The first round of judging for “Reclothes Cup 2025,” Japan’s largest upcycling design contest, will be held

First round of judging for “Reclothes Cup 2025”, Japan’s largest upcycle design contest ​
BOOKOFF CORPORATION CO., LTD. Press release: July 1, 2025 The first round of judging for the “Reclothes Cup 2025,” Japan’s largest upcycling design contest, has been held, with a record 612 entries submitted. BOOKOFF Corporation Co., Ltd.
(hereinafter referred to as BOOKOFF), a subsidiary of BOOKOFF Group Holdings Co., Ltd. (headquarters: Sagamihara City, Kanagawa
Prefecture; President and CEO: Yasutaka Horiuchi), which operates reuse shops such as “BOOKOFF”, held the first round of judging for the upcycling design contest “Reclothes Cup 2025”, in which used clothes on display at BOOKOFF stores are provided free of charge and participants are free to redesign them as they like.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/22996/8/22996-8-6a84c608b3c21f38a72def9e8e137755-3900×2925.jpg
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/22996/8/22996-8-cdf8cf00e1cab6c76218c187f032388d-745×476.jpg This year’s first round of judging saw 551 submissions in the design category and 61 in the sales category, for a total of 612 submissions, exceeding last year’s 489 submissions. The first round of judging was attended by Mikinori Kojima, the head judge of the Reclothes Cup, judge and stylist Tatsuki Aizawa, and Horiuchi, president and CEO of Bookoff Bookoff Group Holdings. Each judge looked over all the submitted works and conducted their judging for about four hours. After some discussion, 40 works were selected for the design category and 20 works for the sales category from the 612 submitted works. Each judge commented on their impressions of this year’s submissions as follows: “The quality of the design drawings has improved with each passing contest, and the level of the contest itself has risen. (Compared to other fashion contests) I think there are more works that are more ingenious, even though the materials used are limited. There were some works where I couldn’t imagine how they would be shaped from the design drawings, and there were many works that I was looking forward to seeing the finished product.” “Even with something as simple as patchwork, the works were impressive in their attempts to express things using gimmicks that were different from anything they’ve done before. I’m really looking forward to seeing the finished works, such as the way they tried to express layers of the earth using clothing, and the colors they’ll use to finish them off.” Applicants who pass the first round of screening will use secondhand clothing sold at Book Off to create realistic costumes based on their design drawings. The final judging will be held on Monday, October 13th (national holiday) at the Fukuoka International Congress Center Multipurpose Hall. All 60 costumes that passed the first round of judging will be worn by models in a fashion show format. ■What is “Reclothes Cup”? “Reclothes Cup” is an upcycling design contest that has been held since 2021 to create new added value as fashion items using secondhand clothes sold in BOOKOFF stores. In this contest, we are working on new sustainable actions that will further recycle things by increasing the value of used clothing with free ideas and sensibilities without being bound by preconceived notions, and creating works that excite and impress those who wear and see them. Last year’s “Reclothes Cup 2024” had a record 489 entries, making it the largest upcycling design contest in Japan. The application categories consist of a “design category” for students (high school students and above) nationwide and a “sales category” that is open to everyone from students to the general public. The winner of the Grand Prize in the Design Category will have their work published in the magazine Soen (published by Bunka Publishing Bureau) and will receive a prize of 300,000 yen. The winner of the Sales Category will receive a prize of 100,000 yen and will exhibit their work together at the creation festival “NEW ENERGY TOKYO” to be held in February 2026. *Those who have been running their own brand for more than three years are not eligible to participate. ‘Reclothes Cup 2025’
website:https://reclothes-cup.jp/ ■Why is Book Off holding the “Reclothes Cup”? Book Off is a company that is based on reusing not only “books” but also various items such as clothes and sports equipment, and extending the lifespan of things. In fact, Book Off handles more than 10 million pieces of clothing per year throughout the group. Some of the clothes we sell are never purchased by customers and reach the end of their useful life. As a reuse company, Book Off is working to contribute to solving the current problem of “clothing waste (fashion waste)” by upcycling these products into works that excite and inspire the wearer and viewer with free ideas. In addition, for students who will be responsible for the fashion industry in the future, we would like to provide a place for them to show their work, so that they can experience the fun and joy of having their work seen, and further support students who have a desire to create. Through the “Reclothes Cup,” we not only hope to contribute to sustainable action, but also to produce up-and-coming fashion designers from this contest, and to make it an upcycling design contest that will be seen as a gateway to success for students aiming to work in the fashion industry. ■”Reclothes Cup 2025″ Entry Outline For both the “Design” and “Sales” categories, participants will be asked to use used clothing available in BOOKOFF stores with a sales price of 1,500 yen or less as materials. Used clothing will be provided free of charge. 〈Schedule〉 April 1 (Tue) – May 31 (Sat), 2025: Entry acceptance, deadline for submitting design drawings *Ended Tuesday, July 1, 2025: Announcement of the results of the first selection process *Finished Sunday, August 31, 2025: Deadline for submission of works Monday, October 13, 2025 (National Holiday): Final Selection 〈Design Division〉 Use second-hand clothes sold at BOOKOFF to create your own upcycling idea. We are looking for unique works that exude new possibilities and the future of fashion. Eligibility: High school students and above, able to make sewn clothes that can be put on and taken off Grand Prize: 1 person, 300,000 yen prize (second prize: publication in the magazine “Soen”) Runner-up: 1 person, 100,000 yen prize Book Off Prize: 1 person, 50,000 yen prize 〈Sales Department〉 This year’s theme is the “trench coat,” a classic outerwear that connects the seasons and is popular with both men and women. Using used clothing sold at Book Off, please think deeply about the concept, target, and reproducibility and create something that can actually be sold. We are looking for works that people want and would like to wear. Eligibility: Anyone from students to the general public can participate *Those who have been running their own brand for more than 3 years are not eligible Grand Prize: 1 person, 100,000 yen prize Second prize: Plan to exhibit the product at “NEW ENERGY TOKYO” to be held in 2026 Judges Profile
