Celebrating Sofia Coppola
2023.03.14

Sofia Coppola Visits the Harajuku store. UT Theater Event Report

Celebrating Sofia Coppola

On February 28, an event commemorating the launch of the “Celebrating Sophia Coppola” UT line featuring works by filmmaker and screenwriter Sophia Coppola was held in the basement floor of UNIQLO’s Harajuku store. Sophia visited the store, signed autographs for fans, screened a special video, and participated in a talk show. Along with bringing you scenes of the cute venue resplendently decorated in the key color of pink, we will also introduce you to the mini-theater opened in the Harajuku store and screenings at movie theaters nationwide!

Celebrating Sofia Coppola

Meeting someone they admire. Limited to 100 people, fans gathered to meet and receive autographs from Sofia.

One of the event’s main attractions was an autograph session with Sofia. Hoping for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet Sofia, admiring fans started lining up from 4:00 a.m. to get a numbered ticket. The autograph session started at 3:00 p.m., and 100 lucky fans looked on as Sofia appeared at the store with a big smile on her face. Some of the fans were moved to tears at being able to meet and talk with Sofia, someone whom they truly admired. At the autograph session, Sofia spoke directly with each fan, creating a place of warm interaction between Sofia and the fans, who said they were greatly inspired by her work.

Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola

The venue was a mini-theater set up at the UNIQLO Harajuku store. The autograph session was open to the first 100 customers who purchased Celebrating Sofia Coppola UTs pre-sold at the Harajuku store. Some of them had been fans for 20 years. Customers who participated in the autograph session were asked to write a message to Sofia. The messages were full of love and gratitude for Sofia from fans who said her work greatly influence them.

The Harajuku store now has a mini-theater! Special screenings for a limited time are also taking place.

Starting today, a part of the Harajuku store will become the UT Theater, a special popup space resembling a movie theater. It is decorated in pink, a key color, resulting in a very cute installation. Open for a limited time only; the mini-theater will be screening works by Sofia! On the night of the autograph session, the media and influencers were invited to a reception that drew many people, as it was Sofia’s first visit to Japan in five years. At the start of the reception, a special video, “I <3 NYC (I heart NYC),” produced under the supervision of Sofia Coppola to celebrate the launch of Celebrating Sofia Coppola UTs, was also shown. Taking the stage afterward, Sofia commented on the UT collaboration, “I don't usually stop and think about my work from the past, so it was nice to have this moment to remember the projects and revisit the images. And I appreciated that Uniqlo wanted to include me as a screenwriter, so they wanted lines from the movies. We just looked at different quotes from the movies, the lines I thought of that reminded me of moments in the film, and took them out of context. I hope people will enjoy wearing the UTs.” When asked what she thought of the venue, Sofia joyfully responded, “Yeah, I think it's so cute. I love how it was done. It really was a fun surprise to come in and see my own theater, and was very uplifting that people have come here to tell me they appreciated my work over the years.”

Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola

Actor Rena Nonen (known professionally as Non) also appeared on stage at the event. Non wore a UT featuring her favorite work by Sofia, The Virgin Suicides, and her eyes sparkled with delight at meeting Sofia, someone she has long admired. Regarding the special video, she said, “I was moved by the way Sofia’s UTs blended into the lives of various people.”

A mini-theater opens at UNIQLO’s Harajuku store
Past works by director Sofia Coppola are being screened free of charge at the UT Theater, a popup space set up in the Harajuku store. In addition to her past works, “I <3 NYC (I heart NYC),” a special video produced under Sofia’s supervision to commemorate the collaboration will, also be screened. From Wednesday, March 1, to Thursday, March 16. *The mini-theater will be open daily during this period.

Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola

Nationwide screenings
Commemorating the launch of the Celebrating Sofia Coppola UT collection, past films by Sofia will be screened nationwide.
For schedule details for the UNIQLO Harajuku store mini-theater and theaters nationwide, please check the special website linked below!
https://www.uniqlo.com/jp/ja/special-feature/sofia-coppola-event

Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola
Celebrating Sofia Coppola

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