OPA × somete's Challenge｜"Machikuroku" aims to solve the fashion loss problem!

We want to continue to deliver exciting moments and thrilling feelings.

--First of all, please tell us about OPA's mission and vision.

giving up on winning a hand and discarding only safe tiles (mahjong)　OPA is a fashion building developer that operates urban commercial facilities as part of the AEON Group's urban shiftIt is. From a fashion perspective, we propose a new lifestyle that is trendy in all aspects of clothing, food, and housing.

With the vision of "bringing excitement and thrill to people all over the world," our value of existence is to accompany people in their daily lives from the area where OPA is located, to deliver many exciting moments and thrilling feelings, and to provide new discoveries and surprises that will enrich their lives.

--What are the strengths of OPA and the challenges that led to the implementation of the accelerator program?

giving up on winning a hand and discarding only safe tiles (mahjong)　There are two major strengths, one isExpertise in the operation of urban commercial facilities rooted in the communityto have. And second, to have trend-sensitive stakeholders, i.e.Have points of contact that connect customers, employees, suppliers, stores, each official social networking site and followers, etc.This is to say.

On the other hand, the challenge was how to continue to transmit and provide excitement and thrill to customers as their needs diversify and their behavior changes rapidly.In order to meet the expectations of a diverse range of customers, we must take on challenges in business areas that are not bound by conventional formats.and we launched the Accelerator Program in 2021.

Working with the community to address fashion loss issues

--What were your expectations when you implemented your first accelerator program in 2021?

giving up on winning a hand and discarding only safe tiles (mahjong)　To create new customer value, open innovation with companies that have resources, ideas, and new perspectives that your company lacksis indispensable.

Therefore, for the first round, we solicited ideas under the broad themes of "new businesses that leverage our own resources," "proposing new lifestyles that respond to the times," and "maximizing the value of real stores and providing new value experiences for our customers.

--As a result, we received applications from nearly 60 companies, from which two companies, including SOMETE, were selected.

giving up on winning a hand and discarding only safe tiles (mahjong)　Since we have been involved in the fashion business for many years, we have been committed to reducing fashion loss as our "responsibility to sell clothes" and to provide "an environment where customers can enjoy fashion in a more positive way," which has been our desire since the establishment of the department. The themes of fashion loss and food loss were the issues that I felt closest to both at work and in my private life, and I thought that if we could solve these issues, it would lead to a wonderful future.

Starting from the fashion loss issue, somete was working to solve social issues in cooperation with the local community. We felt a commonality in the worldview we were aiming for, and we decided to co-create with Mr. Somete in order to create a "fashion loss" project.Building a Fashion Circulation ModelWe thought that this could be developed into a more concrete initiative for the

--Please tell us more specifically about SOMETE's efforts.

green field　Participation in Creww's incubation program led to the commercialization of somete, and since March 2022, it has been a business operated by Play Blue Inc.

SOMETE is working on,To contribute to the creation of a sustainable future that is kind to both the clothes and the earth by re-dyeing the clothes in the closet, rather than throwing them away.The following is a list of the most common problems with the

About 480,000 tons of clothes are thrown away each year.Solving the fashion loss problem and revitalizing local industryCurrently, we are developing a dyeing and re-dyeing service in cooperation with more than 40 dyeing workshops across the country. In the future, we would like to further expand the number of cooperating workshops to create a society where clothes and money circulate in the local economic sphere, and to solve all kinds of loss problems such as food loss and flower loss together with the local community.

--Why did you enter OPA's Accelerator Program?

green field　The first opportunity came when we were approached by OPA. somete's challenge was that we could not convey the before and after of re-dyed clothes on our website alone, and we felt that we needed an opportunity to actually show our customers what we do in our actual stores.

At that time, I was told by OPA that they wanted to work with Fashion Loss on regional cooperation, and I did not hesitate to apply.

