The reason why we are YUEN: The upcycle brand "PROJECT1000" that gives you the power of India①
Hello, I'm Hasegawa, a YUEN support staff member.
The summer heat is still continuing, but we are now starting to think a little more about autumn.
When autumn comes, people often say that it's "autumn's season of appetite," and the original origin of this saying is that as the weather cools in autumn, basal metabolism increases, which in turn increases appetite.It's true that sometimes, as the weather cools down, you suddenly start craving things that you didn't feel like eating during the hot summer months.
So, what is your favorite food?
Although everyone has their own preferences, there are certain foods that are popular, and when we looked into it, we found that the top rankings of Japanese people's favorite foods are:
・Yakiniku
·sushi
·ramen
·curry
Apparently so.
Next in line would be fried chicken and sashimi, and when I looked into it, the ranking makes sense. It's definitely full of things I like.
However, I think yakiniku, sushi, and ramen have a high share of meals eaten out. When it comes to what people eat often, including at home, curry is overwhelmingly the most popular. As for curry, people often eat it when eating out and also make it at home, so there are many opportunities to eat it.
My child also loves curry, and we usually eat it at chain restaurants like CoCo Ichibanya or at home, but I wanted to give him a slightly different curry, so the other day we went to an Indian curry restaurant near our house.
Most Indian curry restaurants are run by Indians, and the atmosphere is completely different from domestic chains. The interiors are plastered with pictures of the Taj Mahal and posters of gods from Indian mythology.
My child was a little surprised to see the dense atmosphere that is unique to India.
"Dad, is this a curry restaurant?"
He seemed confused by the atmosphere, which was completely different from the curry restaurants he usually goes to, but when I explained to him that curry is a cuisine from India and the one he usually eats has been adapted to suit Japanese tastes, he was very impressed.
Speaking of curry, you think of India. Speaking of India, you think of curry. I think this is a common perception among Japanese people, as curry is even said to be Japan's national dish, but despite its pervasiveness as a part of Japanese food culture, surprisingly, not many Japanese people know much about India.
In fact, the number of Japanese people traveling to India is not among the top, and the main reason for this is said to be that it is not an easy destination due to the physical distance. However, the number of people traveling from India to Japan is very high. Most of the travel is for business purposes, but this also means that Japan is chosen from among many other countries. Japanese products are also very popular in India, and automobiles in particular are very popular. It may be that Indians actually know more about Japan than Indians.
Despite such strong economic and cultural ties, India is somehow perceived as a country that not much is known about, and there is an upcycling brand called "PROJECT1000" from there.
This "PROJECT1000" has a deep story behind it, and we at YUEN, who value our roots, empathize with this story and are proud to present this brand to you all.
Previous blog introducing PROJECT1000 can be found here
This time I want to delve into it from a different angle.
The surprisingly little-known occupational situation in India
India is a large country with a population of 1.4 billion.
While economic development is remarkable, there is a huge economic disparity between urban and rural areas. Delhi and Mumbai are highly developed cities, but if you go a little further away, you will find vast rural areas.
It is said that about 80% of the country's 1.4 billion population lives in rural areas, and glamorous cities only make up a small part of India.
While urban areas offer a variety of jobs and continue to enjoy active economic activity, the unemployment rate in rural areas is serious. A very small percentage of people live in privileged environments, while the majority suffer from unemployment, poverty, and other disparities.
Another big difference from Japan, which is experiencing a declining birthrate and an aging population, is that India has an overwhelmingly young population. The proportion of people over 65 is only around 6%, compared to around 30% in Japan.
In other words, India has an overwhelming labor force, the complete opposite of Japan, which is facing a labor shortage. However, there is a dilemma: there are no jobs.
Furthermore, it is difficult for women to find work. Women's social advancement is still not progressing in India, and the idea that "women should take care of the home" still remains strong. There is also a huge educational gap between men and women, with the literacy rate for Indian women at around 65%. In rural areas, it is said to be around 50%, so if you cannot read or write the language, job opportunities are limited.
It's hard to imagine a world in Japan where people cannot read or write the language, but for example, in Indian elections, due to the low literacy rate, "electronic voting machines" have been introduced, where voters look at a political party's logo or photo and press a button to cast their vote.
In Japan, where the literacy rate is said to be nearly 100%, reading and writing is taken for granted, but this is due to a well-established education system. We tend to take this for granted, but I feel we need to be grateful for the blessings we have.
Despite having many young and talented workers, the dilemma of not having jobs is a major problem for India as well.
◆Indian textile industry and upcycling
In recent years, India's IT industry has developed and is driving the economy to the point that it is called the ``back office of the world.'' However, it also has a surprisingly wide range of other industries that are well developed, including the pharmaceutical industry, which has been called the ``pharmacy of the world,'' and a thriving automobile industry.
Among these industries, the textile industry has long supported India. India is the world's second largest textile producer after China, and produces a large amount of clothing thanks to its abundant cotton and cheap labor.
The textile industry is currently facing the problem of clothing waste, and as many of you may have heard, 92 million tons (approximately 300 billion pieces of clothing) are discarded worldwide every year. This equates to one truckload of clothing being discarded every second. That's staggering.
There are many cut and sew factories in India that receive orders from all over the world.
And when producing cut and sew items, a large amount of scrap material is produced.
When making T-shirts, the fabric is cut according to a pattern, but it is not possible to use 100% of the fabric, and scraps are always produced. These have also been discarded as large amounts of waste for a long time.
We focused on these scraps and, after much trial and error, tried to find a way to create something new from them. We succeeded in reviving an ancient Indian wooden knitting machine and using the scraps to create knitted items. This was the beginning of "PROJECT1000."
◆ PROJECT1000: An upcycling brand that is kind to makers, buyers, and society
As mentioned earlier, India has a lot of problems.
- A situation where there are no jobs despite the availability of a young and talented workforce (especially women)
- Large amounts of discarded scraps from cut-and-sew factories
To solve these two problems, we created a training program for women who wanted to work but could not find work, to help them create items using wooden knitting machines from India. After a three-month training program, women who acquired the skills could become knitters.
By doing so, we have been able to create employment for women in rural India and revive the large amount of leftover cut and sew fabric that had previously been discarded as garbage.
This created jobs and launched the upcycling brand. They succeeded in paying the working women 1,000 rupees a day (approximately 1,800 yen in Japanese yen). While 1,800 yen may seem like a small amount, in India it is said that around 30,000 yen a month is enough to live comfortably. They also made it possible for women to work from home, creating an environment that makes it easier for women to enter society. In India, where there are far more children than in Japan, being able to work from home is a huge benefit.
We often hear about activities such as donating clothing to developing countries as a form of support, but it seems that this also carries the risk of destroying that country's industry. When apparel manufacturers in relatively well-off countries like Japan donate surplus products to developing countries, they are able to provide large quantities of high-quality clothing for free. Naturally, this means that local clothing manufacturers lose sales. As a result, even though they think they are doing a good deed by donating, they end up destroying the industry and destroying jobs. This is apparently often the case. Charity work and social contribution activities are not easy, and if you don't truly put yourself in the shoes of the people involved and think about the local community, you could end up defeating the purpose, so it's really difficult.
Although PROJECT1000 includes social contribution activities, it is primarily an activity within India, and is a project that enriches India itself.
By producing beautiful works, this is a sustainable activity that benefits sellers, buyers, and the environment.
"Making everyone involved smile"
"PROJECT1000" has such a wonderful story
These wonderful works have even more story to tell.
I'll tell you the story of this wonderful work next time.
