The Blue & Green Art Project (BGAP), launched in 2020, is unique in that it addresses regional environmental issues through the interconnected perspectives of sea and land. Over the past few years, BGAP has held symposiums and exhibitions to encourage discussions on environmental challenges while presenting solutions through art and culture. The 2024 exhibition focused on kimono upcycling and included works by environmental artist Mago Nagasaka. A key objective of BGAP 2024 was to explore Nagasaka’s concept of "Sustainable Capitalism," which aims to create a harmonious cycle among the environment, culture, and economy. This paper examines the theme of "Regional Revitalization and International Exchange through Clothing Design," primarily discussing the activities of BGAP 2024 in the realm of clothing design. Chapter I provides an overview of the research, while Chapter II traces the evolution of clothing design activities from BGAP’ s predecessor, the Agri-Art Festival, to its current endeavors, analyzing them through the lenses of regional revitalization and international exchange. BGAP has long facilitated international workshops that utilize Yamaguchi’s local resources. This year, an online workshop was held in collaboration with the University of Hawaii Maui College, focusing on kimono upcycling with participants from both Japan and Hawaii. Chapter III highlights the clothing pieces featured in the exhibition, including Mago Nagasaka’s art and their underlying concepts. The works of Yusaku Harada, utilizing factory waste, and Erina Kashihara, incorporating marine debris, were also featured. The process of kimono upcycling in this exhibition, framed as an international exchange activity, proved to be significant, offering insights into perspectives in both the creative phase and the exhibition and appreciation phase. In summary, BGAP continues to utilize clothing design as an art and cultural initiative aimed at regional revitalization and addressing local issues. Looking ahead, the project aims to expand these efforts, even on a modest scale, with the aspiration of contributing to the local economy through sustainable practices.

This research was initiated by the Planning and Design Laboratory of Yamaguchi Prefectural University in 2011 as part of a project to revitalize a mountainous area in the Tokuji region of Yamaguchi City The Tokuji area is blessed with rich nature (forests), and the culture of papermaking has been passed down from generation to generation in the upper reaches of the pure "Saba River. Focusing on this precious regional resource, the company created clothing using knit art works that fuse plant material with natural knit materials, and presented them at fashion shows and exhibitions with the message of "Return to Nature," thereby exploring new possibilities for Tokuji handmade paper In 2021, the compilation of this series of exhibitions was held at the Suo Kokubunji Temple in Hofu City, downstream from the Saba River, where the Knit Art Exhibition was held This report describes the process and the results of the creation of cultural exchange between Yamaguchi City and Hofu City through an exhibition whose method is Installation, that fuses the regional resources between the two cities.