The "think good campaign," themed "Sustainability as envisioned by Mitsukoshi Isetan," will begin on Wednesday, March 23rd at the Isetan Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . During the campaign period, a promotion for SARTO , a company that handles clothing remaking and repair, will be held on the 5th floor Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building . Tailored clothing buyer Masaki Taniguchi, SARTO representative Masaya Dan, and special guest Takahiro Okano from the Ministry of the Environment will share their thoughts on the importance of having a long relationship with a single garment and how we should approach fashion in the future.

The fashion industry has a significant environmental impact.

Taniguchi: What prompted Ms. Okano to establish the "Fashion and Environment" task force at the Ministry of the Environment?

Okano: The fashion industry is said to have a heavy environmental impact, as it uses large amounts of water and discharges CO2 during the production and dyeing processes. There are negative opinions, but fashion is fundamentally something that excites and enriches people's lives. The value of clothes isn't just about the price, is it? It's also about the design and the designer's vision. So I thought that being "sustainable" might also be a value of clothing in the future.


Taniguchi: Even from our perspective, as people who sell a lot of clothes, we feel like we're moving towards a world where wearing clothes and being sustainable can coexist.

Okano: The term SDGs has become widespread, and I think everyone is aware that they need to do something to protect the environment, but I also hear people say they don't know what to do when it comes to taking action. Fashion is an essential part of life, just like clothing, food, and shelter, so I thought it would be great to promote sustainability that can be started in one's immediate surroundings, under the theme of "Fashion and the Environment." On our website, we also feature examples of companies that are working on sustainable fashion.

Dan: I happened to come across the Ministry of the Environment's website that Okano and his team created, and I thought, "This doesn't look like something the Ministry of the Environment would do, it's stylish!" (laughs). The theme was "Fashion and the Environment," and the top message was "Let's cherish and wear the clothes we already own." This is exactly what Sarto is working on, and I thought it was a website made just for me, so I immediately emailed the Ministry of the Environment.

Okano: I received an email from Ms. Dan that expressed the full extent of her feelings (laughs).

Taniguchi: At that time, did you also feel that you should take some kind of action for "sustainable fashion," Ms. Dan?

Dan: "Alterations" was listed as one of the keywords on the website. So I told Okano that it would be necessary to introduce what alterations entail with concrete examples.


Okano: While there are more and more clothes and shoes made from sustainable materials, I've always believed that the essence of it all is still "taking good care of the clothes you already own," so I was happy to hear from Ms. Dan, who is putting that into practice as a business.

Taniguchi: I think the honest truth is that many people don't really understand what the SDGs are. But it's easier to understand when there are companies like SARTO that are practicing sustainability in something familiar to us, like "clothing alterations."

Dan: The clothing alteration service is heavily influenced by the times. After the earthquake, people became more conscious of taking care of their belongings, and we saw an increase in people bringing in clothes for alterations. Now, with increased awareness of sustainability, we're seeing more orders from people who want to remake clothes they no longer wear and give them a new life. When the term "metabolic syndrome" became popular, we were flooded with orders for waist alterations from people who had worked hard to slim down (laughs).

Taniguchi: SARTO has had a permanent shop at Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building since 2014, and customer needs have certainly changed. Rather than demanding high-level alteration techniques, customers now mostly want to wear their clothes for a little longer, or wear them again. As a result, I think there are more people who love clothes more.

<Sarto> alterations give your cherished garments a new lease on life.

Taniguchi: Starting Wednesday, March 23rd, the Mitsukoshi Isetan Group will launch the "think good" campaign with the theme "Sustainability as envisioned by Mitsukoshi Isetan," and Isetan Shinjuku Store, Men's Building 5th floor will be featuring SARTO prominently.

Dan: When people think of alterations, they often imagine things like replacing buttons or shortening hems. But I want people to know that SARTO 's alterations can also transform a garment into something completely new.

Okano: I want to change the concept of the word "alterations."

Taniguchi: SARTO actually transforms kimonos into dresses or shirts, undertaking bold remakes, so we are also considering exhibiting some of these actual pieces. Through the promotion at think good, we hope to let people know that there are companies like SARTO that are working on "alterations" to give clothes a new life.


Dan: I want to take the word and concept of "repair" overseas. When I talk about SARTO in Italy or the UK, it's perceived as something very niche, but it's not something special at all. So, before that, I want to establish "repair" in Japan first.

Taniguchi: My reason for reaching out to SARTO for the Think Good campaign was exactly the same as Ms. Dan's idea. I wanted to suggest inheriting and continuing the clothes that our grandfathers and fathers loved to wear, and then wearing them in a modern way. Instead of replacing or throwing away clothes when they get old, I hope people will realize that there is an option to have them altered and "wear and cherish one garment for a long time."

Okano: It's an option that allows you to enjoy fashion while also contributing to sustainability, isn't it?

Choosing high-quality clothing contributes to sustainability.

Dan: SARTO 's customer base has grown significantly, especially among younger generations, and I feel that younger people are more proactive in taking action towards the SDGs.

Okano: More and more young people are becoming interested in the SDGs and are looking for alternatives because they feel that "things can't continue like this," so we feel that we need to present a variety of approaches. The "Fashion and Environment" team was only established less than a year ago, so we're just getting started.

Dan: I think that buying high-quality clothes at department stores and continuing to wear them while taking care of them is similar to maintaining a car. If more people realize that clothing can also be taken care of afterwards, I think that the idea of "let's buy good clothes" will spread to younger people as well.

Okano: It's not just about selling and being done with it, or buying and being done with it; the relationship starts from there, and that's something unique to department stores.


Taniguchi: People keep saying that department stores are not doing well, but this experience made me realize that there are still many things that only department stores can offer.

Okano: The mass production and mass consumption model we've had until now is becoming a dead end as a business, and the reality that clothes are discarded after being worn only a few times, or even never being worn at all, is not a happy situation for anyone—the designers and manufacturers who make them, or the department stores that sell them. I believe that fashion is something that creates the times and is a mirror that reflects the times, so now the question is how we can make exciting proposals while being based on sustainability.

Taniguchi: That's right. We also need to work hard by making proactive suggestions. I learned a lot from what you both said. Thank you very much for today.



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