Supporting the '3-Year Gap' Towards Organic. ELLE SHOP Launches Special T-Shirts with 5 Popular Brands on Wednesday, April 22
Hearst Fujingaho's ELLE SHOP has launched special T-shirts using 'Cotton in Conversion' to support Indian cotton farmers transitioning to organic farming. Released on Earth Day (April 22) in collaboration with 5 popular brands.
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- 📰 Published: April 22, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 23, 2026 at 00:02 (5h 2m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 23, 2026 at 01:18 (1h 15m after Collected)
ELLE SHOP, an online select shop operated by Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President and CEO: Nicolas Floquet), will launch special T-shirts starting today, coinciding with Earth Day. These T-shirts use 'Cotton in Conversion', which supports Indian cotton farmers who are in the transition period to organic farming.
This project was realized by endorsing the 'ORGANIC FIELD®' initiative promoted by Stylem Takisada-Osaka Co., Ltd., a specialized textile trading company pursuing sustainability in cotton cultivation. Collaborating with five highly popular brands at ELLE SHOP—Americana, ebure, KATHARINE HAMNETT, Oblada, and THIRD MAGAZINE—we propose a new purchasing experience where customers can participate in solving social issues while enjoying fashion.
*Images are for illustrative purposes only.
■ Project Background: Supporting the '3-Year Gap' Towards Organic
Organic cotton farming is a crucial choice not only for reducing environmental impact but also for protecting farmers' health. However, organic cotton accounts for only about 2.9%* of global cotton production. The major barrier is the '3-year transition period' required to obtain certification.
Addressing this issue, 'ORGANIC FIELD', promoted by Stylem Takisada-Osaka Co., Ltd., is a groundbreaking initiative supporting Indian cotton farmers' transition to organic farming. Normally, farmers in the transition period face economic risks because they cannot sell their harvested cotton as 'organic' despite carrying out labor-intensive organic cultivation. In this project, the company purchases the cotton during this period as 'Cotton in Conversion' at a price equivalent to organic cotton, creating an environment where farmers can continue their challenge with peace of mind.
This 'Cotton in Conversion' is managed under the same strict standards as organic from seed selection to the cultivation process, so its quality as a material is on par with organic cotton. High traceability is also achieved through integrated management from seed selection to yarn production.
'ELLE SHOP' resonated with this aspiration of 'supporting the future of fashion and farmers' and realized the sale of these T-shirts with the cooperation of five popular brands. Through our media and e-commerce platforms, we will spread this valuable, yet little-known, cycle to the world and push forward a sustainable future.
*Source: Textile Exchange. Materials Market Report 2025
https://textileexchange.org/knowledge-center/reports/materials-market-report-2025/
■ Message from Tomoyuki Horinaka, ELLE SHOP Planner, Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd.
'While researching organic cotton, I learned about the realities faced by farmers. What we at ELLE SHOP can do is not just deliver products. It is to carefully unravel the valuable stories behind the materials and deliver them to our customers by leveraging the characteristics of our e-commerce site backed by media. I believe that picking up this T-shirt will be a step towards creating a sustainable future together with the brands and customers.'
■ Messages from Participating Brands
Americana: 'We deeply sympathized with activities that are not superficial support but based on the realities of the farmers, and decided to participate. For us whose livelihood is textiles, I believe that proactively participating in such initiatives will become an indispensable obligation in the future.'
ebure: 'We decided to participate because we deeply sympathized with the desire of this project to support future organic farmers, which aligns with ebure's cherished value of 'creating clothes that can be loved for a long time', and we wanted to be of help.'
KATHARINE HAMNETT: 'As a brand that has continued to send messages about the global environment and human rights for over 40 years, we immediately agreed with this project and participated. We are confident that by broadcasting together across brand boundaries, we can convey the current situation and issues of cotton farms more widely and deeply. We want the fashion of the future to be fun and beautiful, while encompassing sincerity towards people and the environment. We have put that thought into this single piece.'
Oblada: 'We have always had a strong interest in the farmers who nurture the raw materials...'
This project was realized by endorsing the 'ORGANIC FIELD®' initiative promoted by Stylem Takisada-Osaka Co., Ltd., a specialized textile trading company pursuing sustainability in cotton cultivation. Collaborating with five highly popular brands at ELLE SHOP—Americana, ebure, KATHARINE HAMNETT, Oblada, and THIRD MAGAZINE—we propose a new purchasing experience where customers can participate in solving social issues while enjoying fashion.
*Images are for illustrative purposes only.
■ Project Background: Supporting the '3-Year Gap' Towards Organic
Organic cotton farming is a crucial choice not only for reducing environmental impact but also for protecting farmers' health. However, organic cotton accounts for only about 2.9%* of global cotton production. The major barrier is the '3-year transition period' required to obtain certification.
Addressing this issue, 'ORGANIC FIELD', promoted by Stylem Takisada-Osaka Co., Ltd., is a groundbreaking initiative supporting Indian cotton farmers' transition to organic farming. Normally, farmers in the transition period face economic risks because they cannot sell their harvested cotton as 'organic' despite carrying out labor-intensive organic cultivation. In this project, the company purchases the cotton during this period as 'Cotton in Conversion' at a price equivalent to organic cotton, creating an environment where farmers can continue their challenge with peace of mind.
This 'Cotton in Conversion' is managed under the same strict standards as organic from seed selection to the cultivation process, so its quality as a material is on par with organic cotton. High traceability is also achieved through integrated management from seed selection to yarn production.
'ELLE SHOP' resonated with this aspiration of 'supporting the future of fashion and farmers' and realized the sale of these T-shirts with the cooperation of five popular brands. Through our media and e-commerce platforms, we will spread this valuable, yet little-known, cycle to the world and push forward a sustainable future.
*Source: Textile Exchange. Materials Market Report 2025
https://textileexchange.org/knowledge-center/reports/materials-market-report-2025/
■ Message from Tomoyuki Horinaka, ELLE SHOP Planner, Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd.
'While researching organic cotton, I learned about the realities faced by farmers. What we at ELLE SHOP can do is not just deliver products. It is to carefully unravel the valuable stories behind the materials and deliver them to our customers by leveraging the characteristics of our e-commerce site backed by media. I believe that picking up this T-shirt will be a step towards creating a sustainable future together with the brands and customers.'
■ Messages from Participating Brands
Americana: 'We deeply sympathized with activities that are not superficial support but based on the realities of the farmers, and decided to participate. For us whose livelihood is textiles, I believe that proactively participating in such initiatives will become an indispensable obligation in the future.'
ebure: 'We decided to participate because we deeply sympathized with the desire of this project to support future organic farmers, which aligns with ebure's cherished value of 'creating clothes that can be loved for a long time', and we wanted to be of help.'
KATHARINE HAMNETT: 'As a brand that has continued to send messages about the global environment and human rights for over 40 years, we immediately agreed with this project and participated. We are confident that by broadcasting together across brand boundaries, we can convey the current situation and issues of cotton farms more widely and deeply. We want the fashion of the future to be fun and beautiful, while encompassing sincerity towards people and the environment. We have put that thought into this single piece.'
Oblada: 'We have always had a strong interest in the farmers who nurture the raw materials...'