The Heart of LifeWear 2025 No.1: The Heart of LifeWear’s Second Year Kicks Off Worldwide "Let’s warm up the world with HEATTECH!" – Shingo Kunieda
Dec 10, 2025
LifeWear
The global launch for this year’s round of The Heart of LifeWear was held on October 20, 2025, at the Ariake Coliseum tennis stadium in Tokyo. The event introduced the initiative to participants, as well as sharing more about UNIQLO’s thoughts and vision to expand The Heart of LifeWear even further around the world.
An Event to Warm Both Hearts and Bodies
In attendance were two special guests: UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador and wheelchair tennis legend, Shingo Kunieda, along with Toray Pan Pacific Open Tennis Ambassador, Kurumi Nara. The two star athletes were joined by elementary school students from Tokyo, with the group learning together about The Heart of LifeWear, and then participating in a tennis clinic – warming both their hearts and bodies.
The first session of the day was presented by Toray Industries, the company that jointly developed HEATTECH with UNIQLO, on the theme of "Why is HEATTECH warm?" Watching a thermography experiment, the children yelled with surprise as they saw firsthand how HEATTECH instantly becomes warmer when it comes into contact with water vapor.
Next, representatives from UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) presented on the harsh conditions facing refugees globally, explaining about the urgent need for support. The children listened intently to the lesson, learning about a topic they don’t usually encounter.
After the lesson, the action moved to the court for the eagerly-awaited tennis activities. In his opening remarks, Kunieda-san reflected on the event so far, saying, "You all heard the explanation of HEATTECH in the class a moment ago, and I think this initiative is very meaningful. Let’s all warm up the world with HEATTECH!"
Nara-san then led warm-up exercises to ease nerves, after which participants split into four teams for a "Relay of Hearts," with children balancing tennis balls on rackets, navigating obstacles, and passing the baton to the next runner. Kunieda-san and Nara-san also joined the relay, impressing participants with their speed and skill.
Even when dropping the ball, Kunieda-san showed his competitive side by quickly recovering with skillful racket handling. Nara-san encouraged children on her team, asking the kids "Do you think you can do it?" Kunieda-san cheered on the children who were running hard, yelling, "Go for it!" and "You’re doing great!"
Next, in honor of the "heart" in The Heart of LifeWear, each participant placed heart-shaped stickers they had received after completing the relay on a special board. Nara-san and Kunieda-san then completed the collage with their autographs, with Kunieda-san writing the message: "Let’s warm up the world with HEATTECH!"
At the end of the event, Nara-san told the children, "I hope you can share what you learned today about HEATTECH and refugees with your friends who couldn’t join us."
Kunieda-san added, "I think we all learned a lot about how there are many people in need of support around the world, and about the functionality of the HEATTECH clothing we are donating. I’m also glad that we could all exercise together like this. Until recently I lived in the United States, and there were lots of people there who helped me and showed me kindness, which made me happy. I hope that through this event, everyone was able to understand the importance of being kind to others."
The children said things like, "I'm glad I had this opportunity to learn about the world!" and "If the world is full of HEATTECH, it will be a good winter!" It was a day that made everyone feel the importance of helping each other across borders, languages, and cultures.
About The Heart of LifeWear
The Heart of LifeWear initiative was launched in 2024 with UNIQLO considering the question "What makes life better?" and asking how, in its 40th anniversary year, the brand could take further concrete action to contribute to society through LifeWear.
During this season’s The Heart of LifeWear initiative, UNIQLO donated 500,000 items of HEATTECH to returnees in Syria at the request of UNHCR, with which it has a global partnership. In addition, UNIQLO donation projects around the world provided more than 500,000 items of clothing to people in need, including disaster victims, homeless people, and other socially disadvantaged people.
In Japan, UNIQLO continued to provide support to children’s homes and areas impacted by the Noto Peninsula earthquake, donating a total of 100,000 items of HEATTECH nationwide.
This year, UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassadors and Toray Industries, our strategic partner in the joint development of HEATTECH, will continue to support and contribute to these activities around the world.
TOP