ning? YES.

– Your personal profile and motivations in applying to the Challenge;
I have been interested in fashion and foreign cultures since childhood. After living in Paris for 17 years and having operated my own fashion brand, I returned to my hometown Chichibu, in Saitama Prefecture. Here, I created my new brand “REINA IBUKA”. Before “REINA IBUKA” was born, I questioned whether it was sustainably ethical to add to the existing mass of overflowing products in the modern age. What pushed me to move beyond this ethical struggle was the traditional silk textiles woven in Chichibu. It inspired me to pass on traditional culture through fashion, which led to the conception of “REINA IBUKA”.
I believe that, through my brand, I can speak to social and environmental issues, leveraging my brand’s focus on sustainability. “REINA IBUKA” has a strong focus on locally made fashion and the local community, where silk fabrics are consistently made from sericulture. Through my application to the Fashion Values Challenge, Reina would like to share not only the ideal of sustainable fashion but also the sense of connecting with people, nature, and society and benefiting from each other. I also hope to deepen my learning and to increase value of my brand.

● Your reasons for applying
Political, economic, social, and cultural activities in Japan have historically been heavily concentrated in Tokyo and surrounding metropolitan areas. In the midst of this over-concentration in Tokyo, I think it is necessary for fashion brands to be embodied in regional areas. I’m working on this through my brand in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture. What is important for me is to focus on passing down to future generations the unique environment and culture of Chichibu, rather than simply being based in Chichibu. I would like more people to know about the things, environment, traditions that have been rooted in each land since ancient times, and connect them to future through fashion.
There have also been some challenges in this endeavour. Although the brand has gradually gained traction since its launch in 2019, I have some challenges in my business for example hand-made fabrics make it difficult to mass-produce and the cost is expensive, limiting the number of buyers. In addition, there is a shortage of fabric craftsmen due to a lack of successors.
To tackle these challenges, I would like to improve the cycle of manufacturing in Chichibu, from agriculture to textiles and design. Through this, I hope to spread the charm of traditional Japanese silk culture overseas and cultivate global connections with like-minded people. At the same time, I think that my efforts would fit this year’s theme “society” of Fashion Values Challenge, so I applied to seize a great opportunity beyond borders by winning the FVC award.

● Your relevant interests and experience
I am interested in whether fashion can have a positive impact on individuals within a cyclic environment where people, society, nature, culture, and art are connected to one another.
I have experience in manufacturing, using traditional silk fabrics made from cocoons produced by local sericulture farmers. From this experience, I have come to realise that focusing on the traditional culture rooted in the region leads to a reconsider my own origins of manufacturing. That's why I would like to express a strong need for co-existence with nature through fashion, harnessing the power of nature such as silk and plant dyeing.
Furthermore, leveraging on what I have learned from working in collaboration with sericulture farmers and fabric craftsmen, I would like people around the world to know the beauty and charms of silk through fashion.

● What sustainability means to youSustainability is a necessary means of survival for all living things on the Earth, and
everyone should live with an awareness of their impact on the environment. ● How you would benefit from the awardThrough support for my activities, I would like more people to know about my activities and
passion toward manufacturing globally and have the opportunity to pass on the value of
Chichibu silk culture.

– Have you been nominated to apply If yes, who nominated you? Kamakura Sustainability Institute(KSI.)

About Your Business
Business Name REINA IBUKA Years in business 2019
Business stage Growth

– Description of your business (up to 100 words)
In order to preserve the traditional silk culture of Chichibu that has survived for 2,000 years, REINA IBUKA collaborates with sericulture farmers and textile craftsmen to develop all-in-Chichibu manufacturing that uses silk fabrics. In Japan, silk culture has been on the decline in recent decades due to the aging of sericulture farmers and craftsmen and the lack of successors. In Chichibu, where silk culture still remains, REINA IBUKA collaborates with young sericulture farmers who produce cocoons, the raw material for silk fabrics, and textile craftsmen to carry out consistent manufacturing from raw materials to design in Chichibu.

– A detailed description of your business (up to 500 words)
I founded REINA IBUKA in 2019, inspired by the 2,000-year-old sericulture and silk weaving of Chichibu in western area of Saitama Prefecture. Before that, I was working as a designer in Paris where I operated a fashion brand that utilised upcycled vintage materials. After returning to my hometown of Chichibu, I discontinued the brand in Paris and questioned whether it was sustainably ethical to add to the existing mass of overflowing products in the modern age. During that time, I learned about the sericulture and silk weaving in Chichibu that has lasted for 2,000 years and that traditional techniques are in decline due to a lack of successors. With a strong desire to tackle this problem, I established REINA IBUKA.
At REINA IBUKA, our mission is to preserve the silk culture, traditional techniques, and environment that made Chichibu prosperous through the production of Chichibu Meisen. Chichibu Meisen is a traditional silk fabric that was particularly popular among young women from Taisho to early Showa eras.
Alongside Chichibu Meisen, REINA IBUKA is also focusing on the silk fabric called "Chichibu Futori", which is made using traditional methods and tools for all parts of the production process - reeling, dyeing, warping, and weaving. Currently, it is said that only 0.3% of silk products produced in Japan use domestic cocoons. At the workshop "Magnetic Pole" that REINA IBUKA collaborates with, they work together with a nearby sericulture farmer to produce Chichibu Futori using only 100% Chichibu cocoons.
I work closely with sericulture farmers and textile craftsmen, discussing the varieties and weaving methods of the cocoons that are the material of the thread. Through a consistent manufacturing approach from raw materials to design, such as updating the fabric, I am exploring sustainability in fashion.