20 tonnes of used Levi’s 501s fit for a new purpose in Japan
A project to buy 20 tonnes of pre-owned Levi’s 501 jeans and refurbish, upcycle and resell them in Japan is currently underway in Tokyo.
One of key supporters of the project is Shota Kamiya, a buyer at the influential Isetan flagship department store in Tokyo’s Shinjuku ward, responsible for the sustainability focused ReStyle initiative.
The main protagonist, however, is president of apparel repairs and subcontractor factory Yamasawa Press, Ryoji Yamazawa, who first noticed the problem of piles of used denim going to waste while visiting the west coast of the United States in 2019. He felt that this denim, primed for disposal, could be given a new life.
By spring 2021, 20 tonnes of discarded Levi’s 501s had arrived at Yamasawa Press from an undisclosed “overseas” location.
Around 10 tonnes (10,000 kilograms) of the 501s are suitable for repair, with another 10 tonnes best used for upcycling.
The team is now looking to raise an initial ¥5 million (around $46,000) via Japanese crowdfunding platform Readyfor to fund the cost of the manual labour required to sort and clean the jeans, ready for repair at Yamasawa Press.
Once this has been achieved, the next stage of the project will involve raising an additional ¥5 million for the specialist refurbishment and/or remaking of the jeans into new garments at the factory.
Image: Yamasawa Press.
