The Art and Science
of LifeWear
New Form Follows Function
UNIQLO to Host Special Global Exhibition in London
- Date
- September 17-22, 2019 (Press Day is 16/9)
- Location
- Somerset House, The Embankment Galleries,
Strand, London, WC2R 1LA
For the first time, Japanese global apparel retailer UNIQLO hosted special exhibition The Art and Science of LifeWear: New Form Follows Function at Somerset House, a unique part of London’s creative and cultural scene.
Taking place in the U.K. during London Fashion Week, the exhibition was a large-scale immersive and experiential showcase of LifeWear, the UNIQLO philosophy that expresses simple, quality, everyday clothing with a practical sense of beauty designed to make everyone’s life better.
EXHIBITION MOVIE
Tadashi Yanai, UNIQLO Founder and Chairman, President & CEO of Fast Retailing., said,
“We are proud and honoured to hold our annual LifeWear exhibition in London this year, our first global market outside of Japan, where we launched UNIQLO almost twenty years ago,” said Tadashi Yanai, UNIQLO Founder and Chairman, President & CEO of Fast Retailing. “Through a series of engaging installations across themed zones, we demonstrated our constant innovation, quality, value and sustainability, the latter a particularly important topic for the apparel industry today.”
Art and Science, Form and Function
Much like previous LifeWear Day events in New York and Paris, this year’s event in London immersed its visitors in the story of UNIQLO’s most-loved designs and proprietary technologies via a series of installations both experiential and experimental.
Lovers of art enjoyed highly Instagrammable experiences, including 50 Colours of Socks, a mirrored room lit by lamps made from the full colour palette of UNIQLO socks. Other highlights included a large kaleidoscopic art installation made of LifeWear hanging from the ceiling and a sensory walk through a tunnel constructed of UNIQLO AIRism fabric, dyed in a gradient of blue to white.
UNIQLO also showcased the science behind its most advanced technologies in a series of experimental zones. The centrepiece was the HEATTECH Room, complete with a demonstration of just how this innovative fabric works. Visitors were drawn into an immersive space which was dominated by a giant screen displaying the technology on a micro level. This was supported by a series of other engaging demonstrations that reveal the secrets of the science behind other UNIQLO innovations like AIRism, BLOCKTECH and Ultra Light Down.
Spotlight on Sustainability
UNIQLO is a brand that prioritises the environment and seeks growth to achieve that goal. The exhibition featured a dedicated zone detailing some of the company’s sustainability achievements, including its global clothing recycling program, its global partnership with the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and its Jeans Innovation Centre; a research and development facility dedicated to revolutionising jeans production and design.
Exclusive Collaboration Items Available at Pop-up Store
To celebrate London Fashion Week, visitors can purchase a selection of limited edition UTs (UNIQLO T-shirts), as well as items from a special new collaboration in partnership with London-based online radio station NTS. NTS will also hold two special evening events featuring music, refreshments and workshops at Somerset House on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th September, from 7 - 9pm.
Collage artist Kosuke Kawamura performed live art
Collage artist Kosuke Kawamura will collaborate with UNIQLO for a Dragon Ball UT collection launching this November.
He recently performed live art there. He created a 2 meter canvas incorporating Dragon Ball characters from the T-shirt collection.
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