Clothes for a warmer life

Summer might have barely started but in the fashion world, late spring is the time to introduce new collections for autumn and winter and so it was that Japanese clothing giant flew a group of Thai journalists to Tokyo last month for a preview of its new LifeWear collection.
More than 50 real life models rather than professional mannequins were selected to showcase the outfits at the Belle Salle Shibuya Garden and even the weather cooperated with this winter extravaganza by whipping up some chilly breezes and rain.
First introduced in 2013, the LifeWear concept reflects Uniqlo’s aim to offer well-designed, high-quality and functional apparel to people throughout the world and is based ion the company’s commitment to creating clothing with a focus on the wearer.
Functionality is particularly important in the cool season and the brand has made further refinements to its warm and lightweight high-tech materials.
Yoshihiro Kunii, group senior vice president for production, says that American and European scientists have been recruited to join the Japanese members of the team.
“Uniqlo’s research and development teams are sited in Japan, China, and United States and they are working to develop fabric that provides the best customer satisfaction,” he says, adding that the new Heattech collection adapts to the wearer and feels like a second skin.
“And our new Heattech Extra Warm does even more,” he enthuses.
“We’ve added more Camellia oil to our Heattech’s women’s collection to enhance the fabric’s moisture retention for a softer, smooth touch. It’s 50 per cent more heat retentive than our original Heattech too, but with the same ease and pure comfort.
“We’ve also updated our men’s line for this coming season with increased stretch across our full range of styles. More stretch means a closer, streamlined fit with no bunching and incredible mobility. For the ladies, we offer a collection of Waist Warm Leggings and Bodywarmers that minimise bulk while conserving warmth.”
Uniqlo has added a new Parka line to its Ultra Light Down collection, which is crafted using 90-per-cent down and 10-per-cent feathers and boasts a high-tech aluminium enhanced lining to retain heat and maintain insulation on cold days.
The brand has also extended its collaboration with French design icon Ines de la Fressange for a second year and is continuing two lines from the spring/summer collection that have proved popular with customers. “Petite Parisienne” offers playful items of everyday wear inspired by work uniforms and vintage clothing while outerwear can be easily mixed and matched and is designed with the label’s characteristic light-hearted touch. “Note Parisienne” features an elegant line of clothes all in black and includes tuxedo and velvet jackets as well as the classic little black dress for any occasion.
The “Fleece” collection, which uses mineral-infused heat storage thread that provides more warmth, includes a Pea coat and long coat for women, while the “Extra Fine Merino and Cashmere” line, one of Uniqlo’s core items, offers a range of new items in addition to the popular sweaters.
“Sweats”, meanwhile, presents a new way to wear and enjoy sweats with a line-up that illustrates its broad potential, including classic sweats with a revised silhouette and design, cold-weather sweats with warm faux fur insides, graphic sweats produced in collaboration with a wide range of artists, and urban-style modal sweats for women.
The “Denim” line enhances the comfort of denim with a more stretchable material and softer fit. The men’s line features variations of selvage denim while the women’s line boasts a bigger variety of Ultra Stretch Jeans.
The popular “Smart Style Pants” are back for this season and once again suit a wide range of occasions from the office to a dinner date.
“The Topics!” boasts shirts, skirts, pants, and other core items in traditional and authentic check patterns including tartan, block and houndstooth, and come in a wide variety of colours for easy mixing and matching.
And even though Thailand rarely gets cold enough for its residents to wrap up in down, the super-warm outfits and separates, as well as the rest of the autumn-winter collection will be in Uniqlo stores from the middle of this month.