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| Jung Ju-yeon with the campaign logo |
By Kim Se-jeong
Jung Ju-yeon, 46, is a sustainability activist who recently launched the clothes recycling campaign, "Wear Again."
In addition to blogging and posting on Instagram, Jung is also planning a second-hand clothing fashion contest and a second-hand clothing swap party later in the year.
"We don't think about wearing second-hand clothes so much in Korea. But my experiences overseas and worsening environmental problems gradually made me feel guilty about buying new clothes. And I wanted to do something to raise awareness about it," she told The Korea Times.
Jung spent almost eight years in France. "It was a big surprise for me to see people be so frugal. But gradually, I became attracted to that way of living."
She said only 30 percent of manufactured clothes around the world end up being worn, adding, "the remaining 70 percent is dumped and ends up being buried or incinerated. Also, on average, people wear clothes only seven times before dumping them."
Studies also found that the fashion industry accounts for 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 20 percent of river pollution. "So the ideal thing would be to wear clothes for as long as possible after you buy them," she said.
When living in France she saw that this was possible. However, the situation in Korea is quite different.
"Through a survey we conducted recently, I learned a lot about why people don't like second-hand clothes in Korea," she said.
The reasons, according to the survey, ranged from the affordability of new clothing in Korea to the belief that wearing old clothes would bring bad luck.
She also wants to raise awareness of clothing recycling in her neighborhood of Gugi-dong in Jongno District and is working to organize a market at her son's school, Xavier International School, in the fall.
"I hope people in my neighborhood and children come to see and participate," Jung said.
Her sustainability-related activism remained low key until the Wear Again project.
On the personal level, she usually shops for her clothes at local second-hand shops ― the Beautiful Store and Market in U. She has also invited writers to write about the environment for a magazine she publishes.
For more information about the campaign, visit wearagain.imweb.me/index or blog.naver.com/wearagain.
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