Starting in Spring/Summer 2014, UNITED ARROWS will launch a new label, "TEGE UNITED ARROWS," through its flagship business, UNITED ARROWS (UA), in collaboration with the Ethical Fashion Initiative (EFI), a project of the International Trade Centre (ITC).

The label will be available at all 38 UA stores, including the Taipei store, and all three The Airport Store UNITED ARROWS stores. Tote bags and clutch bags will be available from late February, and men's jackets and pants from early May.

UNITED ARROWS is the first Japanese brand and retailer to join the EFI project, and the new label is a result of a consensus between UNITED ARROWS, which wants to "collaborate on manufacturing in Africa," and ITC/EFI, who say, "UNITED ARROWS has the production capacity and values quality, tradition, and handcrafts" (ITC/EFI's Simone Cipriani). "We'll start with men's clothing, but we think we can expand to include interior design and women's items in the future. We want to expand not only in Japan but also globally," said UA Senior Advisor Hirofumi Kurino.

The new label was named "Tege," which means "hand" in Bambara, a language spoken in Mali and Burkina Faso, and is evocative of the Japanese word "hand/art." The brand aims to propose new value through a fusion of craftsmanship rooted in African culture and UA's design ideas. The debut Spring/Summer 2014 collection features a lineup of reversible tote bags and clutch bags accented with Kenyan beads, as well as accessories produced in Kenya, and jackets and trousers made in Japan using handwoven cotton from Burkina Faso. Basket bags and beaded necklaces are also planned. Prices are 16,800 yen for the tote bag, 12,600 yen for the canvas clutch bag, 56,700 yen for the jacket, and 25,200 yen for the trousers.

EFI is a project launched by the ITC, a joint organization of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). It provides support with the goal of achieving economic independence through fashion, including training to acquire skills.