A Japanese fabric merchant launches a sustainable apparel brand

In recognition of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, a fabric dealer in this central Japanese city has created a women's clothing line made from ecologically friendly materials (SDGs).

Tougou Shouten, a business-to-business commerce enterprise, makes garments out of fabrics recovered from plastic bottles. The new brand "Saisa" is located in Fukui, Japan, and outsources nearly the whole manufacturing process to firms in the same prefecture.

Fumitaka Takezawa, president of Tougou, thinks that promoting these items as sustainable would pique customers' interest in environmental protection and the SDGs.

Saisa, a new Japanese company founded by French designer Virginie Lefevre, strives to develop items with a low environmental effect. Tougou Shouten, which formerly provided textiles to fashion firms through merchants, is now carrying items for end-users for the first time. Takezawa says he wants to grow the new brand with people who are growing more ecologically conscious.