Photo/Illutration A specialized pop-up corner for old clothing within Uniqlo’s Tenjin outlet in Fukuoka’s Chuo Ward on April 12 (Shinya Matsumoto)

Joining a rapidly spreading trend, Uniqlo’s Tenjin outlet in Fukuoka’s Chuo Ward started selling used clothes in April.

Major clothing vendors are recovering preowned fashionable goods and finding ways to capitalize on the cast-offs against the backdrop of growing environmental awareness.

The Uniqlo store handles re-dyed items and reused garments cleaned at a dedicated factory.

The reused goods cost less than the originals, but the re-dyed items sometimes carry the same price tags as their brand-new counterparts.

About 300 to 400 items are constantly available at the Tenjin store. The secondhand goods will be available only through Aug. 31.

Uniqlo will determine whether to sell old garments permanently after viewing the customer response.

Used Uniqlo clothes are available only at the store in Fukuoka and an outlet in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward.

“People in (Fukuoka) are highly conscious of fashion, and it is home to many secondhand clothing shops, too,” explained a public relations representative of Uniqlo. “We decided the area is best suited for a trial run outside Tokyo.”

In 2006, Uniqlo began collecting unused clothes at its stores and delivering them primarily to refugee camps.

The company also recycles feathers removed from down jackets and converts unusable clothing into insulation against heat and noise under a revival program.

However, refugee camps can accept only a limited amount of clothes, and some of the items are unsuitable in local areas due to religious and other reasons.

This time, Uniqlo embarked on direct sales of preowned products with hopes of presenting more options for still-usable items.

Past merchandise released by Uniqlo is called “old Uniqlo” and loved among some fashion fans.

“Our hope is that patrons will enjoy trying one-of-a-kind garments as part of fashion while contributing to a more recycling-oriented society at the same time,” said Yuko Mitsuki, manager of the Tenjin outlet of Uniqlo.

Other leading apparel companies are riding the eco-friendly bandwagon.

Onward Holdings Co., famous particularly for its 23ku brand, started amassing used clothes in 2009. After reused goods were put on sale in 2014, Onward expanded its business into handling remade garments earlier this year.

H&M started an old clothing recovery project in 2013 for sales in Europe and the United States.

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