The Art of Everyday Life

“Art isn’t just a superficial gesture. It’s a way of living life to the fullest.” Artistic Director Cédric Charlier on “art” and LifeWear.

Extra Fine Cotton Broadcloth Shirt Buttoned Down Collar $49.90

Denim Work Pants $59.90

Concept models are visualized in a room bright with sunlight, this season’s items arranged in outfits on the floor.

What kind of “art”?

UNIQLO’s theme this season is “The Art of Everyday Life.” This kind of art goes beyond the stuff of studios and museums. “The expression ‘Art of’ reflects an approach that extends the eye to everyday life and gives it a new perspective,” says Artistic Director for UNIQLO Cédric Charlier.

“Art is something that appeals to the five senses. Quality materials feel good against the skin. Beautiful colours and patterns boost your mood. By combining different pieces, you can express your individuality. LifeWear’s mission is to create clothing that helps people look in the mirror and feel positive about themselves. Art is a way of approaching all aspects of life, including clothing, food, and housing. Art is a way of living a rich life. To achieve this, it’s important to hold onto the curiosity you had as a child, and to observe the world through fresh eyes. That’s why we’re proposing ‘unique vision’ and ‘artisan’ as two key concepts.”

Art as unique vision:
seeing the beauty in the everyday

There’s beauty all around us. “Finding beauty is what art is all about,” Cédric tells us, opening two photo books for some examples.

“Vivian Maier’s work is a prime example of finding art in daily life. I especially like this one taken in Chicago in 1975.

Whether accidental or intentional, the coordinated yellow outfits, how the figures hold themselves, and the composition are all stunning. Once captured, this fleeting moment has the presence of a thrilling scene. Its unique perspective speaks to the art of everyday life. All the more because Maier was an amateur for her entire life, only recognized for her artistic genius posthumously, in 2009. There’s something alluring about how she took photos every day, whenever she could get away from housework, and showed no one. Photography was not a job or something precious. It was her life’s work. Because her photos were born from a pure impulse, they resonate with people through the ages.”

Whether accidental or intentional, the coordinated yellow outfits, how the figures hold themselves, and the composition are all stunning. Once captured, this fleeting moment has the presence of a thrilling scene. Its unique perspective speaks to the art of everyday life. All the more because Maier was an amateur for her entire life, only recognized for her artistic genius posthumously, in 2009. There’s something alluring about how she took photos every day, whenever she could get away from housework, and showed no one. Photography was not a job or something precious. It was her life’s work. Because her photos were born from a pure impulse, they resonate with people through the ages.”

“Maier’s colour and black-and-white images are both unique in their point of view. The lower left is a scene of three people, probably a family, walking after a rainfall. The reflections in the puddle, the light and the shadows, create a door into another world. Maier always had her twin-lens reflex camera around her neck, so as not to miss this moment. This is a shot that only she could take.

On the right is a photo of a stack of boxes. Would you consider this a candid scene, or an artistic one? Having a unique vision makes all the difference in the richness of life.”

Street Photographer (right) gathers street photos Maier took in France, New York, and Chicago. The Colour Work (left) compiles over 150 of her colour photographs. Flipping through the pages is like witnessing the pure enjoyment of her vision of photography.

I think that every artist finds meaning in life through creation, continues Cédric.
“When I saw Felix Schramm’s work at the Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art museum in Paris, I was so moved that I remember everything. Another special experience for me was collaborating with Jan Martens, the renowned contemporary dancer and choreographer. I was put in charge of costumes for a stage production that he did in 2021. Jan told me he wanted to stage a ‘revolution’ with a company of dancers of different nationalities, genders, and dance levels, ranging in age from sixteen to sixty-nine. This sort of casting was unconventional. Artists like Felix and Jan taught me to see the value in things no one else has thought about.”

In this work by Felix Schramm, a gigantic sculpture breaks through the wall in a large space with high ceilings. “The baffling dynamism, the beauty of the colours, and the fresh ideas blow you away. It can only be described as a moment when the ordinary is elevated to the universal.”

