The Life & Sport Series of Uniqlo's "Super Items" has long entered the next level.

The consumption symbol value of commodities has quietly changed. Among the basic needs of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, clothing is evolving into a medium to balance the fast - paced life and spiritual pleasure.

When Harvard Business Review defined the current era as the "emotional value consumption" era, consumers' demand for clothing has shifted from functional satisfaction to emotional resonance and scene adaptability. In the face of this change, Uniqlo uses technology as a pen to write the answer on clothing, the "second skin".

Recently, Uniqlo chose Zhangyuan in Shanghai, a building that combines a century - old Shanghai - style culture with modern aesthetics, as the venue for its 2025 spring - summer collection press conference.

In this immersive exhibition, the newly launched Sport Utility Wear lifestyle sports collection not only showcases Uniqlo's ultimate exploration of clothing functions but also reveals its core concept of LifeWear: clothing is no longer an appendage to the scene but an active shaper of lifestyle.

LifeWear: A New Narrative for High - Completion Items

Selecting Zhangyuan in Shanghai as the venue is another vivid interpretation of Uniqlo's balance between localization and globalization.

This building that has witnessed a century of Shanghai's vicissitudes is given the scenario - based narratives of "a spring outdoor in Copenhagen" and "the gentle warm sun in Athens". By integrating global design inspiration into local culture, Uniqlo allows consumers to intuitively experience the pleasant energy of LifeWear, which uses clothing as a carrier to convey diverse lifestyles.

The arrangement and display of different collection items at the press conference site have a wonderful sense of "shuttling". Among the items in Uniqlo's lifestyle sports collection, a pair of super - elastic sun - protection sports trousers can seamlessly connect the squat training in the gym and the office meeting; a cool - feeling sun - protection jacket can freely switch between urban commuting and weekend camping...

Behind this "boundary - free shuttling" is Uniqlo's ultimate pursuit of "high - completion" items. Kenya Hara, a master of Japanese industrial design, once proposed the "finished - product thinking", that is, the highest standard of a product is to form a closed - loop in terms of function, aesthetics, and experience. Uniqlo's lifestyle sports collection is a practical example of this theory.

Different from the single - label inertia in the clothing industry, Uniqlo gets rid of the single - scene definitions such as "sports" and "commuting", and deeply implants technology into fabrics and designs to create smart items that are "high - performance, multi - scene, and sustainable".

For example, the new special - cross - section nylon fabric used in the new super - elastic sun - protection products of the lifestyle sports collection has more grooves to intercept sweat compared with traditional fabrics, and the moisture evaporates faster, easily achieving the effect of instant sweat absorption and quick drying. At the same time, the warp - knitting process used makes one side of the fabric maintain a crisp and granular feel, while the other side has a smooth touch, taking into account both the outer - wearing texture and the skin - friendly comfort. This full - link innovation from fiber to ready - made clothing is the core logic of Uniqlo's definition of "high - completion".

This "high - completion" thinking is also reflected in more products: DRY - EX quick - drying POLO shirt makes the sweat evaporation speed twice as fast as that of ordinary fabrics through the piqué mesh structure, allowing business people to maintain their dignity in the hot sun; Women's high - elasticity sun - protection jacket not only has a super - strong sun - protection ability of UPF50+ but also provides a 360° super - elastic wearing experience, suitable for yoga stretching, cycling to work, and even inter - city business trips, spanning multiple life scenes such as business, commuting, and sports.

DRY - EX quick - drying POLO shirt

With "smart functions" and "scene adaptability", Uniqlo's clothing is becoming a new anchor point to meet consumers' different wearing needs according to time, place, and occasion.

As Uniqlo emphasized to 36Kr, "Clothing is not a supporting role in life but a key to unlock new possibilities."

The Technological Core of the Lifestyle Sports Collection: Four Functions to Deconstruct the 'Fragmented' Lifestyle Sports Scenes

It's not just time that is fragmented, but also life scenes.

In the fast - paced modern life, people's time has been cut up and they frequently switch between different scenes. As the external carrier of individuals, the clothing they need to match also faces more flexible and diverse response requirements.

Uniqlo has clearly recognized this. By integrating "super - elasticity, quick - drying, cool - feeling, and sun - protection" four functions, it redefines the clothing logic with the lifestyle sports collection - it is no longer cut by scenes but actively eliminates boundaries and becomes an "all - around carrier" for dynamic life.

