In response to the announcement of the ‘state of emergency’ on April 7th, thousands of Japanese companies have switched from office work to telework. With millions of white-collar workers working from home, the business dress code has undergone some subtle changes. Talking to a client via Zoom, you’d do well to wear a jacket and tie as if you were in the office. But who’s to know if you’re wearing your pyjama bottoms and slippers? After all, they’re out of shot.

More importantly, many workers are living on reduced or stagnant salaries. With less ready cash to spend, people’s wardrobes are also stagnating. As opportunities to wear suits and office casual wear decrease, many teleworkers are looking for ‘digital camera-friendly’ clothing that doesn’t break the bank.

Standing Point is a used clothing company with a line in used (or what it calls ‘eco-style’) business clothes and branded products. The company reports that as the number of companies switching from office work to telework goes up, more people are opting to buy used clothing.

“Purchases of our ‘eco-style’ suits have increased 217% since this time last year,” says company representative Hiroshi Wakamori. Demand is strong, not only for used suits, but also the kind of dresses, dress shirts, leather shoes, and bags that were de rigueur in the office pre-lockdown. “We’re going to be buying a lot more used clothes in the future,” says Wakamori.

Many people remain unaware that they can sell their unwanted suits and shoes for cash. In many cases, this is because they had their suits, jackets, and trousers adjusted to fit them when they bought them. Because the hems have been raised, the sleeves narrowed and the waistband tightened, they imagine that no-one else could ever want them. But that’s not true. There is a healthy demand for altered clothes too.

Standing Point has been buying and selling used clothes, brand name products, watches and jewellery under the slogan of ‘Enjoying a rich world once again’ since 2006. “We wanted to create a service that plays a part, however small, in tackling issues such as mass production, excess inventory, and mass disposal, all of which are commonplace in the retail fashion industry,” says Hiroshi Wakamori.

“When people buy used clothes, they’re bringing more individuality into their wardrobes. They can learn to enjoy fashion in new ways.”

“You should consider their options when you’re looking to buy clothes. When you buy our clothes, you’re contributing to the revitalization of the used clothing trade, while doing your bit to tackle some of these pressing issues.”

Standing Point is open from 10 am to 7 pm all year round bar national holidays. You’ll find the store on the 4th floor of the Hikari Photo Printing Second Building, 2-24-26 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo. Their phone number is 0120-934-255 (toll-free) and their website is here.

To check out the range of business clothes available through Standing Point, take a look at the company’s website.

Standing Point also delivers its ‘eco-style’ range of clothes nationwide – check out this link for more details.