ITOCHU : Announces that Fridays are Dress-down Days

ITOCHU Corporation (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo; Masahiro Okafuji, President & CEO; hereinafter 'ITOCHU') announced today that it will introduce 'Dress-down Days' from June 2017.

ITOCHU adopted 'Casual Fridays' in spring 1995 to encourage employees to wear casual clothes on Fridays. In the twenty years that have passed since then, 'Cool Biz' started and 'Casual Fridays' have been reduced to mean only working without a tie. Now that the expression itself is barely in use, ITOCHU has decided to recommend new Friday outfits to its employees that express the characteristics of the company.

As a part of this approach, ten male and female employees have been recruited to conduct a program, with the cooperation of Isetan Mitsukoshi Ltd., Isetan Shinjuku Store (hereinafter 'Isetan Shinjuku Store'), whereby each employee will have his or her own stylist from Isetan Shinjuku Store who will help him or her undertake total coordination. This program is scheduled to run in fall, winter and spring. Moreover, in the training provided to the employees according to their rank, lectures on dress and other business manners in general will be included, with the aim of educating them.

ITOCHU has been promoting pioneering workstyle reforms, introducing the morning-focused working system and health and productivity management. It considers this approach to be one of the new methods for reforming the workstyle with the aim of making the most of each employee's capabilities.

Outline (Information on the upcoming event, etc.)

<1> Total coordination program with the cooperation of Isetan Shinjuku Store

<2> Revision of dress style (promote smart casual clothing including denim, etc.)

<3> Coordination and styling event (casual coordination, makeup, etc.) held by ifs FUTURE LABORATORY and stylists (sales staff) from Isetan Shinjuku Store

* ifs FUTURE LABORATORY is an organization run by Itochu Fashion System Co., Ltd., an ITOCHU Group company. It conducts research and disseminates information on the lifestyles of the near future.

<4> 'Morning Seminar' on the latest trends and coordination provided by the stylists (sales staff) from Isetan Shinjuku Store

<5> Lectures on dress and other business manners in general held during training for employees provided according to their rank (educational activities)