By YUJI YAMASHITA/ Staff Writer
December 16, 2021 at 07:10 JST
Sneakers made from used denim jeans (Yuji Yamashita)
Discarded used Levi’s 501 jeans have been transformed into fashion items, including bags and shoes, to help reduce the mountains of waste caused by old clothing.
Led by Isetan Mitsukoshi Holdings Ltd., more than 50 companies, including apparel brands, have created about 150 items that will be sold by six retailers.
Dresses, household items, artworks, female underwear and other products were shown to the media during a preview event on Dec. 1.
The recycled goods will be available on March 23 at the Isetan Shinjuku store in Tokyo, Hankyu Department Store’s main outlet in Osaka’s Umeda district, Iwataya’s main shop in Fukuoka, and elsewhere under the title of “Denim de Mirai: Denim Project.”
Unwanted used jeans stored outside Japan were recycled for the products.
The project came to fruition after Tokyo-based Yamasawa Press bought about 20 tons of used denim jeans.
Shota Kamiya, 35, a buyer at the Isetan Shinjuku store, called on other department store operators and apparel brands to join the cause.
Project members aim to use about 10 tons, or half of the total, to produce recycled items.
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