"I'm NOT perfect" Vol. 5 — An Event in Ebisu Where Customers Decide the Value of Imperfect Goods

A three-day event called "I'm NOT perfect (IMNP)" is set to take place in Ebisu from Friday, March 20 through Sunday, March 22, 2026. Organized by fashion brand CLOUDY, the event presents "imperfect" items — products that would not normally reach store shelves due to crooked seams, size inconsistencies, and similar defects — with all sales proceeds donated in full to NPO activities in Ghana.

Background

CLOUDY, which operates under the concept of "solving social problems through shopping," has worked with more than 630 workers — primarily women and people with disabilities — at its manufacturing base in Ghana, Africa, to create jobs and produce goods. During the manufacturing process, however, some items fail to meet quality standards and never make it to the sales floor due to issues such as loose threads or size variations.

The organizers behind the event take the view that these products are not "mistakes" but rather "differences," and that a society more accepting of such differences can be kinder to both people and objects. This idea is at the core of "I'm NOT perfect."

Event Highlights

① Shopping Experience with Imperfect Goods

CLOUDY products with crooked seams, off sizes, and other imperfections will be available for visitors to browse and purchase. Prices are set by each customer themselves after seeing and handling the items in person — an opportunity to reflect on what gives a product its value.

Imperfect goods shopping experience

② "The Book That Changed My Perspective"

Individuals from a range of fields — sports, arts, business, food, and education — have been invited to recommend "the book that changed their perspective." Their books will be on display with personal messages describing the shift in values each title brought. Some books will also be available for purchase on the spot.

Contributors (in Japanese alphabetical order)

AYAKA FUKANO, Mayumi Ito, Kathy Matsui, Manabu Tauchi, Kyo Tanaka-Ulvé, Kei Tanaka, Toshiaki Hirose, Akihito Yamada, Seiichiro Yonekura, and others

③ A Relay of Perspectives Through Books

In collaboration with ValueBooks Co., Ltd., used books will be sold at the event. Visitors are also invited to donate books, creating a cycle of shared perspectives through the medium of books.

Books exhibit at the event

④ Unique Vegetables from Miyazaki

As part of CLOUDY's activities to build farms that deliver school lunches to children in Ghana, partners in Miyazaki Prefecture will be providing fresh vegetables — a little irregular in shape, but grown with care.

Vegetables from Miyazaki

The event aims to bring together the "knowledge" gained from books with the "reality" of putting that knowledge into practice, offering visitors multiple angles from which to consider what "value" truly means.

Where the Proceeds Go

All sales from the event will be donated to support CLOUDY's activities in Ghana, allocated as follows:

Apparel product sales: Worker training costs at CLOUDY FACTORY
Book sales: Educational support at CLOUDY SCHOOL
Vegetable sales: School lunch support at CLOUDY SCHOOL

Comment from NPO CLOUDY Representative Director Hayato Doya

When we first started making products in Ghana, almost everything in the first shipment was what you'd call a "B-grade" item. Pockets that were too big, zippers that wouldn't open. At first I was at a loss, but I remember feeling a certain affection for those imperfections.

Things the world calls "out of spec" can, if you shift your perspective, be seen as individuality — as charm. I hope this event becomes a chance for everyone to think together about where the value of an object comes from.