©PhileDeprez

“For Jan’s performance, I proposed T-shirts and jeans, an archetypal uniform,” says Cédric. Dancers wore jersey-cloth shirts and denim shorts. Gray contrasted with their skin tones. At the end, they shift into a world of red.

Art as Artisan: the beauty of craft, just below the surface

“When you have a unique perspective, you see the wonderful things hidden in everyday life,” says Cédric. He says that Tokyo, where he has lived since 2022, has countless such examples of the art of daily life.

“There is state-of-the-art technology, alongside shrines built hundreds of years ago, every gorgeous detail preserved. I’m struck by the contrast between the old and the new. The art in this sense comes from ‘artisan,’ meaning the craftsmanship and mastery behind such contrasts. That goes for everything from architecture to cooking and fashion. When we say something is ‘a work of art’ we’re pointing to the craftsmanship and mastery behind it. To take an example from UNIQLO’s new collection, these floral open-necked shirts are made using an age-old traditional technique called cyanotype. Neither drawn on a computer nor by hand, this print was chosen to express the delicate beauty of real flowers in bloom.”

Traditional techniques coexist with modern silhouettes. Art of this many-layered variety is the essence of LifeWear and is a core concept for UNIQLO.

A cyanotype applied to a cotton-rayon fabric. “For this print, we used a nineteenth-century British technique in which the chemicals are applied ahead of printing,” explains Cédric. “This time-consuming process results in a depth and delicacy that can only be achieved by hand.”

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Open Collar Short Sleeve Shirt $49.90

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Open Collar Short Sleeve Shirt $49.90

“Rather than make flashy statements, UNIQLO makes clothes that feel well made the second that you put them on. Take the polo shirts, which have an authentic appearance along with quick-drying functionality, so that they’re always crisp. This AIRism T-shirt may look like a normal crewneck at first glance, but it’s stretchy and soft and wicks away your sweat. The same is true of this season’s dresses. The posh, lustrous fabric also cuts out UV radiation. These products all have beautiful functionality you wouldn’t notice until told. Then we have the jeans. This authentic vintage look is achieved through innovative laser processing and nanobubble washing, which drastically reduces the amount of water needed by as much as 99%*. The look and feel of these clothes is so basic that you’d never guess they were environmentally conscious. These essential items don’t just meet the needs of daily life. They’re so comfortable you’ll want to wear them every day, and technology has one eye on the future. The contrast between the two is what art is all about.”

*Based on a comparison of our men’s regular fit jeans from 2017 and the updated item released in 2018. Exact water use reductions vary by product.

The classic shirt dress requires minimal care. Wrinkle resistant with an elegant drape.

UV Protection Long Sleeve Shirt Dress $69.90

Kaihara denim, distressed with laser processing.

Regular Fit Jeans $59.90

AIRism, thin and smooth. DRY technology keeps you crisp.

AIRism Crew Neck T-Shirt $19.90

This special pique material is smooth and dry against the skin. The soft collar folds beautifully, buttoned or closed.

DRY Piqué Short Sleeve Polo Shirt $39.90

UNIQLO clothes are the colours, and your life is the canvas, to be painted however you see fit. “Unique Vision” and “Artisan.” This optimistic message is at the core of the collection.

“Everyone notices quality differently. It might stand out to one person in the fabric or yarns and another in the silhouette, or the durability...perhaps the beauty of a colour or a pattern. At the core of our message is the idea that you get to decide how to combine things. The possibilities are endless, and there’s no single answer. LifeWear’s job is to support you in the art of your own life.”

Cédric Charlier

Global Artistic Director for UNIQLO

Born in Belgium, Cédric graduated from La Cambre and started his career at Celine then moved on to work with Alber Elbaz at the house of Lanvin. In 2012, he launched his eponymous brand and presented his collections in Paris. He has been Global Artistic Director for UNIQLO since 2021 and takes charge of the LifeWear collection with the 2023 Spring & Summer.