Southeast Asian Games medalists (from left) wushu star Agatha Wong, karate athlete Sakura Alforte and wrestler Ronil Tubong at the Uniqlo pop-event event on June 16, 2023 at the C1 Park in Bonifacio High Street, Taguig.
Uniqlo Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — It's all in the details for Japanese retail brand Uniqlo as June proves to be a busy month where it marked its first year anniversary since launching the Peace for All Charity T-shirt Project in June last year and launching a series of pop-up events in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.
Champions wear quality
Southeast Asian Games medalists wushu star Agatha Wong, karate athlete Sakura Alforte and wrestler Ronil Tubog know the importance of wearing comfortable outfits while they are exercising or preparing for their daily routines.
The national athletes proved the versatility and quality of Uniqlo's Airism, Dry-Ex, UV Protection and Outerwear pieces as they led the warm-up exercises at the launch of the pop-event event last Friday.
For Agatha, flexibility is important. As she finds herself training outdoors, she needs a protective outer wear that can protect her from the harmful rays of the sun. The athlete said she has found it in the pocketable parka with UV Protection from the brand.
Sakura, on the other hand, noted that the Airism cotton shirt she used mostly during her training make her feel fresh and comfortable no matter how long she has been training. Ronil's contact-heavy sport often leaves him sweating. He said that strength training plays a significant role in his overall training. Thus, he is fond of the Japanese retail brand's Dry-Ex shirt and jogger pants that has absorbent and quick-drying technology.
The three athletes encouraged to pick a brand that will serve the wearer's needs like them. To further promote its clothing, Uniqlo held pop-up events that feature the different lines it has that are perfect for the any types of weather, be it hot, humid or cold.
Stars for charity
One year ago on June 17, 2022, the brand launched the Peace for All Charity T-shirt Project, a project to take action to contribute toward global peace.
Its parent company, Fast Retailing, has since been contributing 100% of profits from the sale of these T-shirts (equivalent to 20% of the selling price) to three international aid organizations providing humanitarian assistance to people impacted by poverty, discrimination, violence and conflict. Donations are made equally to refugee agency United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Save the Children and Plan International, through their respective representatives in Japan.
From there, Peace for All T-shirts have featured designs by 27 world-renowned figures with ties to the brand and who share its vision of peace, including architect Tadao Ando, novelist Haruki Murakami and tennis legend Roger Federer. As of the end of February 2023, a total of 1,073,687 T-shirts have been sold as part of the Peace for All project, raising ¥322,106,100 (or more than US $2.4 million when calculated using the April 3, 2023 exchange rate of $1 = 132.96 yen).
These donations have so far been used by the international aid organizations as part of projects to help people suffering due to conflict and disasters in locations such as Ukraine, Sudan, Vietnam and Bangladesh.
Koji Yanai, Group Senior Executive Officer of Fast Retailing, said: "We started this project one year ago because we believe that Uniqlo LifeWear has the 'Power of Clothing' to protect people, color their lives and enrich society. I am extremely pleased and deeply grateful for the support we have received from so many people, and the large amount of donations we have been able to make. We hope to continue to grow the circle of collaborators as we expand and continue this project."
Now, one year after the Peace for All Charity T-shirt Project started, the brand releases four new designs for its ongoing project.
The latest collection features new graphics designed especially for this project by collaborators, including photographer Daido Moriyama, Marni Creative Director Francesco Risso, artist Julian Opie, and actress and LifeWear Ambassador Haruka Ayase. They take the time to explain their own designs:
Photographer Daido Moriyama
Moriyama: "I see photography as memory. What the self remembers, what the subject remembers, what the people who see it remember...it's all memory. My photos are a way of seeing things, and perhaps a way of holding things for later."
Moriyama's shirt design
Marni creative director Francesco Risso
Risso: "Do we need to be like aliens to observe the miracle of creation, rather than the culture of destruction? In a nostalgic and simple vision of peace, an alien with sunglasses sitting on a globe as if it was a Pilates ball launches the challenge: what I like about Planet Earth isn't found on Planet Earth... The best telescope in the world shows what unites us. The primordial universe? The big switch? Love that moves the sun and other stars?"
Risso's shirt design
Artist Julian Opie
Opie: "People passing on the street in every town in every country all busy and focused, engaged in their lives and concerns. These people were walking in Busan, South Korea but they could be anywhere really, part of a constant flow of people around the world. I read a lot of history books and so much of it is about war and conflict. I have to remind myself that most of the time people were just going about their business walking the streets in the mornings to work or to see friends."
Opie's shirt design
Actress Haruka Ayase
Ayase: "When I left the house for school as a kid, my mom used to tell me, 'Make someone smile today.' She taught me to take things one step at a time."
These new designs were launched las July 21, and are available in XS to XL sizes at P790 per T-shirt.