UNIQLO｜LifeWear Story 100 directed by Yataro Matsuura

The relationship between Asha, age 22, born in Ethiopia, and me was not so much lovers but like friends or even family, and the romance was a bit of a thing on the side.

When I first went to Asha’s apartment in the East Village, I was surprised at how simple it was.

It was a 22m² living/kitchen and a bedroom, half the size. There was a small, round table and two chairs in the living room and a bookcase set against the wall packed with books. No other furniture was about. The wooden floor was covered with a rug where Asha would lie down, read a book, or study about fashion — in other words, her usual spot.

“I’m not used to sofas. It’s easy, but I feel more relaxed when I’m directly sitting on this spacious floor. Japanese people are like that, right? Taking shoes off inside is also my norm, too,” she said and rolled on the floor, taking a yoga pose.　

“You know Asha, your room is like a yoga studio. It’s not bad. In fact, when I grew up living close to the floor, as traditional Japanese rooms have tatami mats so this kind of brings me back to those days.”

The clean freak she is, Asha says she always cleans the room before she leaves her house. In fact, when I would relax in her room, I always noticed the floors to be shining, with no dust in sight.

“When I’m trying to come up with a clothes design or when I have to think, the room can’t be cluttered. I can relax when the room is more empty and clean. In New York, it’s hard to find space as everything is so jam-packed, so I want my room to always be clean and lets the breeze through. That’s why I only have few things. Oh yeah, the other day, when Rowena came here, the first thing she said was, “Is this a vacant room?” How rude is that? But as we sat down and had this great coffee, she said it was really calming. But she said, I should get a TV, at least. Who is she to tell me, I thought!”

Apparently, Asha did not have a TV growing up and instead her parents bought her all the books she ever wanted. “TV felt like it takes away my time,” said Asha. Her ex-boyfriend apparently loved his TV and she hated how it was on all the time when she was over at his place.

“So, what do you find to be the important things in your everyday life?”

I asked, as I lay down on the floor, enjoying this gentle breeze from the window with my eyes closed.

The fine rib knitted socks that go with all types of styles. With 50 colors to choose from and with anti-odor properties, these socks embody what UNIQLO is all about.

By weaving together polyurethane elastic thread, natural rubber, and a “filament twist yarn,” you’ll enjoy just the right snugness. With just the right thickness, it goes perfectly with sneakers with no worries about them slipping inside a pair of slippery shoes. This LifeWear will no doubt be your powerful ally for both private and official fashion.

Asha slowly opened her eyes and raised herself up, sat cross-legged, and began to talk.

“I think it’s about thinking with your mind first. Like I said, the reason why I value such a space is because it relaxes me and gives me that precious time to think. Throughout our lives, we are constantly facing problems, feeling anxious about our future, or having to deal with the issues in front of us, forced to make decisions, right? And I think it’s all too easy to not care and not use our brain, relying on the convenience around us. The worst thing you can do to yourself is to be indifferent to your own problems.”

Asha spoke quietly, carefully choosing her words.

“That’s true. When something goes wrong or you run into something you can’t do or understand, you rely on the immediate knowledge and information and think, “This is how it’s done or how everyone else does it” and just go with that instead of sitting down and thinking really hard for yourself. Knowledge and information are fine but we should never forget to do proper thinking for ourselves.”

“Exactly! It is so important to think. But we’ve all become so busy that we struggle to find the time to think which is scary. Is the world forcing us not to think?”

“I sometimes feel like maybe I’m being controlled by another being, which is quite scary. I don’t have a TV nor newspaper here but when I’m working outside, I’m constantly bombarded with so much information, so I need this space where it’s spacious, quiet, and I can relax on my own. So that I can think about the concerns, the fears, and the anxieties with my mind…”

Asha took off her socks, rolled them up in a ball, and became barefoot. The toenails on her tanned skin looked like cute little white sea shells.

“So what color socks do you like? I like natural, like those earthy colors, brown, grey, things like that.”

“I like grey, it goes well with any clothes, then white, I think.”

“You always choose white, it’s nice.”

She rolled around the ball of socks with her fingers and said, “I always think of my mother when I see rolled-up socks. She would always meticulously roll up the freshly washed socks. Do you do that in Japan as well?”

“My mom does it like this.”

I unrolled her pair of socks, took the rib part of the pair, rolled them and combined the pair together.

“That’s how my dad does it! Wow, you really are like my dad.”

She then gave me a kiss on my forehead and said,
“I just love this.”

We were particularly focused on getting the colors right, carefully dying thread for vibrant solid colors. The grainy and marble options are made with more expressively-colored thread for their dimensional appeal.

For every spring/summer and fall/winter seasons, new trendy colors replace the past season. Why not add trendy colors to your socks? The solid white, black, or navy are great for suits and formal attire. The grainy and marble pairs go perfect with vintage chinos and denim. They always know how to complement your style.

This is a result of
the hard thinking we put into
making a happy pair of socks.

MENCOLOR
SOCKS$2.90

Choose this socks

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.”