring them here.’”