A 3-day hands-on event centered around sustainable fashion with 11 partner companies including Adarista, Onward, Goldwin, Tin Pan Alley, and BAYCREW’s. Attendees invited to exchange clothes and learn ways of upcycling and repairing items!
In contrast to Black Friday, which encourages consumption by tempting shoppers with massive sales, a new movement called Green Friday1 has gained traction in Western nations as an alternative that instead encourages sustainable consumption. Inspired by this movement, Mercari, Inc. (Mercari) will hold Green Friday Project 2024: A Sustainable Fashion Festival With No New Clothing at Harakado on the fourth floor of Tokyu Plaza Harajuku from Friday, November 22 to Sunday, November 24, 2024. This event highlights ways to enjoy fashion sustainably by reusing, repairing, and upcycling clothing.
This year, Mercari partnered with a record 11 apparel-related businesses to plan numerous sustainable fashion-related activities, including our second annual sustainable fashion show, which features no new clothes, a “Bring One Get One Free” booth where attendees can donate a piece of second-hand clothing and receive another piece in return, and workshops that teach people how to upcycle and repair clothes. The fashion show and booths will feature items collected during a clothing collection drive held by Mercari from October 11 to November 82.
1. Green Friday is a movement that calls for environmentally-friendly sustainable consumption such as treating items more carefully so they last longer. The movement was created in contrast to the famous annual sale day Black Friday (the Friday after America’s Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November), which encourages overconsumption. Europe has stood at the forefront of the Green Friday initiative, with numerous events and workshops being held during the Black Friday period to provide people with the opportunity to exchange pre-loved clothes and learn how to repair items to prolong their life.
2. Please see the following press release for information about Mercari’s clothing collection drive: https://about.mercari.com/press/news/articles/20241011_greenfriday/ (only available in Japanese)
Background
Japan throws away a total of 485,000 metric tons of clothing waste per year. Approximately 90% of that waste comes from households3. To address this issue, the Japanese government has set a goal to reduce the amount of household clothing waste by 25% compared to 2020 by the year 20304. This, in addition to other measures, has made sustainable fashion a hot topic in recent years.
Mercari strives to be a planet-positive company that contributes to solving environmental and societal issues through its business activities by realizing a circular economy in which all forms of value circulate seamlessly. In addition to holding the Green Friday project over the last four years, we have implemented various initiatives focused on reducing waste to achieve a circular economy, such as releasing the Mercari Ecobox5, and partnering with Yakult Sanyo in Hiroshima to collect and sell second-hand items from households in Akitakata City and Miyoshi City6.
Before starting the Green Friday project, we conducted a survey to gauge people’s awareness of sustainable fashion. The results showed that around 60% of consumers throw away clothes they once enjoyed wearing because they don’t know what else to do with them. Additionally, more than half of respondents said that they would not throw away clothes if they were able to upcycle or repair them, indicating that education about reusing items may be the key to reducing waste.
Taking inspiration from this, Mercari organized the “Sustainable Fashion Festival With No New Clothing” to provide the audience with the opportunity to learn and experience ways of reusing items. The event will include a sustainable fashion show with no new clothes, a Bring-One-Get-One-Free booth where attendees can exchange pre-loved items, and numerous workshops where attendees can upcycle or repair clothes themselves.
3. Survey on Measures to Promote Circular Fashion in Fiscal Year 2022: Material Flow, Ministry of the Environment (https://www.env.go.jp/policy/sustainable_fashion/goodpractice/case25.pdf) (only available in Japanese)
4. Grand Design and Action Plan for a New Form of Capitalism 2024 Revised Edition, Cabinet Secretariat website (
https://www.cas.go.jp/jp/seisaku/atarashii_sihonsyugi/kaigi/dai28/shiryou1.pdf) (only available in Japanese)
5. Please see the following press release for information about Mercari’s Ecobox initiative: https://about.mercari.com/press/news/articles/20231116_mercariecobox/ (only available in Japanese)
6. Please see the following press release for information about Mercari’s collaborative project with Yakult Sanyo to collect and sell usable items that people no longer need from Akitakata City and Miyoshi City in Hiroshima: https://about.mercari.com/press/news/articles/20240605_mercari_yakultsanyo_akitakata_miyoshi/ (only available in Japanese)
A sustainable fashion show with no new clothing!
1. Exclusively on the opening day of Green Friday Project 2024, we will hold a sustainable fashion show with no new clothes!
As the kickoff event of the first day, Friday, November 22, we will hold a sustainable fashion show with no new clothes using second-hand clothing provided by apparel brands and clothes that were donated by users. The show will be held from 12:20 to 12:50 pm. These pre-loved clothes will be modeled by Mercari users we recruited through the app, staff of partner companies, and influencers. Each model who walks the runway will be styled by a well-known stylist. Clothes will be provided by Adastria Co., Ltd., Onward Kashiyama Co., Ltd., Goldwin Inc., Tin Pan Alley Co., Ltd., BAYCREW’S Group, and Reform Studio Co., Ltd.
Note that we may limit entry to the venue to avoid congestion.
