The mass consumption of refashioned clothes: Re-dyed kimono in post war Japan

摘要

Among the strategies of post-consumer textile waste management, refashioning or the makeover of used clothes, is gaining attention as value added recycling. However, refashioning business is considered as being possible only on a small scale. This article presents a case of its mass scale operation and clarifies the factors that enabled it. From the 1920s to the 1960s, re-dyeing played an indispensable role in Kyoto maintaining its central position in dyed kimono production. This study clarifies how the coordinators of re-dyeing and makeover, the shikkai, established a MTO (make to order) network, forming direct and recurrent ties with customers nationwide.