New York – Uniqlo has announced their collaboration line for UT (Uniqlo T-shirts) with
artist KAWS. UT is part of LifeWear, a concept that was introduced in 2003
with the goal of enhancing individual lifestyles by delivering quality
clothing that is functional in design and versatile to wear.
Brooklyn-based artist KAWS is a celebrated talent who made a name for
himself in New York City, with his subversions of images helping him gain
critical acclaim. His work can be found in some of the most respected
museums and galleries around the world including the Brooklyn Museum,
England’s Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and the Modern Art Museum of Fort
Worth. His body of work includes street art, graphic and product design,
paintings, murals, and large scale sculptures.
In a statement, KAWS said “I have always enjoyed working in different
medium, whether it be plastic toys, painting, bronze sculpture, or graphic
design. UT is a cool canvas for making my artwork available to people
virtually everywhere. I have enjoyed working with the Uniqlo team whose
enthusiasm is unparalleled. It is great to be part of the amazing UT
platform of my friend and fellow artist NIGO.”
UT Creative Director NIGO said “KAWS has been a friend of mine for more
than 20 years, and I’m very happy to collaborate with him for our 2016 UT
items. I’m certain that the collection will be a hit around the world. I’ve
created things with KAWS quite a few times before, and we’ve got a lot of
respect for each other. This project was no exception. We went through a
ton of ideas to come up with some great results. I think the T-shirts and
other items in the collection reflect KAWS’s amazing worldview.”
In the past, UT has featured pop culture graphics in collaborations with
SPRZ NY (Surprise New York), the global project which features a collection
of modern art-inspired fashion items, including a MOMA collaboration. The
goal for this KAWS collaboration is to fuse fashion with authentic pop
culture.
Details involving the price points for the collection and what stores it
will be sold at will be released in March.
With their goal to become the ,
every collaboration helps make a bit of difference in Uniqlo’s quest for
business growth. This season also marks the return of Uniqlo’s Lemaire
collaboration, Ines de la Fressange collaboration, and the Carine Roitfeld
collaboration. While the company doesn’t particularly aim for doing
collaborations with household names and figures the way their competitors
like H&M do, their collaboration items still go flying off the shelves and
hangers. The Lemaire collaboration last fall practically sold out by the
December period. If history repeats itself, this collaboration with KAWS
will also be a top seller.