The newly launched super - elastic sun - protection sports suit may be the best interpretation. The new special - cross - section nylon fabric intercepts sweat and accelerates evaporation through more groove structures on the fiber surface, achieving "instant sweat absorption and quick drying"; the super - elastic function allows the stretch rate to break through the limitations of traditional sportswear and adapt to high - intensity movements such as squats and cycling; the UPF50+ sun - protection performance effectively blocks ultraviolet rays, becoming a "mobile armor" for the skin; the integration of the cool - feeling function can instantly lower the contact body temperature...

Uniqlo's technology integration of combining the four functions into one is not a simple stacking of functions. Through material science and process innovation, a single item can cover scenes such as the gym, the office, and outdoor camping at the same time, becoming the ultimate solution for "fragmented life".

Super - elastic sun - protection sports suit

From the perspective of the technological core, the ambition of the lifestyle sports collection lies in "reshaping the essence of clothing with technology". The DRY - EX quick - drying POLO shirt mentioned above shows how the boundary between business and casual socializing can be broken. The newly upgraded piqué mesh fabric makes the clothing more textured, and it looks decent and opaque when worn alone; at the same time, its excellent instant sweat absorption and quick - drying ability can keep you fresh and comfortable all day long. These designs allow business people to wear the same clothes throughout the day when commuting, attending meetings, or even working out during lunch breaks, truly achieving 'wear one piece all day long'.

In terms of design, Uniqlo has also upgraded its products according to the actual needs of Chinese users. The newly launched mainland China - exclusive cool - feeling sun - protection jacket not only integrates sun - protection and cool - feeling functions but also features a slightly fitted short - length design in light colors for spring. With a UPF50+ rating, it not only meets the outdoor sun - protection needs but also blends into urban outfits with its "invisible functions", completely getting rid of the bulkiness of traditional sun - protection jackets.

Mainland China - exclusive cool - feeling sun - protection jacket

It's not hard to find that the emergence of the SUW lifestyle sports collection is essentially Uniqlo's precise deconstruction of consumers' "fragmented life". While traditional brands still divide users into "sports people" and "commuters", Uniqlo proves with actual products that an ultimate item can cover all dimensions of life.

This "de - scenarization" logic is achieved through the synergistic effect of the four functions. Clothing is no longer a passive carrier defined by scenes but the "second skin" of people's dynamic life.

An Underrated Industry Transformer

LifeWear, creating clothing for people.

Uniqlo's ambition goes far beyond business success. Its core brand concept, "LifeWear", conveys the vision of creating a better life for everyone through the power of clothing.

This vision is given a deeper meaning in the two - way practice of technological R & D and social responsibility: technology should not be a privilege for a few but a universal tool to change people's lives and protect the earth's ecology.

Traditional functional clothing often becomes a "privilege for a few" due to technological premiums. However, through large - scale production and supply - chain optimization, Uniqlo controls the average price of functional products in a more affordable range, bringing clothing technology to a more inclusive mass market and making technological clothing a daily choice for mass consumers.

Last autumn and winter, Uniqlo launched the "The Heart of Life Wear" global initiative, which is a typical practice of transforming technological capabilities into social value. Under this initiative, Uniqlo donated 1 million pieces of HEATTECH thermal underwear and AIRism cool - feeling clothing to people and communities in need around the world. In mainland China, Uniqlo donated 100,000 pieces of cold - proof clothing worth about 14 million yuan through the Soong Ching - ling Foundation. Through these comfortable and high - performance items, it provides help and care within its capacity, making people's lives more comfortable and beautiful.

This "technology for good" practice rewrites the traditional rules of the fashion industry - the "high - completion" of clothing no longer depends on functional premiums but on the universality of technology.

In the symbiotic evolution of technology and life, Uniqlo's lifestyle sports collection shows a clear path: clothing is no longer a silent functional carrier but a "smart partner" actively participating in the construction of life. When a sun - protection jacket can meet the needs of commuting, sports, and socializing at the same time, when a pair of trousers can span the office and the camping site, and when technology is no longer a cold parameter but a perceptible physical experience, this is the best footnote that Uniqlo writes for "LifeWear".

Perhaps this is the new definition of the clothing paradigm in the next decade: in the future, there will be no distinction between sportswear and formal wear, only "smart fibers that adapt to life".