Fashion retailer Uniqlo is set to host clothing repair shops at its Re.Uniqlo Studio sites across the globe to mark International Repair Day on Saturday 19 October.
Workshops and other events will take place on International Repair Day to familiarise consumers with how to repair, maintain, and upcycle clothes.
Having opened the first Re.Uniqlo Studio at its London Regent Street store in 2022, the retailer has launched the proposition in 51 stores in 22 markets. At these sites, specially trained staff at a dedicated counter provide repair services to mend holes or frays from fees starting at £5/€5.
The in-store counters also provide traditional embroidery services which can be used to repair or reinforce garments.
For International Repair Day, the scheduled events will provide customers with information on how to enjoy repairing and caring for their clothes, with the ultimate aim to help them continue to wear the items they love and keep goods in circulation for longer.
In all 19 Re.Uniqlo Studio locations in Europe, customers will receive a gift with any repairing, upcycling or customisation work; a free LifeWear (Uniqlo sub brand) for a Lifetime poster. Meanwhile, for any purchases over £25 customers will also receive a free sample scarf made from recycled cashmere and sourced from discarded Uniqlo cashmere items collected through Re.Uniqlo boxes in Japan, combined with virgin wool.
International Repair Day occurs annually on the third Saturday in October. Its roots lie in the “Repair Cafe” that launched in the Netherlands in 2009 with the slogan “Toss it? No way!”, and has now spread to more than 3,000 locations worldwide.
The movement also led to The Open Repair Alliance, an educational organisation established in London, and then onto the first International Repair Day in 2017. Initially, the focus was on the repair of electronic devices, but as the concept has evolved it has become a day when people bring various items for repair, including bicycles, shoes, and clothing.
[image credits: Uniqlo]
