SHANGHAI and TOKYO, Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Japanese global apparel retailer UNIQLO confirms today that it has successfully concluded its debut at the annual China International Import Expo (CIIE) held this year from November 5 to 10 in Shanghai. The event also marked the first time UNIQLO hosted The Art and Science of LifeWear, a LifeWear global brand exhibition, in China, following similar events in New York, Paris and London in previous years.
At 1,500 square meters The Art and Science of LifeWear was the largest exhibition space in the customer goods category of the CIIE. The space, known as "Museum of Tomorrow," showcased the innovation and technologies behind iconic UNIQLO products, the craftsmanship that goes into creating high-quality clothing, sustainability initiatives, as well as the first public exhibition of the upcoming +J collection in collaboration with legendary designer Jil Sander.
Additionally, with the upcoming of Double 11, or Singles' Day Sales, the world's largest online shopping festival, UNIQLO demonstrated its seamless online-offline integration by inviting customers to visit the Museum of Tomorrow through a simultaneous online exhibition on the UNIQLO Digital Flagship Store.
The world's largest Ultra Light Down hanging in mid-air at UNIQLO’s Museum of Tomorrow at CIIE
Jalin Wu, Group Executive Officer of Fast Retailing and Chief Marketing Officer of UNIQLO Greater China, said, "UNIQLO is pleased to have introduced The Art and Science of LifeWear and its product and services innovations to consumers in China, and around the world, through the CIIE platform. We hope that with our participation we could inspire a better future life, and new lifestyles, for people everywhere. UNIQLO is full of confidence about the Chinese market and consumers going forward, and the company plans to continue to deepen its roots into low tiered cities in China."
The Museum of Tomorrow attracted more than 300 domestic and foreign media, as well as more than 200,000 visitors to experience the exhibition and understand the technology behind the products.
3D knitting machine using WHOLEGARMENT technology on display in China for the first time
One media representative said that for the first time he saw the technology behind Ultra Light Down, and through technology experiments featuring AIRism and HEATTECH, he realized how many innovations of science and design actually go into a piece of clothing that allows people to switch freely between different life scenarios more efficiently, comfortably, and stylishly.
"UNIQLO's booth was very big and impressive. It is hard to believe that UNIQLO staged such an amazing performance for its first time at the exhibition. Whether it was the giant Ultra Light Down jackets or various lab devices, you could feel the brand's dedication and attention to details," said Yang from Shanghai.
Museum of Tomorrow Inspired Future Lifestyles with Clothing of Tomorrow
CIIE also saw the world first public exhibition of the +J Fall/Winter 2020 collection, which will be available in UNIQLO stores and online starting November 13. The collection marks the return of UNIQLO's collaboration with Ms. Sander, who brings her signature modern style to this exceptional line for women and men.
Greeting visitors to the Museum of Tomorrow were Giant versions of Ultra Light Down jackets hanging in the air. The actual Ultra Light Down jackets sold at UNIQLO feature a fabric made of a durable and light ultrafine fiber that is treated to eliminate down packs, combining warmth and lightness while being compact enough to easily fold into an accompanying pouch.
Showcasing UNIQLO innerwear offerings, the Museum of Tomorrow featured three experiments to demonstrate how the various functions of AIRism regulate the air under clothing, releasing heat and humidity to provide a comfy dryness. Another station highlighted the bio-warming technology found in HEATTECH innerwear, loved around the world since its inception in 2003.
Publicly displaying a knitting machine using WHOLEGARMENT technology in China for the first time, UNIQLO showed the art of the revolutionary 3D seamless knitting, which fits the body perfectly and brings a new wearing experience of stylish comfort. The space also featured a BLOCKTECH lab, where experiments clearly demonstrated the high-tech utility outer's windproof, waterproof and breathable functions, which provide comfortable protection against the cold.
UTs (UNIQLO T-shirts), which offer an array of authentic pop culture and art graphics from around the world, allowing the wearer to express their individuality, were also exhibited at the Museum of Tomorrow as a focal point of the world's cultural and creative influences. At the UNIQLO Masterpiece Studio display, UNIQLO highlighted the quality created through persistent craftmanship, refined cutting and fabric selection, which defines the value of clothing.
In addition, UNIQLO's global sustainable development and innovation efforts, which use the power of clothing to help protect the earth and care for people and communities, were also on display. CIIE also marked the world debut of BlueCycle, a rebranding of innovative UNIQLO water-saving technology that allows for significantly less water use in the jeans production process. This technology from the company's Jeans Innovation Center, established in Los Angeles in 2016, was part of a wider exhibit highlighting the history and evolution of UNIQLO jeans and the six types of UNIQLO jeans fabrics.
LifeWear Exhibition Beyond CIIE
Fast Retailing is committed to becoming the world's number one Digital Retail Consumer company. With this in mind, UNIQLO continues to turn information into products by understanding its customer needs and integrating online and offline functions to provide customers a seamless shopping experiences. During CIIE customers were also invited to visit the Museum of Tomorrow through a simultaneous online exhibition in the cloud through the UNIQLO Digital Flagship Store and get an up-close virtual experience of The Art and Science of LifeWear through the 10 innovative exhibition areas.
Images and video from the "Museum of Tomorrow" exhibition are available to download here.
About UNIQLO LifeWear
Apparel that comes from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity. Designed to be of the time and for the time, LifeWear is made with such modern elegance that it becomes the building blocks of each individual's style. A perfect shirt that is always being made more perfect. The simplest design hiding the most thoughtful and modern details. The best in fit and fabric made to be affordable and accessible to all. LifeWear is clothing that is constantly being innovated, bringing more warmth, more lightness, better design, and better comfort to people's lives.
About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese retail holding company with global headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. UNIQLO is the largest of eight brands in the Fast Retailing Group, the others being GU, Theory, Helmut Lang, PLST (Plus T), Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam and J Brand. With global sales of approximately 2.0088 trillion yen for the 2020 fiscal year ending August 31, 2020 (US $19.06 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2020 rate of $1 = 105.4 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world's largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan's leading specialty retailer.
UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world's most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a global brand. Today the company has more than 2,200 stores in 25 markets including Japan. In alphabetical order, the other markets are Australia, Belgium, Canada, Mainland China, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, U.K. U.S. and Vietnam. In addition, UNIQLO established a social business in Bangladesh together with the Grameen Bank in 2010, and today there are several Grameen-UNIQLO stores in Dhaka.
With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere. For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit www.uniqlo.com and www.fastretailing.com.
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