Global apparel retailer Uniqlo today announces the launch of PEACE FOR ALL, an ongoing commitment to support peace efforts worldwide that uses UT (Uniqlo T-shirt) as the means for everyone to express their individuality. Conducted in collaboration with world-renowned leaders in the areas of art, design, literature, science, and sport, PEACE FOR ALL aims to raise funds by selling T-shirts with designs that convey a desire for peace. Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. will donate all profits from sales, no less than 20% of the sales price of each shirt, to organizations that provide humanitarian aid to those affected by poverty, discrimination, violence, conflict, and natural disasters.
“In May this year, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, announced that the number of forcibly displaced people worldwide now exceeds 100 million. For people who have been forced to flee their homes, support such as clothing, water, food, medicine, and a safe place to sleep, is vital. Over the years we have engaged in many initiatives to assist those forcibly displaced, thanks to the support and cooperation of our customers,” said Tadashi Yanai, Fast Retailing Chairman, President & CEO. “Uniqlo ‘LifeWear’ is everyday clothes for daily lifestyles. PEACE FOR ALL is a new LifeWear initiative aimed at aiding those affected by conflict and war and helping to spread the message of peace all over the world. T-shirts have the power to convey a message. Even if you find it difficult to express your voice, you can participate easily by wearing one of our UTs. The world needs peace now more than ever, and I hope that with PEACE FOR ALL, this message can be even stronger!” he added.
UNIQLO has enlisted initial participation for this project from five creators from various fields who it has collaborated with in the past and will have a synchronized global launch of T-shirts with individual slogans and designs.
Tadao Ando
“In today’s increasingly fragmented world, we need to reacquaint ourselves with the fact that we all live together on one single planet. That is why I have used this particular message. To achieve ‘The Earth is One,’ it is vital that each one of us thinks very carefully about what we, as individuals, can do for society.”
Urbanist, Architect / Founded Tadao Ando Architect & Associates in 1969. Became a professor at the University of Tokyo in 1997 and professor emeritus in 2003. His many works include Japan Pavilion for Expo ’92, Church of the Light, Osaka Prefectural Chikatsu Asuka Museum, Awaji Yumebutai, Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Art, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Punta della Dogana, and Bourse de Commerce.
Kashiwa Sato
“I designed my T-shirt to convey the concept of PEACE, straight and simple. The repeated call for PEACE FOR ALL represents the feelings and voices of many people worldwide. It expresses a strong and heartfelt desire for a peaceful world.”
Creative Director & CEO, SAMURAI INC. / As a comprehensive “total producer” for brand strategies, he collaborates with several leading companies on different projects. He produced the launch of UNIQLO’s UT brand in 2007.
Ines De La Fressange
“Today designers and fashion brands must be generous and think firmly about the world and humanity. I believe people will enjoy participating in this new and ongoing commitment and in expressing their views about peace in such a pacific way. Don’t you want to wear this T-shirt?”
Model and designer / Ines de la Fressange started her career at the age of 17 as a model. A much-loved muse for multiple top fashion houses, she remains a symbolic style icon in the world of fashion to this day. In 2013, she re-launched her brand, INES DE LA FRESSANGE PARIS, and continues to embody the concept of French chic as a creative director.
Haruki Murakami
“I just wanted to be of some use (maybe not much, but still). I think it would be nice to create a world in which people, and cats, can live in peace.”
Novelist / Born in 1949 in Kyoto Prefecture. Debuting in 1979 with Hear the Wind Sing, Murakami’s major works include Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore, and 1Q84. His work has been translated into different languages all over the world and received multiple prizes, including the Franz Kafka Prize. He has also translated many of the books that influenced him the most, including The Great Gatsby and Catcher in the Rye. He has seen Harper more times than any other movie and also loves the novel it was based on.
Shinya Yamanaka
“I took part because I wanted to do something useful as an individual in addition to promoting research as a physician-scientist. The ability of science and technology to change the world for the better is entirely dependent on the people who use them. So, I added the message ‘Humanity must progress.’ “
Physician-Scientist / Dr. Shinya Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for successfully generating induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from skin cells. He is a professor at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University, the Representative Director of the CiRA Foundation, and a Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes in the United States.
Additional design creators after the initial launch include, in alphabetical order by last name (titles omitted): Ayumu Hirano, Rei Inamoto, Kosuke Kawamura, Shingo Kunieda, Christophe Lemaire, Kei Nishikori, Gordon Reid, Adam Scott, and Hana Tajima.
Donations raised through PEACE FOR ALL will be allocated to several organizations including the following:
• UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee because of conflict and persecution. We deliver life-saving assistance like shelter, food, and water; help safeguard fundamental human rights; and develop solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home where they can build a better future. www.unhcr.org
• Save the Children is an international NGO that works to make children’s rights to survival, development, protection, and participation a reality worldwide. It was established in the UK in 1919 and is currently at work in approximately 120 countries.
• Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child. But this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion, and discrimination. And, it’s girls who are most affected. Working together with children, young people, our supporters, and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges facing girls and all vulnerable children.
Uniqlo will actively promote PEACE FOR ALL through in-store materials, SNS, the official Uniqlo App, and the company website. Supporters of these efforts should be sure to check the special websites and in-store posters for more information.
Uniqlo continues to earnestly consider what it can do to create a future in which all people can live safely, as well as to bring about world peace, and make the world a little bit better. The company will continue to assist these activities and promote them further around the world.
Visit www.uniqlo.com to know more.
