Life gets an exclusive and deeper look at the two new arms of the Uniqlo fashion brand - Sport and Denim
Uniqlo Sport
Wearing sportswear doesn't necessarily mean one is heading to the gym, and when sportswear can exhibit one's active lifestyle, it's almost impossible for Japanese apparel brand Uniqlo to ignore this line.
"I've noticed that sportswear has changed the way people dress. Now people focus on comfort and casualness," said Shu Hung of Uniqlo Sport. "Even in a working environment, people might be wearing joggers instead of slacks. I'm seeing a lot more comfort workout-inspired clothes."
Though Uniqlo Sport has just been unveiled last year, the idea and development on creating these products has been around for more than five years.
The company has been constantly improving its technology to create innovative fabric that would give certain attributes to the products.
Highlights of this season include DryEX Ultra Stretch, the well-absorbent pants made with sportswear fabric but look like dress pants; a water-repellent outerwear Block Tech; and Uniqlo's Airism range that includes a deodorant functionality for women. Uniqlo believes its core concept Lifewear is what makes its products different from other offers in the market.
"Uniqlo always comes through the lens of life, meaning our products are something people need in their lives," said Hung.
"Our goal is to ultimately make great sport products but also to make products within sport that will marry well with all of the other categories of Lifewear," Hung said, adding that comfort has to be a big focus. "We want to offer the most distilled and perfect elements for every activity."
So Uniqlo Sport products don't serve only athletic, but also athleisure.
"People right now do all kinds of sport or they do very minimal physical activities," said Hung. "We want to look at all people and take their needs into consideration when we made these products."
Sportswear is one of the fastest growing segments in fashion and Uniqlo aims to continue gaining market share.
The upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics is something to keep an eye on as Uniqlo is planning to take that as an opportunity to try something new in the line of sportswear.
Uniqlo Denim
The ubiquitous jeans are best-fitted by Uniqlo's Lifewear concept, so the fashion house is constantly seeking ways to improve this line. The Denim Innovative Centre was established last year in Los Angeles for developing items in the category.
Uniqlo is combining tradition and innovation for a new generation of jeans which Uniqlo believes will strengthen its line.
"In Japan, we have Aizome tradition which is indigo dyeing. So when we started to create denim in Japan, know-how and expertise of dying indigo was leveraged," explained Masaaki Matsubara, centre director. "That's one of the reasons why we can create superior denim."
"We'll continue being a lifestyle brand and creating denim under the Lifewear concept catering to the need of the time," he said. "If we stick to this philosophy in creating denim, we should be able to come up with varieties."
More variety of the products have been made available such as selvedge denim or the technology-implemented Miracle Air Denim.
For this spring/summer 2017, Uniqlo focuses on normal slim fit jeans for men and ultra stretch jeans for women, while other types and designs are also on offer.
The director explained that there many factors in making a good pair of jeans, with fabric and fit being the most challenging.
"Customers are not going to be satisfied just by achieving a good fit, it has to also be optimum fabrication as well as texture and hand feel."
The key to simplicity
Simplicity is the Japanese brand's calling card; it's also what its customers have come to expect.
Uniqlo's president of Global Creative John C. Jay said that behind the scenes the company strives to deliver simplicity to their products.
"Constant improvement is our authenticity. Most people don't think simple can be improved. But we always keep pushing," said Jay. "It may be a tiny change that people can't notice, or a 100% improvement."
Its spring/summer 2017 preview focused on simplicity throughout the show.
The show was straightforward and approachable, without the flamboyance of typical fashion shows. Models were set in common areas like parks, offices and homes, which gave a glimpse of how Uniqlo can be relevant in one's life.
"LifeWear is about the clothes, but it's not only about the clothes," Jay said.
"Lifewear means that we have to keep looking, thinking, discussing and having dialogue about it.
"We are not fast fashion. We do not chase after decoration. We do not chase after trends. We make clothes out of respect for everyone.
"However, style is not our enemy. If the clothes doesn't have enough style, you won't be comfortable in those clothes. Our thing is how do I keep improving. By improving, we make it more stylish, make it better looking."
And while "made for all" remains the heart of Uniqlo, Jay stressed that everyone can express their uniqueness through its designs.
"Made for all shouldn't mean boring. Basic doesn't mean no style," he said. "The basic we offer are your tools to create your own style. We want to give you tools and suggestion to help you co-ordinate in a unique way.
"Our hope is to create products that enable you to express yourself."
