Kiyasu Launches "Inclusive Alteration Partnership" for Apparel Brands. "Haruulala organic" Becomes the First Partner Brand

Kiyasu Co., Ltd. (Narashino City, Chiba Prefecture; President: Teppei Maeda), which supports inclusive clothing creation and after-sales services for apparel brands starting with "Kiyasu," an alteration service for clothes for people with disabilities and illnesses, has launched a new alteration partnership service. This allows apparel brands to officially guide their customers to "Kiyasu" as an after-sales alteration destination. Through this initiative, brands partnered with Kiyasu can propose the same product lineup as for general customers by officially offering the option of "alteration at Kiyasu" after purchase, even to customers who have difficulty putting on and taking off clothes due to disabilities or illnesses. This time, as the first partner brand, "Haruulala organic," an organic cotton baby/children's clothing and baby gift brand developed by Sunday Morning Factory Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Fukuoka City, Fukuoka Prefecture; Representative Director: Masato Nakamura), has introduced this service. This partnership was realized based on Haruulala organic's desire to deliver their clothes to more people, including those who have difficulty changing clothes due to disabilities or illnesses. Moving forward, by expanding similar partnerships to more brands, we will increase diverse choices for those who have been left behind in the existing clothing production of the apparel industry, leading to the realization of a society where everyone can freely choose the "clothes they want to wear." ■ In the existing clothing production of the apparel industry, some people cannot choose the "clothes they want to wear." The apparel industry has thus far been built on the premise that "users are able-bodied," and as a result, there are people who have been left behind by that premise. The reality is that many people with physical disabilities due to various reasons such as disability, illness, or aging give up choosing the "clothes they want to wear" because they are "hard to wear." The scale of this is estimated to be at least 7.7 million people in Japan, and considering the upcoming super-aging society, it is expected to increase further. The act of wearing what you want and choosing what you want to wear is not merely grooming; it is deeply related to quality of life (QOL) and individuality. We believe this is not a special accommodation, but a natural right that everyone inherently possesses. On the other hand, it is not easy for the apparel industry to meet these needs. If they try to newly develop dedicated products to meet these needs, much consideration and adjustment are required, including planning, production, inventory, and sales methods. The reality is that many brands feel that "they don't know where to start" or "it's hard to make it a sustainable form" even if they feel the necessity for inclusive responses. *Calculated by our company based on "Examples of Welfare Administration Reports (FY2023)" by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Number of Physical Disability Certificate Holders (by Age Group) FY2022 Data" by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and "Report on Long-Term Care Insurance Business Conditions for March 2024 (Provisional)" by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. ■ What Kiyasu has accumulated so that everyone can choose the "clothes they want to wear". Since the service launch in March 2022, Kiyasu has provided an alteration service for people with disabilities or illnesses, adjusting the ready-made clothes they "want to wear" to fit each individual's physical condition. The total number of clothing items altered so far exceeds 1,800.