JEANS
INNOVATION

It’s all about the future.
UNIQLO is challenging the status quo
for making jeans.

At the JEANS INNOVATION CENTER in Los Angeles, California, UNIQLO is rethinking the way that jeans are made by updating the methods and materials of jean production with an eye toward the future.

“BLUE CYCLE” Technological Developments
in Final Finishing Process

Aimed to reduce the burden on personnel and the amount of water required, BLUE CYCLE is a finishing technology introduced by the JEANS INNOVATION CENTER in Los Angeles in 2018. Traditional final finishing processes for making dameged jeans appear to have aged naturally require large amounts of manual labor and water. The burden posed on the environment and workers is considerable. Working toward a solution, the JEANS INNOVATION CENTER has incorporated laser distressing techniques and revamped the machines and detergents used in the washing steps. In 2018, the first pairs of men’s regular fit jeans were made using BLUE CYCLE technology. By 2020, this technology was being used for a variety of jeans made and sold by UNIQLO*.

*Technique not used for jeans lacking distressed features.

Switching from Manual Labor to Lasers

Traditional techniques for distressing jeans involved abrading denim by hand using sandpaper or applying chemicals directly to the fabric to achieve a creased, vintage look. Such work required the use of caustic chemicals as well as the laborious process of treating each garment by hand. By using laser technologies to create distressed effects through digital means, the JEANS INNOVATION CENTER has updated these processes so that manual labor is no longer needed.

Developing a Recipe for Low-Water
Finishing Techniques

In traditional washing processes for giving denim a faded look, jeans are laundered using stone and large quantities of water, physically damaging the material so as to create the intended effect. To update this technique, the JEANS INNOVATION CENTER developed a proprietary recipe using detergents, ecostones, nano bubble technology, and ozone gas. By reinventing these techniques, the amount of water needed for these finishing effects has been notably reduced*.

*Up to 99%. Data is based on a comparison between Men‘s Regular Fit Jeans (68 BLUE) 2017 and 2018 using technology developed in 2018 by our Jeans Innovation Center. Water savings may vary slightly between products.