UNIQLO Expands Repair Studios In The US So Clothes Will Be Cherished For Longer
Image via UNIQLO
Tore your jean pocket but don’t like the distressed look? If you got the garment from a UNIQLO store, you can take it to one of five Re.Uniqlo Studios rolled out in the US.
According to Glossy, the Japanese everyday fashion retailer is opening repair shops-in-shops at the locations in New York’s Fifth Avenue; Beverly Hills; State Street in Chicago; and Disney Springs in Florida on March 17. The brand has also reopened a stand in Manhattan’s SoHo.
UNIQLO says it is devoting great efforts to making Re.Uniqlo a reliable service, flipping the script for what it means to own something from a fast-fashion store. The company has trained its staff for the program, and at Fifth Avenue, for example, it has brought in special equipment to carry out repairs.
The workshop goes beyond UNIQLO’s free simple alteration services to allow basic repairs, with prices starting from US$5, and some customizations.
The five US outfits join Re.Uniqlo Studios’ existing locations across nine markets, including London, Berlin, and Tokyo, totaling the number of workshops worldwide to 17. With this significant expansion, UNIQLO hopes to create a sustainable mindset where old, beloved pieces can still be repaired or repurposed.
To start things off, UNIQLO is hosting an event educating patrons at the Fifth Avenue store about the Japanese technique of Sashiko on March 18. Here, customers will also see how upcycled patchwork can breathe new life into vintage kimonos. Following that, on March 24, fashion designer Simon Goldman will be there to give out one-of-kind, NYC-themed patches to the first 25 shoppers.
In addition to the repair shops, the Re:Uniqlo program includes an All Product Recycling Initiative that lets customers return “too-well-worn” apparel and have the garments recycled into new fibers or energy sources. UNIQLO has also donated some of the upcycled wear to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the past 20 years.
