"Cultivating Virtue to the World." Deep Thanks Launches Student-Initiated Circular Fashion 'Fukutoku.'

What is 'Fukutoku.'

Background of Business Development (Annual Disposal of 50 Million Garments and Economic Hardship of Students)

Currently, approximately 50 million new, unworn garments (15,000 tons) are discarded annually in Japan's apparel industry. The CO2 emissions from their disposal are equivalent to those of 550,000 gasoline cars. Meanwhile, looking at the current situation of university students, the scholarship recipient rate reaches about 55%, and due to the impact of rising prices, expenditure on clothing has fallen to less than half of what it was 20 years ago, to around 5,000 yen per month. Companies holding onto 'wasted items' and students who 'want clothes but lack the means.' Fukutoku.'s mission is to connect these two groups and simultaneously create a circulation of 'virtue' in society.

Business Concept (Protecting the Brand, Supporting Students, Improving Society)

'Fukutoku.' is a mechanism where clothes become 'fortune' (福), and savings/expertise (お得や得意) transform into 'virtue' (徳) that improves the world. The period at the end of the business name signifies the 'circulation' of value that continues to flow.

'Fukutoku.' implements a series of processes: [Collection → Circulation → Creation → Return] as a single system.

Core Business: Holding Closed Markets (Fukutoku Market.)

'Fukutoku.' begins with 'Fukutoku Market.' held on university campuses. This market adopts a closed-market approach, conducted within the limited space of a university. By collaborating with apparel brands and offering inventory destined for disposal at supportive prices, it achieves both:

・Protecting brand value

・Supporting students' lives

This "place for sales that protects value" overlaps with the clothing circulation system within the university, establishing the 'Fukutoku.' mechanism.

Intra-University Circulation and Nationwide Expansion (Fukutoku Box.)

We collect clothing items in 'Fukutoku Box.' installed on university campuses and redistribute them through:

・Reuse

・Recycling

・Upcycling

Normally, this circulation is confined within each university. However, 'Fukutoku.' networks these systems, expanding it into a mechanism that circulates across universities nationwide. This creates new value such as 'reused items originating from XX University.'

Value Creation by Students (Upcycling Brand: Lab 29-109.)

Collected clothing items are upcycled by fashion students, reborn as the new brand 'Lab 29-109.' This is not mere reuse; it's a process where value is redefined through student creativity.

'Fukutoku.' also serves as the venue for its presentation and sale, offering a comprehensive experience from:

・Production

・Presentation

・Social implementation

This serves as a practical opportunity connected to students' "gakuchika" (what they did in college).

Visualization and Circulation of Virtue (Fuku Token.)

All actions within 'Fukutoku.'—

・Cooperation in collection

・Purchases

・Participation in creation

are accumulated as 'Fuku Tokens.' These tokens can be converted into donations to social contribution organizations, directly linking actions within 'Fukutoku.' to the resolution of social issues.

Achievements and Future Expansion

To date, 'Fukutoku Market.' has been held at Kindai University and Mukogawa Women's University, gaining strong support from students, universities, and apparel brands involved, and has become a regular event.

In 2026, new events are scheduled at:

・May: Kansai University

・June: Kyoto Sangyo University

・July: Kyoto Tachibana University

development is accelerating.

Furthermore, around Autumn 2026, an 'EC version of Fukutoku Market.' and a LINE mini-app integrating real-world and EC events, available to university and vocational school students nationwide, are planned for release, realizing a nationwide circulation that fuses online and offline.

Our Vision

We do not consider this business merely a service; it is a 'mechanism to change societal values.' Japan has approximately 780 universities and about 2.9 million students. Looking at the world, there are tens of thousands of universities and hundreds of millions of students.

If each of these individuals were to:

・Engage in clothing circulation

・Turn their attention to social issues

・Act for the benefit of others

... and this became the 'norm,' how much would the world change? While our target is 'university students,' what we truly want to change is societal values themselves. Japan has a culture of 'cultivating virtue' (徳を積む), the beautiful value that actions for others enrich society in turn. We want to reconstruct this as a modern mechanism and spread it to the next generation and the world.

If society were to evaluate people and companies not by 'how much they gained' but by 'how much virtue they accumulated,' that future would no longer be an 'ideal' but a selectable reality. We will create the first step towards that.

Call for Co-creation

'Fukutoku.' cannot be realized by us alone. At the heart of this project is the co-creation between apparel brands and universities.

To Apparel Brands

Currently, many companies are struggling with inventory management, seeking ways to circulate products while protecting brand value, and questioning the nature of social contribution.

'Fukutoku.' offers an answer to these challenges.

Inventory transforms from 'something to be disposed of' into 'assets that meet future customers.'

Sales evolve from 'discounts' into 'actions that protect value by designing the venue.'

And that single garment:

・supports students' lives

・changes actions

・leads to the resolution of social issues

Won't you join us in creating such a circulation? This is not just a sales channel; it is a new stage for delivering the brand's very philosophy to society.

To Universities and Educational Institutions

'Fukutoku.' is more than just a sales event.

It is a 'practical learning ground' that allows students to:

・Encounter social issues

・Act on their own initiative

・Create value

・Connect with society

This entire process is realized within the campus. The clothing collected on campus:

・supports students' lives

・is transformed into new value by students' hands

・and is returned to society

This circulation is education itself. Furthermore, through upcycling and operational participation, it becomes a "gakuchika" experience that students can be proud of, fostering initiative and social skills. Most importantly, this circulation originating from a university can spread nationwide. 'Circulation born from XX University' might become a step towards changing society.

The Future We Build Together

'Fukutoku.' cannot stand on its own with just companies or universities. It is only when both connect, with the will and actions of students added, that the 'circulation of virtue' can take root in society.

If you wish to:

・Provide practical learning opportunities for students

・Contribute to solving social issues

・Explore new forms of industry-academia collaboration

... then you are a co-creator of this project. Together, let's build a 'society where virtue circulates,' starting from the campus. And then, spread that circulation to the world.

This release is published in support of 'April Dream' as the 'future we want to realize' for Deep Thanks Inc.'s 'Fukutoku.' business. However, we will not let this remain a dream. From concept to implementation. We will expand 'Fukutoku.', which has already begun its journey, worldwide.

About Deep Thanks Inc.

Deep Thanks Inc. operates a women's apparel business with bases in Osaka and Tokyo. Targeting women primarily in their 20s to 30s, we develop three brands: 'LIAN,' 'hellam,' and 'Mili affinity.' We plan, manufacture, and sell trendy apparel items mainly through e-commerce sites (ZOZO, our own site). Furthermore, with the aim of addressing the social issue of apparel waste reduction and supporting the lives of university students struggling with rising prices, we are currently operating the 'University Student Closed Market (Business Name: Fukutoku.)', which sells excess inventory from apparel companies to university students at heavily discounted prices. Our activities have received broad recognition, including an award in the 'BizCon OSAKA Renovator Department' in 2024 and the 'Kiyo Bank Innovation Support Program SDGs Award' in 2025.

[Company Outline]

Company Name: Deep Thanks Inc.

Head Office Location: Organic Building 7F, 4-7-21 Minamisenba, Chuo-ku, Osaka

Representative Director: Kenji Shigenobu

Business Content: Planning, manufacturing, and sales of women's apparel; University student closed market business

Established: July 2002

HP: https://www.deepthanks.com/

TEL: 06-6243-8888

Regarding Coverage

We are seeking media outlets interested in interviewing Deep Thanks Inc. If you wish to arrange an interview, please contact the following representative.

Contact Person: Kensuke Baba

Mail: baba@deepthanks.com

TEL:06-6243-8888