OPA x SOMETE to hold "Machi no Closet (Machi Closet)

--Did you encounter any difficulties or barriers in your first collaboration with a startup?

giving up on winning a hand and discarding only safe tiles (mahjong)　After adopting SOMETE in March, we held a series of concrete meetings in April, and in June, as our first demonstration experiment, we held an event to educate people about upcycling, "Three Days to Touch Earth-Friendly Brands: THE UPCYCLE MARKET" at Takasaki Opa in Gunma Prefecture.

Since then, we have been able to speed up the demonstration experiment by holding the "Machi no Closet (Machi Clot)" from July 23 to September 25 as the second phase.

Machi Krok" is an "upcycling community" that creates a "cycle of clothes" and aims to reduce fashion loss by collaborating with local communities through "Pass (collecting clothes)," "Color (re-dyeing clothes)," and "Trade (exchanging clothes)" and other activities. This is an activity that aims to reduce fashion loss.

Conventionally, there would be various internal approval processes from planning to implementation, but this time we broke through that barrier,New initiatives with SOMETE in a short period of timeI was able to do it.

-What do you think was the key to breaking through the wall?

green field　It is Mr. Adachi's energy. I think he coordinated a lot behind the scenes and was very helpful.

giving up on winning a hand and discarding only safe tiles (mahjong)　Perhaps the key point was that I conveyed my strong desire to "start this initiative with Mr. Aono," and I was able to say, "I will do it. This was the first time for the company to be involved in a demonstration experiment, but since there were many young members in the management team and they had a good understanding of new initiatives, I was grateful that they allowed me relatively free reign, consulting with me on a case-by-case basis.

Building a "Fashion Circulation Model" and Expanding Nationwide

--What kind of society do you hope to realize through continued collaboration between the two companies?

giving up on winning a hand and discarding only safe tiles (mahjong)　The premise is to provide customers with an environment where they can enjoy fashion in a more positive way by solving fashion loss. To achieve this, we would first like to work with the local community at Takasaki Opa to foster "Machi Kroku" and spread awareness of the program.

In fact, the collaboration that started with the two companies has become an open innovation project with the participation of a variety of people, including startups and local residents who share the same vision (participating startup: Mr. Ryunosuke Tamura, Rationaloop LLC, pictured right). We hope to gradually expand the program to other areas as we increase the number of stakeholders.

What is needed to achieve this is to build a "fashion circulation model" from the area where OPA stores are located, where "unwanted clothes are collected → sorted → upcycled, reused, and recycled → commercialized (made into materials) → redistributed.

The product you picked up in a real store, thinking "cool" and excited, actually has an earth-friendly story behind it,We want to create a world where people can learn about the issues of fashion loss while enjoying fashion and gradually contribute to solving social issues.We think that this is a good idea.

green field　We hope to establish a fashion circulation model at Takasaki Opa first, then expand our efforts in the regions where OPA is operating, and eventually work nationwide.

The term "upcycling" itself is still not well known in Japan, so we have been working on a variety of initiatives, such as holding events that bring together upcycling brands from various regions.I would be happy to create a future where the fashion loss issue is eliminated.It is.

interviewee

Ms. Yumi Adachi　Director, New Business Development Team, Business Creation Department, OPA Inc.
Graduated from Kobe University with a degree in Business Administration and joined AEON Co. In 2016, he joined OPA Co., Ltd. as a result of a business merger within the group. He was involved in store revitalization and new store planning, and after serving as the manager of the new store opening office and the building manager, he assumed his current position in 2021. He has been organizing an accelerator program to develop new businesses through open innovation and to build a "fashion circulation model".

interviewee

Mr. Yuji Aono　Representative Director and CEO, Play Blue Inc.
After working for fashion and major advertising companies, he became a PR planner/editor. While working as an editor of owned media at a start-up company, he became interested in circular regional economy and launched a local story media in 2018 as a duplicate job. He also produces "Cup Curry," a "cup of curry" that allows people to taste the appeal of local vegetables in a single cup of curry, and hosts talk events to think about the future of local communities. He is the owner of the "somete" project, which aims to "pass on the dye culture" and "zero clothing loss" as a double-enterprise, using the experience he gained from his local media activities.