At 10 a.m. on the 8th, the plaza in front of Happy Department Store in Yangcheon District, Seoul. The "Companion Festival 2026," hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, was held. Among the rows of tent booths, one spot drew a particularly large crowd. It was the booth for a discounted sale of surplus apparel run by the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Korea Fashion Association.
Nineteen companies affiliated with the Korea Fashion Association, including Youngone, Samsung C&T, and Hansae, took part. They donated about 12,000 items of clothing from well-known brands such as The North Face and Nepa, which could be purchased at discounts of up to 90%.
◇Smiles as a 100,000-won coat goes for half price
Even before the event began, the plaza was crowded with people looking for clothes. Inside the tents, a wide range of products—from hats and scarves to sneakers and jackets—were on display. Shoppers held clothes up to themselves and asked about prices, and passersby stopped to browse the booths. Event staff busily moved boxes.
When sales began at 10:30 a.m., they started snapping up items in earnest. The outerwear section, which had the biggest discounts, drew the largest crowds. Mid-season jackets from popular brands, usually priced in the 100,000-won range, could be bought for 40,000 to 50,000 won. Some called family and friends to recommend making a purchase.
Those who bought clothes at low prices were pleased. A neighborhood resident, a person surnamed Park, 72, who said an ad brought them to the event site, said, "I bought an outerwear item and I'm looking around to see if there's anything else good," adding, "I'm satisfied that I can buy branded apparel at affordable prices."
A person surnamed Moon, 44, from Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province, said, "I bought a coat for my high school–age son," adding, "It feels even more meaningful to be able to take part in an event with a good purpose."
◇All sales revenue will go to support vulnerable groups
Sales revenue from this event will be used to support vulnerable groups. In addition, leftover apparel after the event will have brand logos and the like removed, then will be sold at 28 stores nationwide operated by Giving Plus, a social contribution foundation.
The event was organized to prevent environmental pollution caused by discarded clothing and to help vulnerable groups. As fashion trends change ever more quickly, domestic clothing waste increased from 66,000 tons in 2018 to 113,000 tons in 2023.
Because apparel uses varied materials and many accessories, most of it is said to be incinerated or landfilled rather than recycled. In response, the public and private sectors joined forces to sell items cheaply instead of discarding them and to donate the revenue, creating a virtuous cycle. The event runs at the same location through the 9th.
Kim Goeung, director general of the Resource Circulation Bureau at the climate ministry, said, "We will strengthen life-cycle management for apparel production and consumption and continue cooperating with relevant institutions so that discarded apparel is incorporated into the resource-circulation system."