Fashion changes rapidly. Just when monochrome is in fashion, six months later, multicolors grace the streets. New collections are released for spring/summer and fall/winter, creating a constant cycle of fashion renewal. However, this trend has become too accelerating, resulting in a mass-production and consumption society. Many garments are circulated and then disappear. The pursuit of reducing production costs has led to an outflow of technology to developing countries with lower labor costs, eroding domestic technological capabilities. Poor working conditions at production sites in developing countries are often reported. What should fashion be like in the future? Koji Tezuka, president of Ieri Design Products, and Ryoichi Nagagabe, president of Kanematsu Textile, are considering "clothing recycling." President Koji Tezuka (hereafter T): I think it's time to realize that mass-producing cheap goods doesn't do any good for the world. Fashion will never go away. No one will stop wearing it. My friends in Paris often tell me that. "Japan is great. We have the habit of taking baths, and we have to change clothes every day." In Japan, there's a culture where people will say, "What?" if you wear the same clothes as the day before. In Japan, you have to buy new clothes no matter what. You have to buy clothes for each month. There are also four seasons. You have to buy clothes for each season. Japan is the country where it's easiest to change your clothes. Japan is also well-positioned to develop functional clothing that prevents sweat, prevents sweat stains, and is odor-resistant. In other words, there's a kind of original Japanese fashion style that comes from Japan's unique seasons and customs. This has really supported the apparel industry. But it's gone too far. I think what we need to do going forward is to protect natural materials, which are becoming increasingly scarce. About 95% of the items we produce are made from natural materials like cotton, wool, and silk.

When natural materials become scarce, what materials will we use? That's the problem. What do you think, President Nagagabe? President Ryoichi Nagagabe (hereinafter O): People from overseas often say to me, "Japanese towns are so beautiful." That's because we want them to be that way, and so we naturally expect them to be. When people reach a certain level of well-being—when they have enough food and clothing—they learn courtesy, and I think that's why CSR and social contribution are such topics. Since I met President Tezuka, we've often talked about the current problems in the clothing industry, especially CSR issues. I wonder if things should continue as they are. We've discussed the need for us, as people who have been in the industry for decades, to step up and address the current issues. Specifically, this boils down to creating a recycling and reuse movement. Upon investigation, I found that there have been several attempts in the past, with government subsidies, to address these issues as an industry, but as of now, all efforts have been halted. The main reason for this seems to be that neither recycling nor reuse translates into profits. Not only are they unprofitable, but they're also extremely time-consuming. For business managers who aim to pay salaries to employees, distribute profits to shareholders, and satisfy all stakeholders, it is extremely difficult to invest above a certain level in areas where it is difficult to make a profit. Even if they know there is a problem, it is extremely difficult to address it. I know a company that is working on reuse and recycling. Although it is their own brand of products, they reuse them and sell them at a certain price or lower. When I asked the company, they told me that it is difficult to make a profit from this business alone, and they are still in the red.

Continued from 2/3, "Fashion Revival: 'Japan, a Machinery and Fashion Powerhouse' - President Ieri x President Kanematsu Textiles".