The Age of Tailoring: Suit Reform and Reuse Culture in Ichibankan, 2001

The Age of Tailoring: Suit Reform and Reuse Culture in Ichibankan, 2001

Around 2001, Japan was in the midst of a major shift in consumer consciousness due to the recession that followed the bursting of the bubble economy. Rather than buying new things, values were shifting toward making the most of what one already owned, and interest in reuse and reform was growing. The "suit reform" program launched by Ichibankan, a long-established tailor, was an initiative that truly symbolized the times. The company's president himself stated, "The core of our business from now on will be remodeling," and this shift in management policy from a focus on custom-made suits attracted a great deal of attention.

The reason behind this change was the reality that a large number of high-end suits purchased during the bubble period were lying dormant. Although the fabric and sewing were solid, the size and design had become outdated and no longer wearable. Remodeling such garments to revive them again by tailoring them to fit the body shape and fashion was an economical option for customers, and at the same time, an option to reduce environmental impact. The article describes a scene in which a female customer asks for advice on how to make her husband's suit slimmer, and the article expresses conversationally how the combination of the customer's voice and the craftsman's skill creates a new demand.

This trend corresponded with the expansion of recycle stores and used clothing markets, and, partly due to the Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-based Society enacted in 2001, reuse was becoming a socially encouraged behavior, not just a money-saving technique. Ichibankan's efforts were a pioneering example of a shift away from a "make and throw away" consumer culture as a budding environmental business, and reflected the challenge of balancing the economy and the environment that society was facing at the time. The suit reform was a new form of circulation that emerged from conversations between consumers, managers, and craftspeople.