Retail and consumer-goods companies meet customers in the places closest to their daily lives. In their own stores, in shopping complexes, and sometimes on online platforms, every product they introduce in those spaces directly shapes consumers’ everyday routines. That’s why these companies’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts do more than serve as ESG checkboxes — they help open consumers’ hearts. This spring (March–April), we’re running a 30-part series spotlighting how retail and consumer-goods brands bring warmth and hope right where customers live their lives.
Resale platform 'OLO Relay Market'
Starting this year, it will accept roughly 160 third‑party brands
Upcycling brand 'RE;CODE' revives discarded garments
Kolon Industries' FnC division (Kolon FnC) is doubling down on resale and upcycling to cut clothing waste in the fashion industry. The company is focused on extending product lifecycles and giving new value to garments that might otherwise be tossed — a practical step toward a more sustainable fashion ecosystem.
On March 13, Kolon FnC pointed to its resale platform, the OLO Relay Market, as a flagship effort. Launched in July 2022 in partnership with resale-solution startup Madeleine Memory, the OLO Relay Market helps customers trade in pre-owned garments for resale.
The platform currently centers on Kolon’s own labels — Kolon Sport, Lucky Chouette, Cambridge Members, Series, and RE;CODE — and this year the company plans to expand to accept items from roughly 160 domestic and international third‑party brands. The service covers a broad range of categories, from outerwear like coats and jackets to knits, shirts, and dresses.
When customers submit items for sale, Kolon collects them, cleans and performs minor repairs, grades their condition, and then resells them. Sellers are compensated with OLO points that can be used on Kolon Mall. That creates a clear buy–use–sell–reward–repurchase loop that keeps garments in circulation longer.
Kolon FnC’s upcycling label RE;CODE grew from the same sustainability drive. Launched in 2012, RE;CODE is a conscious fashion brand that produces upcycled collections using a \"Clothes to Clothes (C2C)\" approach, disassembling and recombining inventory garments into fresh designs.
The brand selects inventory that might otherwise be incinerated, manually breaks pieces down, and reimagines them into new products. Atelier artisans and designers collaborate to produce distinctive collections. RE;CODE also keeps expanding its upcycling reach through collaborations with other brands and by incorporating industrial materials.
A Kolon FnC spokesperson said, “Resale and upcycling are important ways to expand resource circulation in the fashion industry,” adding, “We will continue a range of sustainability initiatives to extend garment lifecycles and reduce waste.”
