On May 10th, Cotton Council International (CCI) celebrated Cotton Day at the Westin Tokyo in Meguro, Tokyo, where it announced a new project, "POWER of COTTON," which uses the power of U.S. cotton to propose a new image of artisans in traditional Japanese crafts. The event featured a collaborative workwear exhibition between COTTON USA and ANREALAGE's Kunihiko Morinaga, as well as a talk session between Morinaga and Koji Orii, president of Momentum Factory Orii, the recipient of the donation. The project aims to raise awareness and understanding of the innovative nature of U.S. cotton and its origins in America by innovating in Japan's social issues and traditional fields. In collaboration with Vogue Japan, COTTON USA and Morinaga of ANREALAGE collaborated to create uniforms for Momentum Factory, a Takaoka, Toyama Prefecture, factory that is engaged in innovative initiatives such as applying traditional coloring techniques for fine arts and crafts and bronze statues. In response to the issue of successors in Japan's traditional industries, Morinaga created innovative uniforms using American cotton to propose a new image of artisans and stabilise the decline in young people's desire to become artisans by stimulating interest in artisans. Morinaga, who incorporated technology from the 16SS collection, which transforms plain or white colours into patterns and vibrant colours with flashes and light, created the uniforms, conceptually representing medals and light. "I wanted to create something that draws attention to the fact that it's American cotton. I also wanted to break the stereotype of uniforms worn by artisans," he said during the talk session. "The stains on the workshop floor, walls and uniforms aren't dirt, but rather medals, symbolising the accumulated time and history. I scanned the stains from the workshop to create a pattern, which emerges like a medal when light hits it. I also chose white to ensure that new stains that appear over time coexist with the luminous stains."

President Orii commented, "When we saw it for the first time, the craftsmen cheered with joy. It will motivate us to do our work in the future, and I feel that we must do our job responsibly." President Orii also emphasized, "To preserve traditional industries, we need a breath of fresh air, and we want to continue to move forward." Morinaga commented, "We also saw firsthand how well U.S. cotton and technology work together. We hope that this initiative will inspire more people to become interested in U.S. cotton and traditional crafts."

The COTTON USA AWARD 2016 ceremony, which recognizes celebrities who best represent the image of U.S. cotton, was also held on the same day, and award recipients were Norika Fujiwara, Fuka Koshiba, and Junpei Mizobata.