# Handwritten Postal Garments fukutegami Sends Clothing in the Mail with Messages By Laura McQuarrie | Published 2015-05-13 | Fashion Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/clothing-in-the-mail References: [japantrends](http://www.japantrends.com/fukutegami-clothes-letter-mail-shirt/) & [fukutegami](http://fukutegami.com/) Rather than sending someone a [handwritten letter on paper](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/greeting-card-kiosk), why not send out [clothing in the mail](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ralph-lauren-and-usps) 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](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/taggeez), 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. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 5.0/10 - Popularity: 64% | Activity: 79% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial - Top markets: Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/fashion) > [Hip Fashion](https://www.trendhunter.com/hipfashion) ## Key Themes ### 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. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Hybrid Mail Services](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/better-letter-card-co.md) - [Receipt-Inspired Graphic T-Shirts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/made-to-order.md) - [AI-Written Printed Letters](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/snappysnail.md) - [AR Message Pens](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/favor-ar.md) - [Typography-Inspired Canadian Sweatshirts](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/okayok.md) - [Experimental Programmable Clothing](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/programmable-clothing.md) - [Artistic Apparel Illustrations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/uniqlo-and-kenshi-yonezu.md) - [AR-Enabled Messaging Systems](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ar-message-concept.md) - [Mailbox-Shaped Scanner Printers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tou.md)