"UoT" (Upcycle of Things) is becoming the new standard.

Are you familiar with "Zuppagetti," a trend popular among young women for several years now? It refers to eco-friendly, stylish knitting yarn (T-shirt yarn) made by cutting T-shirt fabric into thin strips. Handmade bags and other items crafted with this yarn are currently popular.

Searching "#zupagetti" on Instagram yields over 312,000 posts (as of August 2019) featuring professional-quality handmade items.

In the apparel industry, disposing of excess clothing inventory and the massive disposal of leftover fabric have long been challenges. Japan's domestic supply of apparel products is approximately 4 billion items annually. While vast quantities of clothing circulate each year, Japan alone is estimated to discard nearly 1 million tons (over 3 billion items) annually. A major British luxury brand faced significant backlash after incinerating unsold clothing and accessories worth approximately ¥4.1 billion while still brand new.

Amidst this, "upcycling" is gaining attention in the fashion industry. It goes beyond simple "recycling" or "reuse," enhancing value by transforming items into something better that utilizes their inherent qualities.

For example, the select shop "BEAMS" is undertaking an initiative called " BEAMS CUTURE," where they take dormant inventory items and add new designs and sewing work to create unique, one-of-a-kind pieces for sale.

Additionally, the apparel resale company "FINE" has created a system where it purchases inventory from brands and manufacturers, deliberately replaces the name tags, and resells the items as a new brand called " Rename " at affordable prices.

Unlike outlet goods, "Rename" allows resale without diminishing the remaining clothing's brand value. Consumers can purchase based on the inherent value of the garment itself—its quality and design—uninfluenced by brand image.

Both initiatives contribute to reducing textile waste by imparting new value to garments that would otherwise be discarded.

Moving forward, "UoT" (Upcycle of Things) – breathing new life into discarded items – will become increasingly important for realizing a sustainable circular economy. We hope UoT will spread beyond the apparel industry to various sectors like food and machinery, becoming a new standard.

Future Prediction Support Lab: http://dentsu-fsl.jp/