Uniqlo to host in-store workshops and events for International Repair Day

Uniqlo will hold in-store clothing repair workshops and events at its RE.UNIQLO Studio concept in stores worldwide on 19 October, in celebration of International Repair Day.

It will aim to show people how to repair, maintain and upcycle their clothes, with specially trained staff at a dedicated counter providing repair services to mend holes or frays for a token £5 charge.

There will also be an embroidery service with about 100 designs to choose from, as well as traditional Japanese sashiko – a type of decorative stitching used to reinforce or repair garments.

The first “repair and remake” RE.UNIQLO Studio was established in London at the retailer’s Regent Street flagship store in 2022, and now the service is available in 51 stores across 22 markets.

The freshly renovated and upsized Uniqlo store at Westfield White City, which reopened last week, also features a RE.UNIQLO Studio.

In all 19 RE.UNIQLO Studios in Europe on 19 October, customers receive a gift with any repairing, upcycling or customisation work – a free ‘LifeWear for a Lifetime’ poster.

With any purchases made over £25, customers will also receive a free sample scarf made from recycled cashmere – sourced from discarded Uniqlo cashmere items collected through RE.UNIQLO boxes in Japan.

International Repair Day occurs annually on the third Saturday in October. The ‘Repair Café’ that started in the Netherlands in 2009 with the slogan “Toss it? No way!” has now spread to more than 3,000 locations worldwide.

That led to the formation of the Open Repair Alliance, an educational organisation established in London which declared the first International Repair Day in 2017.

Initially, the focus was on the repair of electronic devices, but as awareness has grown it has become a day when people bring various items for repair, including bicycles, shoes, and clothing.