UNIQLO LifeWear 2014 Spring and Summer Collection

Showcasing Special Collaboration Line with Ines de la Fressange, Parisian Chic Fashion Icon, and UT Line Directed by NIGO, the UT Brand’s First Creative Director

 

Tokyo, Oct 30, 2013 – (ACN Newswire) – UNIQLO today announces plans to unveil its LifeWear collection for the upcoming 2014 spring and summer season, starting in Paris on November 20.

The term ‘LifeWear’ was first introduced by UNIQLO globally at the launch of the 2013 fall and winter collection, and it reflects the company’s unique design approach, focused on the customer. Rather than dictating styles or following trends, UNIQLO aims to provide clothing that is innovative, universal in design, and of high quality. LifeWear is about offering clothing that promotes comfort and enriches lives, allowing customers to create their own individual style.

Commenting on today’s announcement, UNIQLO Design Director Naoki Takizawa said, “The LifeWear 2014 spring and summer collection promotes comfort and individual style. AIRism and BRATOP products offer superior functionality, while items made from Linen and Supima(R)Cotton maximize the inherent features of these high quality natural fabrics. Core basics are back, such as Jeans and Polo Shirts, with new designs and updated features.”

The 2014 spring and summer collection will showcase a special line of women’s clothing that has been designed in collaboration with Ines de la Fressange, a fashion icon and true global ambassador of Parisian chic. Through this collaboration, UNIQLO wishes to offer products reflecting elements of Parisian style. The new line will be co-branded with INES DE LA FRESSANGE PARIS and will be available in a selection of UNIQLO stores worldwide. Naoki Takizawa added, “We talked regularly with Ines and exchanged views on a number of subjects including fabrics, design, and fitting. Ines’ own lifestyle and approach to fashion closely mirror UNIQLO’s LifeWear, and I am very pleased to be launching the new line that we have created together.”

UNIQLO today also announces that it has appointed NIGO – innovator in the street fashion scene and founder of A BATHING APE(R) – as its first Creative Director for the company’s UT (Uniqlo T-shirt) brand and product category. The LifeWear 2014 spring and summer collection includes a variety of UT designs for men, women and kids.

The LifeWear 2014 spring and summer collection will preview in Paris at the Hotel Salomon de Rothschild on November 20, followed by similar events in New York and Tokyo. Details regarding the New York and Tokyo press previews will be announced at a later date.

Ines de la Fressange

Born within an old aristocratic family, Ines de la Fressange grew up in the south of France before finishing her studies in Paris and making her debut in the fashion industry.

Ines started her career as an international Top Model in 1975, quickly walking the most famous catwalks, and she was declared Chanel’s star model from 1983 until 1990. A true fashion icon from then on, she was chosen in 1989 to become the symbol of the French Republic and the face of the Marianne statue.

In parallel to her international modeling career, Ines pursued activities as a designer, journalist, author and consultant for various fashion and lifestyle luxury brands. For the past 10 years she has been the luxury shoemaker Roger Vivier’s brand ambassador, and since 2010 she has been a member of L’Oreal’s “ream Team.” Her book entitled Parisian Chic has become an international success, with more than 1 million copies sold in 17 different languages, and it has sealed her authority as “the most Parisian of Parisians.”

In 2013 Ines decided to relaunch her own brand, INES DE LA FRESSANGE PARIS, where she acts as artistic director-at-large and is personally involved in the brand’s overall direction and strategy. INES DE LA FRESSANGE PARIS is a luxury Parisian lifestyle brand that offers access to the real Parisian way of life, through a choice of products that cover every step of a woman’s life, from ready-to-wear to interior decoration.

Ines has collaborated with UNIQLO for the first time to create a specially designed line of women’s clothing as part of the UNIQLO LifeWear 2014 Spring and Summer Collection. This new line will be co-branded with INES DE LA FRESSANGE PARIS and will be available in a selection of UNIQLO stores worldwide.

NIGO

Since establishing the brand A BATHING APE(R) in 1993, NIGO has become well known as an innovator in street fashion. In addition to directing his own brand, HUMAN MADE, his work includes such projects as curry shop CURRY UP(R) and hip hop group TERIYAKI BOYZ(R), of which he is the producer. Although NIGO is no longer involved with A BATHING APE(R) today, he continues to work on a variety of projects internationally. NIGO is UNIQLO’s first Creative Director for the UT brand, and the UNIQLO LifeWear 2014 spring and summer collection will include products for men, women and kids.

About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing

UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading global Japanese retail holding company that designs, manufactures and sells clothing under seven main brands: Comptoir des Cotonniers, GU, Helmut Lang, J Brand, Princesse tam.tam, Theory, and UNIQLO. ith global sales of approximately 1.14 trillion yen for the 2013 fiscal year ending August 31, 2013, Fast Retailing is currently the worlds fourth largest apparel retail company, and UNIQLO is Japans leading specialty retailer.

UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world’s most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a truly global brand. Today the company has a total of more than 1,200 stores in 14 markets worldwide including Japan, China, France, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K. and U.S. In addition, Grameen UNIQLO, a social business established in Bangladesh in September 2010, opened its two first stores in Dhaka in July 2013. UNIQLO operates an integrated business model under which it designs, manufactures, markets and sells high-quality, casual apparel. The company believes that truly great clothes should be supremely comfortable, feature universal designs, are of high quality and offer a superb fit to everyone who wears them.

With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere. For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visitwww.uniqlo.com andwww.fastretailing.com.Contact:

Fast Retailing

Corporate PR Department

Aldo Liguori / Satsuki Shinnaka

Tokyo, Japan

Tel. +81 3 6885 0960