Uniqlo is the forerunner in textile technologies. Their fabrics are perfect for the adventurous wearer, and their latest collection is set to benefit a much wider demographic. Their second “Lifewear” collection is Uniqlo’s new fashion “category”, and is comprised of nine “projects,” including Flannel, Heattech, and Silk, that carry over from season to season with minor stylistic and technological updates.
Uniqlo put their textile technologies and functionality before their trend-driven fast fashion,a nd you have to admire that. The brand’s design director Naoki Takizawa described his philosophy on trends as this:
“Sometimes people think it’s the designer making the trend, but I think the trend always comes from the people, then the designer captures the mood.” Flannel button-downs and Heattech leggings will always be parts of Uniqlo’s inventory, but every season there will be new colors, and in some instances, tech upgrades. For instance, next fall, Uniqlo will launch Heattech Extreme using new material that is 1.6 times warmer than original Heattech.
Lifewear’s nine projects encompass pretty much everything you’d need for a fall wardrobe–except maybe one thing: eveningwear, which, it turns out, isn’t out of the question for the brand. “It’s possible,” Takizawa told us. “We could try to create something [for evening] from Uniqlo’s philosophy.”
In addition to this new collection’s release, Uniqlo has some major plans for U.S. expansion, according to WWD, including as many as 20 new stores in 2014 alone. Expect more designer collaborations with this expansion as well.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
