Rather than sending someone a handwritten letter on paper, why not send out clothing in the mail with a message on it? This is the idea behind fukutegami, a concept launched on the Readyfor? crowdfunding platform.
The name fukutegami itself is a play on the words for "clothes" and "letter," emphasizing that the clothes themselves become the letter and the envelope for sharing messages with someone else. The shirt has a number of spaces with lines for writing on it, as well as places to indicate where it should be folded and where the stamp should be placed.
A set includes a shirt, a pen and a stamp to get messages in motion. Since this is a novelty product, it doesn't come cheap—fukutegami retails for about $100. However, once the shirt is washed, the ink from the special pen disappears forever, so there is the potential for reuse.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Handwritten Postal Garments
- Clothing as a medium for handwritten messages offers a unique and personalized way of communication.
- Crowdfunding Novelty Products
- Launching and funding innovative and niche products like fukutegami through crowdfunding platforms opens up opportunities for creative ventures.
- Reusability of Ink in Clothing
- Developing ink technology that disappears after washing presents opportunities for sustainable and eco-friendly garment design.
Where This Applies
- Fashion
- Integrating messaging capabilities into clothing introduces a new realm of possibilities for the fashion industry.
- E-commerce
- Selling and shipping unique products like fukutegami through online platforms allows for the expansion of niche markets.
- Stationery and Writing Instruments
- Creating specialized pens and ink that vanish after a specific period expands the product offerings in the stationery industry.
