YKK Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koichi Matsushima; hereafter, YKK) has entered into a partnership with the Fashion Frontier Program (supported by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan), which discovers and educates future fashion designers, to provide educational opportunities for thinking about sustainable design through fastening products such as zippers, snaps, and buttons.
YKK is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the YKK Fastening Awards, Japan’s largest fashion design contest for students, and is working to discover and support fashion designers around the world.
The Fashion Frontier Program is an educational program and awards program for fashion designers who combine and embody social responsibility and creativity. YKK deeply resonates with the vision of this program as a space where learning and evaluation are integrated, providing opportunities for growth and reflection, along with a supportive framework that empowers future initiatives. With this shared understanding, YKK has entered into the partnership.
At the first incubation session, which will serve as a venue for learning, YKK will hold a lecture on the topic of “Little Parts. Big Difference.” in circular fashion. The aim is to create more in-depth understanding of fastening products, and apply this knowledge to sustainable design practices in the fashion industry. The lecture is scheduled to introduce products being developed by YKK towards achieving a circular economy, and there will be a discussion with the 16 program semifinalists. Products will also be offered.
Next fiscal year, YKK plans to participate in an incubation program for winners of the YKK Fastening Awards in order to create synergy between designers.
