UNIQLO Launches Repair Studio In SOHO
New York, New York- In an industry that contributes to 10% of global carbon emissions, brands are making an effort to be more sustainable. However, the Japanese brand UNIQLO’s mission has always been to become a better brand for the environment and communities alike. This past Thursday, the brand has gone even farther in its initiative to be more sustainable with the launch of its new repair studio, RE.UNIQLO.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency reported that the primary source of textiles in municipal solid waste is discarded clothing. RE.UNIQLO is the brand’s plan of action to extend the life of customers’ favorite LifeWear styles to reduce the environmental crisis caused by textile waste. The repair studio is on the ground floor at the SoHo Global Flagship Store.
“Perfected essentials that are both stylish and timeless. LifeWear comes from our Japanese values of simplicity, quality, and longevity,” said Daisuke Tsukagoshi, the brand’s USA CEO.
“We are proud to offer our newest service at our oldest store in the U.S., helping to give our customers’ favorite items an even longer life, benefitting both the wearer and the environment.”
RE.UNIQLO is said to prioritize the 4 R’s: reduce, replace, re-use, and recycle through its on-site repair system performed by expert alterations staff. Repairs are affordable and priced at just $5. The repair menu includes button replacement, mending seam rips and holes, replacing missing zipper teeths and additional maintenance contingent on customer needs.
Nonetheless, the RE.UNIQLO repair shop is not the first development under the company’s All-Product initiative. In 2006, the brand began collecting lightly used clothing to donate to refugees and others to promote product recycling.
The company also collects pre-worn UNIQLO items from customers and recycles them in new products. The Down Recycling Project launched in 2020 was the first item under the RE.UNIQLO banner in which old items were recycled into new UNIQLO items.
The repair shop conveniently opens seven days a week from 11 A.M. to 8 P.M. On Friday’s they close at 7 P.M..
The RE in RE.UNIQLO is proof of the virtues of recycling, reusing and reducing.