Tag: reuse

  • Uniqlo launches initiative to recycle its products

    Uniqlo launches initiative to recycle its products

    Japanese apparel business Uniqlo has launched a recycling initiative aimed at reducing the footprint of its products being improperly disposed of.

    Called Re.Uniqlo, the program enables the business to recycle old clothes into new clothes, redistributing old clothes to people in need, and, in Japan only, recycling old clothes into fuel and materials.

    Goods to be recycled can be taken into Uniqlo stores and deposited within Re.Uniqlo boxes. All Uniqlo items are accepted, but the business asks that customers wash clothing beforehand and ensure there are no personal belongings included.

    “We collect second-hand Uniqlo clothes in stores for reuse and deliver them to people in need worldwide in the form of emergency clothing aid for refugee camps and disaster areas together with the United Nations Refugee Agency, NGOs and NPO,” Uniqlo said on its Re.Uniqulo website.

    “And recently, we have been actively recycling clothes into clothes, starting with our own products.”

    The business’s first recycled product, a down jacket, will be on sale later this month.

  • Re:store store aims to change the way we shop

    Re:store store aims to change the way we shop

    San Francisco-based retail space and collaboration hub Re:store has been launched to help customers discover “Insta-famous” products into a tangible and immersive experience.

    By bringing niche brands closer to their customers and fostering community-based innovation, the Sequoia-backed startup is an attempt to change not just how we shop, but how we engage with brands, ideas, and the people inspiring them.

    “Creating an authentic connection between customers and brands is a fundamental building block of a dynamic shopping experience,” said creative entrepreneur Selene Cruz. “Re:store is poised to make scroll-to-stroll the new normal.”

    Partnering with a team of experienced curators, including former Refinery29 senior fashion market editor Alyssa Coscarelli and influencer “it girl” Vivid Wu, Re:store hand-picked 70 coveted direct-to-consumer brands as its debut partners, leaving more than 2000 other labels on the waitlist for future consideration. Among those featured at launch were CFDA award winner Mansur Gavriel, sustainability-minded fashion icon Sezane, and cult brand & Other Stories, with design ateliers in Paris, Stockholm and LA.

    Each startup brand receives its own dedicated area within the three-level 4200sqft space, located on the same San Francisco retail block as Fendi and Hermes, and fashion-meets-tech brands Warby Parker, Rent the Runway and Cuyana. Re:store’s interior was designed by Robert Storey of Storey Studio (Nike, Everlane, Gentle Monster) to reflect a shifting colors Cape, referencing San Francisco’s vibrant culture and “dreamy sky”.

    Re:store is not designed for the passive shopper; it’s a community space where customers can interact personally with brand leaders and founders through services such as feminist-focused Lacquerbar manicure pop-in, or entrepreneurial creativity installations like the Living Wall – a fashionable take on a Post-it ideation process.

    Re:store also seamlessly connects a digital mindset with the analog world. Through technology touchpoints, customers can communicate directly with brands, attaining deeper knowledge about their favorite items while sharing insights that can influence future products.