The fashion show will be live streamed at the following link: https://youtube.com/live/tZpqRylsahU?feature=share
2023 sustainable fashion show with no new clothes
Mock-up of this year’s fashion show
Stylist Information
RIKU OSHIMA
Riku was born in 1991.
After graduating high school, Riku moved to the UK. He started working as a stylist in 2016. His work spans various areas, including fashion for both men and women, advertising, and styling for artists and actors. In recent years, he has turned his attention to working as a fashion director.
2. Discover new gems by exchanging clothes at our Bring-One-Get-One-Free booth
Bring in pre-loved pieces of clothing you no longer use and exchange them for new-to-you pieces! You will be able to choose from second-hand clothing provided by apparel businesses or clothes collected through Mercari’s clothing collection drive. Any clothing remaining at the end of the event will be turned back into fibers to be reused. Clothes will be provided by Onward Kashiyama Co., Ltd., FUNEE, Inc., BAYCREW’S Group, and Reform Studio Co., Ltd. Toyoshima & Co., Ltd. will recycle any clothes that are left over.
*You can exchange one clothing item for each item you bring.
Only clothing will be accepted. Please make sure that any clothing you bring has been washed. In the interest of hygiene, we are not able to accept the following items:
Clothing that is defective or dirty/stained, wet clothing, underwear, school uniforms, sports uniforms, swimwear, and counterfeit items.
3. Upcycle Studio by NewMake: Workshops for making keychains and teaching children how to upcycle clothes
On Saturday, November 23, there will be a workshop to teach children how to upcycle clothing using clothes collected through the clothing collection drive. There will also be a photo booth where you can take a commemorative photo!
Please note that this workshop will only be held on Saturday, November 23 until 6 pm. You can buy tickets in advance or on the day via the following link:https://www.andstory.co/stories/1352 (available in Japanese only)
Friday, November 22 and Sunday, November 24 will feature workshops where attendees can create upcycled keychains using items collected through the clothing collective drive.
4. Upcycle classes by Reform Studio: Sketch embroidery and denim repair class
The sketch embroidery workshop allows you to draw a picture and then embroider it on an item you have brought from home or a piece of clothing collected through the clothing collection drive. There will also be classes that will teach you how to repair denim.
*Please note that embroidery may not be possible depending on the material of the item or where you wish to embroider the item. Items suitable for embroidery will be available at the station, so please feel free to attend without bringing anything.
5. Repair booth by THE NORTH FACE and CYKLUS: Darning holes and rips
We will repair holes, rips, and other damage to items brought in by attendees on the day of the event.
Please note that it may not be possible to repair some clothing items.
You can buy tickets in advance or on the day via the following link:
https://reserva.be/cyklus
6. Fashion show clothing display booth
After the fashion show with no new clothes, the pieces showcased on the catwalk will be on display at the venue. Each item will have a QR code that links to similar items for sale on Mercari.
7. The runway will become your very own photo booth!
After the fashion show, the backdrop of the runway will be opened to the public as a space to take photos. This is the perfect chance to commemorate your sustainable day against a fun background!
Overview
– Name of event: Mercari Green Friday Project 2024: A Sustainable Fashion Festival With No New Clothing
– Organizer: Mercari, Inc.
– Partner companies: Adastria Co., Ltd. (HARE, re;), Onward Kashiyama Co., Ltd. (upcycle action), Goldwin Inc. (THE NORTH FACE), CYKLUS, STORY&Co. (NewMake), Tin Pan Alley Co., Ltd. (RAGTAG), Tokyu Land Corporation, Toyoshima & Co., Ltd., FUNEE (digdig), BAYCREW’S Group (CIRCULABLE SUPPLY), and Reform Studio Co., Ltd. (Magic Machine, Riat!).
– Dates: 3 days from Friday, November 22 to Sunday, November 24, 2024
– Event time: Friday, November 22, 12:20 to 12:50 pm: Fashion show: 2 to 8 pm: Booth
Saturday, November 23, 11 am to 8 pm
Sunday, November 24, 11 am to 6 pm
– Venue: Tokyu Plaza Harajuku (Harakado) 4F Harappa
– How to get there: Address: Jingumae 6-31-21, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0001
1 min walk from Exit 4 or 7 of Meiji-jingumae Station (Harajuku) on the Chiyoda Line or Fukutoshin Line
9 min walk from Exit A1 of Omotesando Station on the Chiyoda Line, Hanzomon Line, or Ginza Line
4 min walk from Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line
https://tokyu-plaza.com.e.auj.hp.transer.com/harakado/access/
Partner corporations and brands
Past Mercari Green Friday Projects
See here for information about Mercari’s past Green Friday initiatives (articles available in Japanese only):
FY2023: https://about.mercari.com/press/news/articles/20231129_greenfriday/
FY2022: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000202.000026386.html
FY2021: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000140.000026386.html
FY2020: https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000000113.000026386.html
Mercari’s Green Friday Project is a way for us to get closer to our users and show them more accessible ways to enjoy sustainable fashion, ultimately contributing to our goal of creating a circular economy that reduces waste.