Uniqlo clothing lives longer thanks to London repair studios

In partnership with Uniqlo

Located just a stone’s throw from London’s Savile Row, the tailoring hub where clothing is built to last decades, and makes multiple returns to its originators for mends, repairs and alterations, Re.Uniqlo Studio’s mission is to keep Uniqlo apparel items in circulation for longer, maximising their myriad possibilities.  

A dedicated space for pursuing a new future for clothes, the first Re.Uniqlo Studio opened on the lower ground floor at the brand’s Regent Street, London store; a second space launched at the opening of its new Battersea Power Station store in October 2022. The initiative aims to help customers enjoy Uniqlo LifeWear fully, freely and for longer by offering specialist repair services. 

Re.Uniqlo: embracing recycling, upcycling and repair

Providing customers with a place to bring in any loved Uniqlo items that require mending or altering, the studio’s trained staff will take care of everything from hemming trousers and sewing buttons to patching holes and stitching tears. Prices start from just £3. 

The brand has always offered free alterations on selected trouser bottoms, and now the Remake service goes further, offering alterations, minor resizing and specialist tailoring services on a wider range of items. Re.Uniqlo Studio (in a former gentleman’s barber shop with original Grade I-listed art deco features) also includes an elevated, creative service turning existing Uniqlo apparel into fresh new items through a host of repair and customisation options, including the Japanese Sashiko stitching technique, which celebrates visible mending as embellishment. 

This ancient needlework tradition, dating from 17th-century Japan, encourages Uniqlo customers to mend, adorn and upcycle clothes, keeping them wearable and in use for longer. Tools such as Shozaburo scissors and Misuya Bari needles for Kyoto and Sashiko threads will be available for customers to purchase, encouraging the craft, repairs and techniques to be repeated at home. In a partnership with London-based Studio Masachuka and pattern designer Zeena Shah, prices for Sashiko stitching start from £10. 

In addition to the bespoke service for customers who bring in their existing items for attention, Uniqlo also showcases and sells an exclusive range of one-of-a-kind garments ready reimagined using these techniques. Prices start from £20.

In support of the whole project, the brand is also offering a repair-and-care product line, including books to provide inspiration and advice on extending the life of your wardrobe; a service that collects customers’ unwanted clothing; recycle bins on the store’s lower ground floor, with all collected clothing donated to communities in need. 

Any product collected but deemed unsuitable for reuse is recycled into materials for new clothing or energy sources. Uniqlo even recycles its down and feathers into new garments. 

Committed to taking responsibility for the clothing it manufactures and sells, Uniqlo has been collecting pre-worn items from customers to be reused or recycled for over 20 years. Now, bringing its traditional Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity to the fore, the Re.Uniqlo initiative gives pre-worn clothing new life and value, and encourages longer use. Uniqlo has plans to expand the Re.Uniqlo Studio offering across its stores in the UK and Europe over the next year. 

uniqlo.com