HEATTECH: For A Warmer Winter

Oct 29, 2021 LifeWear

As the weather begins to change and that familiar autumnal chill slowly creeps in, it’s time to start preparing for the inevitability of the cold season. In the long and storied history of people and clothing, the time-honoured solution to combating the cold of winter was to make clothing thicker and heavier. While there have been advances in clothing to keep the elements at bay, like wind-resistant fabrics and lightweight down padded outerwear, winter outfits are still bulky and cumbersome.

UNIQLO feels that a fundamentally different approach would allow the development of clothing that would solve this problem. 17 years ago, together with Toray and its world-leading fibre technologies, we began developing a completely new material that would go onto revolutionise the way many experience cold weather.

Introducing: HEATTECH.

Shop the HEATTECH Thermal collection for women
Shop the HEATTECH Thermal collection for men

What is HEATTECH?

HEATTECH is our cutting-edge fabric that feels smooth, soft and lightweight to the touch but provides incredible warmth in even the coldest environments.

HEATTECH comes in three levels of warmth so you can pick the HEATTECH that’s perfect for you. We’ve also integrated this innovative fabric technology into more than just thermal innerwear as our HEATTECH collection now also encapsulates hats, gloves, blankets, jeans, fleece, joggers and more.

Since its debut, HEATTECH has become a product loved all around the world. A 2017 survey of 594 men and women throughout Japan found that 98.1% of people had heard of HEATTECH, and 67.8% had previously purchased a HEATTECH product. It has become an integral part of daily life for many, rendering their winter fashion more open, free and flexible.

However, while HEATTECH was becoming indispensable for some, we also received plenty of constructive criticism from customers. This feedback has been the basis for continual advancements in HEATTECH; every year we update our lineup to ensure it continues to fulfil its responsibility as the clothing that makes winter more comfortable for people around the world.

How does HEATTECH work?

HEATTECH provides thermal insulation by converting vapour generated by the body into heat. When sweat and moisture start to evaporate, HEATTECH’s highly adsorbent rayon fibres quickly adsorb water molecules. The movement of the water molecules from skin to fabric creates kinetic energy that is converted to heat. This is how HEATTECH begins to keep you warm.

To maintain this warmth, micro-acrylic fibres woven into the HEATTECH garment that are one-tenth the breadth of a strand of human hair provide an air cushioning effect which traps and maintains the generated heat.

The focus for the development of HEATTECH has always been to produce a fabric that is “thin but warm”. Continual improvements since 2004 have allowed HEATTECH to provide greater comfort and thinness while maintaining the same degree of warmth.

We offer three types of HEATTECH innerwear with different heat retention properties to allow you to get the most from winter.

HEATTECH (Regular)

Shop Women's HEATTECH Scoop Neck Top

Our time-honoured signature staple. Discover HEATTECH in a range of colours, shapes and designs for the perfect winter essential. Choose from short sleeves (perfect for relaxed warmth around the home) or long sleeves (ideal for layering beneath everyday outfits for warmth on the go). Choose from a classic crew neck, or opt for a V-neck or scoop neck for a shape that’ll hide easily beneath other layers.

Our HEATTECH innerwear collection for women is available is a wide variety of colours and styles

HEATTECH Extra Warm (Cotton)

Shop Men's Extra Warm Cotton Crew Neck Top

1.5x warmer than our regular HEATTECH innerwear, our Extra Warm collection has been updated for the 2021 Autumn/Winter season to feature a 100% cotton lining for improved all-day comfort. A special weaving technique produces a thicker material to increase heat retention, while napping on the inside of the fabric enhances warmth and comfort on contact with skin.

These new additions have been developed in response to customer feedback requesting “the warmth of HEATTECH with the comfort of cotton”.

All our new HEATTECH Extra Warm Cotton designs are perfect either as innerwear or as a visible outer layer.

HEATTECH Ultra Warm

HEATTECH Ultra Warm, available for women and for men, is our warmest grade of thermal innerwear

HEATTECH Ultra Warm is 2.25x warmer than our regular HEATTECH innerwear, and is our ultimate solution to extremely cold temperatures. Designed for winter's most challenging days, HEATTECH Ultra Warm is great for winter sports, extended periods spent outdoors or for those regions that regularly experience sub-zero temperatures.

HEATTECH Ultra Warm is made with thicker fabric which boasts longer napping than our Extra Warm series for increased heat retention. Thanks to the thick, opaque fabric, HEATTECH Ultra Warm can also be worn as a visible solo layer, as well as a comfortable, breathable inner layer.

The functionality of HEATTECH

Heat Adsorption

When HEATTECH fabric adsorbs body moisture, the movement of tiny droplets actually helps provide heat to keep you warm.

Heat Retention

Air pockets between the fibres retain both body warmth and the warmth given by HEATTECH’s adsorption.

Soft Texture

Vegetable oil is blended in with the ultra-thin and smooth fibres to provide a softer touch.

Anti-Odour

Special fabric processes neutralizes the source of odours.

Stretchable Comfort

HEATTECH stretches to give you a perfect fit and maximise comfort.

Anti-Static

Thanks to its unsurpassed moisture retention properties, HEATTECH fibres also reduce discomfort from static electricity, especially when putting on and taking off the garment.

Shape Retention

HEATTECH’s highly elastic and durable special knitted fabric prevents shape deformation after machine washing.

Moisture wicking

HEATTECH absorbs excess moisture to avoid that unpleasant sticky feeling.

Quick-drying

HEATTECH fabric wicks away and quickly dries moisture. Perspiration dries instantly, so the fabric remains dry and refreshing to the touch.

Shop HEATTECH

Ready to discover the world of HEATTECH? Experience a warmer winter this year:
Shop Women | Shop Men | Shop Kids

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