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/22996/8/22996-8-8bf23c85add70c9844fbec11b10402c0-308×461.jpg Mr. Mikinori Kojima, Chief Judge of the “Reclothes Cup” Graduated from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Senshu University in 1992. In the same year, he joined Sekai Bunka Publishing and was assigned to the Begin editorial department. In 2004, he became editor-in-chief of Begin, and in 2009, he became editor-in-chief of MEN’S EX. In October 2014, he became the director of publishing at Bunka Gakuen’s Bunka Publishing Bureau and editor-in-chief of Soen. While he is enrolled at Bunka Gakuen until June 2024, he will judge fashion contests at Koran Fashion Design College, Bunka Fashion College, Osaka Bunka Fashion College, Nagoya Fashion College, Chubu Fashion College, and Maronnier Fashion College, as well as the Mainichi Fashion Awards. July 2024: Appointed Chief Design Officer of Intermestic, which operates Zoff. At the same time, he was appointed special instructor at Osaka Bunka Fashion College. He also serves as a contest judge at other fashion colleges.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/22996/8/22996-8-4036ea0b19d05d2eee141ae5a51380fc-308×330.jpg Stylist: Itsuki Aizawa Born in 1982. Originally from Miyagi
Prefecture. After graduating from a fashion school, he studied under stylist Kumiko Iijima. After about two and a half years, in 2005, he became independent and freelance. Active in styling for fashion shows, print media such as magazines and books, advertising, commercials, and the music industry.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/22996/8/22996-8-836a8facb63c77c4f4513db92ae3d581-1536×1152.jpg tanakadaisuke (Tanaka Daisuke) Designer Tanaka Daisuke After graduating from Osaka Bunka Fashion College, he joined a designer brand. After going independent, he worked on costume design and as an embroidery artist. In 2021, he debuted as the collection brand “tanakadaisuke”. With the concept of “May these clothes, like a magic spell, help you discover the new you within yourself,” Tanaka presents a romantic and fantastical collection based on embroidery, which is her specialty. ■ “Reclothes Cup 2024” winning work
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/22996/8/22996-8-ff75847dc34fa75ac01fe86171eeba86-1800×2700.jpg Photo by Norifumi Fukuda Design Division Grand Prize: “Bumpy” by Takahashi Momoka, Hokkaido Bunka Fashion College People all over the world, regardless of age, gender, or race, enjoy “sports.” In “sports,” each person sets a “goal” and makes various efforts to reach that goal. This piece expresses the goodness of “sports” through repeated failures and successes, which allows you to feel your physical and mental growth, through the uneven texture of the fabric and the shape of developed muscles.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/22996/8/22996-8-67dc72741600dc09da9b1d306acb6220-1800×2700.jpg Photo by Norifumi Fukuda Design Section Runner-up: “Riukin” by Shishido Sota, Hokkaido Bunka Fashion College During the Edo period, goldfish were kept and appreciated by some of the wealthy as a symbol of sophistication. The “Riukin” (flowing gold), loved for its graceful swimming form with its long fins, was the most popular goldfish among Japanese people. In today’s world, second-hand clothes are cheap and easy to come by. Using second-hand clothes, the graceful swimming of goldfish, once enjoyed as a luxury item, is expressed. Inspired by the Edo period painter Ito Jakuchu’s grid drawings, this piece uses a grid of woven fabric to represent scales, and dyes thin fabrics such as shirts and dresses to represent goldfish fins.
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/22996/8/22996-8-9c6dcb79b8ed5a82577ffa954442bd33-1801×2700.jpg Photo by Norifumi Fukuda Sales Division Grand Prize: “Arrows and Quality” by Takanori Koga By focusing on arcs (curves) and creating spacious surfaces, we pursue the enjoyment of expression with any fabric. Rather than being particular about the materials we choose, we focus on [reproducibility], which allows us to reproduce a wide variety of things, such as things we want to use, things we like, things we want to express, and things we dislike and want to upcycle. Because it is possible to reproduce the design, we have created products that allow each customer to choose their favorite pattern, texture, color, etc. ■About the Bookoff Group BOOKOFF began in 1990 with a 112m2 Chiyoda store (Kanagawa Prefecture). Under the management philosophy of “Contributing to society through business activities and pursuing both material and spiritual happiness for all employees,” the company has developed with over 60 member companies, and the group currently operates approximately 800 stores in Japan and overseas. Approximately 86 million people use the store annually in Japan, and more than 690 million items are bought and sold annually. As of 2025, the company is actively engaged in premium service businesses that open stores in department stores and high-end residential areas, as well as overseas businesses in the United States, Malaysia, and the Republic of Kazakhstan. As a leading reuse company, the company will continue to work hard to run a sustainable business. Corporate website: https://www.bookoffgroup.co.jp Service website:
https://www.bookoff.co.jp Online store :https://shopping.bookoff.co.jp Bookoff’s vision for a circular society:
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