UNIQLO｜LifeWear Story 100 directed by Yataro Matsuura

“I’m now renting a small apartment on West 74th street in New York on my own. It’s a one-room and there is a huge piano in the center under which I lay my bedding to go to sleep at night. It’s interesting how I can see the inside of a piano as I lay down. No need to worry, Mom. I’m eating well. It’s late fall and getting colder by the day. I’ll write again.”

My mom wrote on the postcard to call but I knew that if I heard her voice, I would want to go home. So I decided to write a letter instead.

So, why does Kate still keep her boyfriend’s clothes in the apartment? Why hasn’t he come to collect them?

One day, this thought loosely brewed in my head and that’s when I decided to take out the neatly folded clothes from the closet, one by one.

High quality. All with fine material and stitching. Smell of a foreign detergent…
The bulky Oxford shirt. The thick sweats, round-necked and hooded. Flannel trousers. Color-worn denims. A finely tailored jacket and a duffle coat.
Out of all the pieces, the knitwear dominated the wardrobe. He had the same soft and fluffy wool cardigan in three different colors.

There were two solid wooden boxes underneath the clothes. I opened it and found them packed with old magazines and books. I decided to take some out for a look.

The magazines looked quite dated: men’s fashion titles from the 30s to 50s. The title was ‘APPAREL ARTS.’

I turned the page and saw men’s fashion styles and items shown in illustrations. They were extremely classy, stylish, and luxurious.

I figured he must be either a fashion fanatic, researcher of men’s fashion, or even a fashion designer. But why is he leaving such valuable things in his ex’s place? I was now knee-deep in this mystery.

I realized that these clothes are all standard items that looked to have jumped out of these magazines and looking even closer at the tags, things that were carefully worn for decades.

This made me more intrigued about Jack. The camera, the clothes, the magazines… all items of value, items that have been collected with a discerning eye.

Tomorrow, Kate will come here for her piano lesson. I decided to ask more about Jack and started to put all the clothes back.
Except for one. I decided to borrow the camel-colored cardigan. It was a bit similar to the one my mom would always wear.

Lambswool is a natural material packed with all the goodness of wool. It’s lighter and softer, with an airier texture than your standard wool, with amazing moisture control and an elasticity that makes it crease-resistant and comfortably warm.

So drape it over your shoulders on cold mornings and nights, go for a layered look on top of a T-shirt or a button-down, or underneath a jacket or blouson. It’s that reliable friend in your wardrobe with which you can enjoy that tender warmth every day.

My mom had this one cardigan which she would take extra care of.

I remember when I was looking at some old family photos and was surprised to see she was wearing her usual cardigan while holding me as a baby. Wow, she had this for such a long time.

She may have even been wearing it before I was born.

There were these small lint balls around the cuff of this cardigan, and as they were just at my eye level, I used to pinch and play with them when I was small.

I took a sniff of it once and said, “it smells like a potato croquette”, and she laughed out loud and said, “Really? Well, that’s fun.”

My mom’s camel cardigan was always hung on the seat in the kitchen.

As I tried on the cardigan in the apartment, I took a good look at the cuffs and saw that this one also had these small lint balls around them. How it fit, bulky and sleeves coming slightly below my wrist, was similar to how my mom’s cardigan fit her.

I thought to myself, cardigans are better when slightly larger. Should I button or leave it open? Mom always left it open. I remember when she came into the school for a parent’s day and distinctly noticed how she had done up her buttons that day.

I stood by the window and looked out and started to recall the many memories of my mom and that cardigan.

Then Kate came in.

“Why are you here? I need you to go as I’m about to start my lessons,” she said. But as soon as she noticed that I had all my stuff ready to go, she kindly said, “Oh, ok, you don’t have to hurry.”

“Kate, I’m going to borrow this cardigan. And what’s Jack like? Why hasn’t he come to collect his clothes?” I asked. Kate pretended to not hear my questions and remained silent.

I said, “I want to meet Jack.”
She muttered, “You can probably see him if you go to Strand.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s this large antique book store on 12th.”

I remember Seth talking about his favorite book store being this antique place called Strand on 12th street.

I put the cardigan on and stepped out.
As I waited for the signal to turn green,
I found myself taking a whiff of the cuffs.

The angle, the depth, and the openness of the V-neck area has been adjusted by the millimeter, with a new knit fabric that minimizes bagginess in the collar, sleeves, and hems. A clean arm-hole design is easy to move in, and nylon tapes strengthen the button holes from the back. The balance is adjusted for the torso length and the front pocket.

By adding a multi-colored, mixed knit to the colors, the basic colors look fresh. The right fit or slightly bigger. This is a new standard piece that truly expands the possibilities of fashion, for all.

I like how I can
just gently drape a cardigan.
Leave it unbuttoned.
Love how it looks from the back.

MENLAMBSWOOLV NECK
CARDIGAN$39.90

Choose this clothes

What is “LifeWear story 100?”

At UNIQLO,
there exist these lines of clothes
which has remained for many years,
trend-neutral
yet never dated.
Out of the line-ups,
they are the unsung presence,
sitting quietly behind in TV ads.

Yet, they are the culmination
of the years of passion and devotion,
where UNIQLO sought to pursue
more comfort,
more durability, and
more quality.

They give shape and gravitas
to what and who UNIQLO is,
and what UNIQLO continues
to nurture with great care.

To go beyond yesterday,
to reach higher tomorrow.

When you take it in your hands,
when you try it on,
it softly speaks to you,
almost like a friend.

What is a rich quality
lifestyle?
How is such a quality day spent?
What does happiness mean to you…

And you will find yourself
surprised to discover that such
piece of clothing has existed.

What is the UNIQLO principle?
Why do we call clothing LifeWear?
What kind of clothes constitute
LifeWear?

Here, we go deep into
the root of LifeWear,
to know
and to tell.
And I hope to write
stories that revolve
around LifeWear and myself.

LifeWear story 100 will be
a story about a journey with me and LifeWear.

Yataro Matsuura

Essayist, editor. Born 1965 in Tokyo.
For nine years from 2005, under the leadership of the founder, Shizuko Ohashi, he was the chief editor for the magazine, “Kurashi no Techo.” Since, he launched an online media site, “Kurashi no Kihon.” Currently, sits as a director for Oishii Kenko Ltd. Recognized for his eye for style and experience in presenting ideas for quality lifestyle. Regularly writes in his columns in newspapers and magazines. Has penned numerous best-sellers including “Kyo mo Teinei ni” and “Shigoto no Kihon Kurashi no Kihon 100.” Hosts a radio program on NHK Radio 1, “Karen Style.”