Goggles are recycled and turned into a one-of-a-kind coffee server! JOCKRIC's efforts to create an environment where no waste is thrown away

Recycle your old snow goggles or motorcycle goggles and turn them into everyday items! Even your own goggles could be turned into a stylish everyday accessory like this. Let's take a look at the environmental efforts of JOCKRIC, an apparel brand with a design studio in Tokushima Prefecture

JOCKRIC's manufacturing

JOCKRIC is a company based in Aizumicho, the "indigo village" of Awa Tokushima, that produces highly original workwear. JOCKRIC transforms traditional, country-style aprons into incredibly stylish workwear, and their design sensibility is astonishing

Based on the concept of "workwear," JOCKRIC believes that if there are 100 jobs, there are 100 different types of "workwear," and proposes a work style that blends into modern life. For the work we spend a large part of our lives at, each piece of workwear is carefully crafted to raise the excitement of working

JOCKRIC's commitment to manufacturing is also connected to their "environmental initiatives." Having set up a workshop and showroom in 2016 in the naturally rich town of Kamikatsu, they support Kamikatsu's "Zero Waste Declaration," which aims to create a town that doesn't throw away anything, and are working on manufacturing that contributes to the local environment

STEEP has previously introduced some unique recycled items from JOCKRIC. This coffee bar is a product that fits the Kamikatsu town concept

The background behind the creation of this coffee server

We spoke with Kurokawa Katsushi, the owner and designer of JOCKRIC

-Why did you start this initiative?

I was approached by Studio Prepa, a glass artist who makes coffee servers. Kamikatsu,
where I have another studio, is a small town with a current population of around 1,400, but it was the first town in Japan to start a zero-waste initiative.

The town separates its garbage into 45 types and disposes of them locally. Residents bring their garbage to a single garbage station within the town, and anything that can be recycled is recycled and reused. This initiative has been going on for over 20 years. I've had my own studio here for the past seven years, and during that time, the glass artist Studio Prepa approached me about making coffee servers and asked if they could do something with the sleeves as part of Kamikatsu's recycling initiative. Studio Prepa also melts beer bottles in Kamikatsu to make glass

I've been competing in motocross since I was a child, and the plastic and sponge parts of goggles inevitably deteriorate with use. However, there are certain models from that year or designs that I like, and each one has its own memories, so I kept them instead of throwing them away. So I wondered if I could reuse the band part for something

This time, the size was just right for a sleeve, so I decided to make one. I also have friends who compete in mountain biking and snowboarding, so I asked them to gather up some goggles they no longer use and made a sleeve for them

-Did you select the best from many bands to create this album?

That's right. I couldn't use items that were too dirty or had severely deteriorated rubber, but I chose items that were in good condition and had a good appearance in terms of design, and turned them into works

-It's a very stylish sleeve. What's the process like?

I removed the frame and lenses from the goggles and unraveled the resin fibers, or rather the threads, to maximize the use of the band, so that it could be used for as long as possible. The band is elastic and stretches, so I sewed it into a slightly smaller cylindrical shape. The goggle straps have a non-slip surface, which ended up preventing the glass from slipping, which worked well

- I see. How many have you produced so far?

I just started this summer. I've made about 30 pairs so far, but it's only been a few months since I started selling them as a product. You can only get about two pairs from one pair of goggles, so I have to start from scratch by collecting the goggles, so it's difficult to make a large number of them. Each pair is a one-of-a-kind, so thankfully I'm getting orders right away and can't keep up with production

-When you add a JOCKRIC tag, it instantly becomes cool

The goggles can be used for motocross, mountain biking, and snow sports, and it seems that people who enjoy those sports are happy to use them

-What was your intention when you created it?

As for the process, since you have to take the goggles apart, it takes more time than regular apparel, but it's fun to make them. Not only can you reuse things you no longer need, but it's also nice to be able to repurpose and preserve items that have memories and stories attached to them

The beginning and the future

-Please tell us about the roots of JOCKRIC

JOCKRIC was started based on "Tsukasa Sewing", which was run by my parents from 1980 to 2005 in Aizumicho, the "indigo village" of Awa Tokushima. Currently, we are run by three family members and have outside help

My older brother and I have been helping our parents out since we were in elementary school. My parents went out of business once, and I worked in a completely different field, related to bicycles, but I had always been interested in apparel, so I quit my job. There were still factories and machines left, so I thought I might try making and selling things myself, and started JOCKRIC about 10 years ago

How do you create a unique design?

Basically, I do everything myself. I learned how to sew clothes from my parents, or rather, I learned naturally from making our own things since we were little. My older brother is eight years older than me, and I thought he was cool because he rode a motorbike. I wanted a jumpsuit like his, but I was still in elementary school and they didn't have my size... I really wanted one, so I made one myself with the help of my parents' instructions, and I still remember that

-What are your thoughts and feelings about manufacturing?

Inevitably, excess fabric is produced during production, so we try to create products that can use as much of that material as possible. However, this type of work is inevitably time-consuming. Mass production would create a flow, which would be easier, but I would like to be able to create products using each scrap of material individually instead

Although it is also in Tokushima Prefecture, our workshop in Kamikatsu Town is called "JOCKRIC RECLAIM," and as a member of Kamikatsu Town, which has declared zero waste, we create products with the idea of ​​connecting ourselves to the community. We contact our friends' brands, such as the glass artist and bag brands we mentioned earlier, and ask them to collect scrap wood and make bags. We would like to be able to work with everyone like that. Reclaim means to develop and recycle. We want to find the value in there and use it to give birth to and nurture new life

I don't have any specific ideas in mind right now, but maybe we could do something using not only goggle bands but also materials from snowwear. I'd be happy if this could start a trend of reusing unwanted items and help create an environment where everyone can continue to enjoy skiing and snowboarding, or even if only a little for climate change activities.

If we call on STEEP readers to collect goggles, I'd like to turn these coffee sleeves into an artwork and donate a portion of the sales to some environmental initiative, which would be great.

So!
"STEEP x JOCKRIC" will turn readers' goggles into coffee servers!

At the suggestion of Mr. Kurokawa of JOCKRIC RECLAIM, we decided to turn readers' goggles into coffee servers through "STEEP x JOCKRIC" as part of STEEP's "THINK SNOW" initiative. If you have goggles that you no longer use or can no longer use, please send them to the STEEP editorial department. We would be
delighted to take on the challenge of selling them in JOCKRIC RECLAIM sleeves, with 10% of the sales donated to "POW," an organization that STEEP supports and works to combat climate change.

To help us produce the "STEEP x JOCKRIC" coffee sleeve,

please send us your unwanted goggles.
To the "STEEP" editorial department at Cast Co., Ltd.,

5F Shin-Arai Building, 1-44-4 Sekiguchi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo
112-0014 : Tel: 03-3266-5033
. *Goggles sent cannot be returned.
*Goggles that are too dirty or have severely deteriorated rubber may not be able to be used in the product.

JOCKRIC
https://www.jockric.com/