April 27, 2007
UNIQLO LAUNCHES THE UT PROJECT CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF THE UT STORE IN HARAJUKU, TOKYO
April 16, 2007 – (New York, NY) – A t-shirt is never just a t-shirt when UNIQLO is involved. This essential wardrobe staple is not just an article of clothing, but also an expression of who you are, how you feel, where you’ve been and what you love. On April 28th in Harajuku, Tokyo, UNIQLO will launch UT, short for Uniqlo T-shirt - a new store concept designed by UNIQLO creative director Kashiwa Sato whose vision is that of a futuristic convenience store for t-shirts. Each t-shirt style will be displayed on forms in stainless steel display cases, with the individual t-shirts packaged in clear plastic canisters resembling tennis ball cans. The t-shirts will be stored on open shelves, making the shopping experience truly unique and virtually self-service. With more than 5,000 square feet of selling space spread out over three floors and a fourth floor gallery space, the UT store will in essence serve as a shrine to this fundamental and favorite article of clothing.
In celebration of the opening of the UT store, UNIQLO has launched the UT Project, a limited-edition collection of t-shirts designed by renowned artists, designers, photographers and musicians including Terry Richardson, Nobuyoshi Araki, Kai Khüne, Bjorn Copeland of Black Dice, Kim Jones, Peter Saville, Gareth Pugh, Solve Sundsbo and many more. With approximately 1,000 unique t-shirt styles being delivered each year as part of the UT Project from these artists as well as other collaborative efforts such as ECM Records, the Evolution Store in Soho, NY, and many, many others, there is sure to be a style for everyone.
“The UT Project has one goal in mind - to let you wear what you love. T-shirts have become an important form of self-expression for the current youth culture, allowing people to highlight their sense of individuality. By selecting artists from all genres and aesthetics to design t-shirts for this project, we have tried to create a collection that embraces the inspiring diversity of our customers,” said Markus Kiersztan, owner of MP Creative and consulting creative director for UNIQLO.
Commencing in April, the t-shirts will be available at the UT store and UNIQLO stores worldwide, with nearly 100 new styles being introduced to the New York global flagship store each month. New Yorkers will also catch a glimpse of the innovative UT packaging through a unique visual display at the Soho Flagship.
With such an innovative concept, who better to shoot the image campaign for the UT Project than acclaimed photographer and visionary Terry Richardson. The UT campaign will feature recognizable personalities such as model Missy Rayder, actor Michael Pitt, musician Alison Mosshart, and Japanese photographer Keiichi Nitta as well as a group of New York-based up-and-coming artists and future visionaries wearing their favorite UNIQLO t-shirts. In order to find the rising creative talents featured in the campaign, UNIQLO embarked on a multi-media grassroots search that included canvassing the ultimate “self-expression destination” MySpace.
The complete collection of Richardson’s photographs will be featured in a limited-edition hardcover book printed by DNP (Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd), and will be sold at UNIQLO stores worldwide starting in mid-May. In addition, a 10-page excerpt from the book will be included in UNIQLO Paper No. 2, UNIQLO’s in-house magazine, which will be in stores at the end of the month. A select group of images will also be featured in an outdoor campaign, as well as in UNIQLO stores worldwide, including an exhibit on the 4th floor of the UT store in Tokyo that will serve as a gallery space.
About UNIQLO
Clothing says a lot, but can say it better. UNIQLO designs, manufactures, markets and sells casual wear that can be worn by anyone, any day. Rather than dictate a look, UNIQLO provides people everywhere with the piece they need to create their own style. And style comes from within, which is why the UNIQLO logo is nearly invisible, tucked away inside the garment.
This concept, along with an unwavering focus on quality and value, has guided UNIQLO’s actions since the establishment of its first store in 1984 Hiroshima, Japan. Today UNIQLO has grown to over 760 UNIQLO stores worldwide and is household name in Japan.
From t-shirts and sweaters to denim, outerwear and trend items, all of our clothes are made according to exacting Japanese standards for quality and come in an astonishing variety of colors and styles. UNIQLO is committed to providing customers with true excellence and innovation in casual wear, from the design and functionality to the fit and color choices. As a company, UNIQLO controls every stage of the creation of its products—from the fabric used to the stringent production control program at the factory and finally to the display at the store. We use the world’s best resources to give customers something better every time.
UNIQLO is a brand of FAST RETAILING and among the top 10 specialty apparel retailers in the world. Other group companies include Theory in the U.S., COMPTOIR DES COTONNIERS and Princesse tam.tam in France, and g.u., CABIN, ONE ZONE, FOOT PARK, VIEW COMPANY and ASPESI in Japan. For more information, visit www.uniqlo.com or www.fastretailing.com.
For further information or images please contact:
UNIQLO USA PR Contact
UNIQLO USA, Inc.
101 6th Avenue, 11th floor, NY, NY 10013
T: 212 969-5815 (showroom)
917 237-8800 (store)
E: press@uniqlo-usa.com