'Anabada' Trend Blows Through Fashion Industry... Eco-Friendly Products Flood the Market

'Love by Curtis Kulik' Photoshoot

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] As the center of consumption shifts to the MZ generation (Millennials + Generation Z), who prioritize 'value consumption,' the fashion industry is accelerating its eco-friendly initiatives. 'Value consumption' refers to expressing one's values through consumption, and the fashion industry is targeting the MZ generation, which has a high interest in eco-friendliness.

According to the fashion industry on the 24th, Shinsegae International exclusively launched 'Love by Curtis Kulick' on its online mall SI Village. 'Love by Curtis Kulick' is a brand collaborated with Curtis Kulick, a young artist from New York, USA. The brand is symbolized by the word 'Love' and a heart logo, both handwritten by Curtis Kulick himself.

More than 70% of the products use natural materials produced through eco-friendly farming methods and leftover fabrics. To reduce plastic usage, all products use biodegradable plastic packaging that decomposes 100% within 180 days. The focus is on 'value consumption,' one of the consumption criteria of the MZ generation. Unlike some products, the brand itself pursues sustainable fashion through eco-friendliness.

Hansome, a fashion specialist company affiliated with Hyundai Department Store Group, has launched the 'Art-up Project,' which transforms waste into artworks through upcycling. By collaborating with artists, waste such as wood and surplus clothing is reborn as interior fixtures like hangers and display stands or as art pieces. Upcycling refers to applying new functions and designs to discarded products or materials to create new products.

For this project, a dedicated interior team spent three months discovering professional artists and preparing surplus clothing suitable for artwork production, holding dozens of conceptual meetings. The Art-up Project pieces are displayed on the second floor casual section of The Hansome House Busan branch.

Earlier, Hansome has been conducting the 'Carbon Zero (0) Project' since this year, upcycling surplus clothing into eco-friendly interior finishing materials (textile panels). The eco-friendly interior finishing materials produced through this project were applied to the fitting rooms at The Hansome House Busan branch.

Outdoor brands have also started producing products using recycled plastic. The North Face, a global brand of Youngone Outdoor, released 16 items in the 'North Face K-Eco Samdasoo Collection,' made by recycling 100 tons of PET bottles collected in Jeju. Since 2019, The North Face has led the 'eco-friendly fleece' trend by launching the 'Eco Fleece Collection' made from recycled PET bottles.

BYN Black Yak's global outdoor brand 'Black Yak' launched the eco-friendly 'PLUStIC Collection,' made from PET bottles used domestically. The PLUStIC Collection consists of T-shirts, jackets, and pants. Depending on the type, each product recycled at least 15 to more than 30 PET bottles based on 500ml bottles.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.