UNIQLO and UNHCR Launch Joint Charity T-shirt "HOPE AWAY FROM HOME" Collection

Wear UTme! to Support Refugees, Available from March 25

NEW YORK, March 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- UNIQLO today announces the launch of a charity T-shirt collection featuring winning designs from the 2023 Youth with Refugees Art Contest co-organized with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Items will be available at UNIQLO stores with the UTme! service from March 25.

The Youth with Refugees Art Contest was established by UNHCR in 2020, creating an opportunity for young people around the world (aged 30 and under) to exhibit their talent and creativity, and to express solidarity with refugees through their art. The contest promotes engagement in refugee issues and offers young refugee artists scope to express themselves and to maximize their potential. In 2023, UNHCR and UNIQLO co-organized the contest, engaging customers around the world to support refugees through the purchase of a special collection of T-shirts.

The theme of the 2023 Youth with Refugees Art Contest was "HOPE AWAY FROM HOME", emphasizing recognition and inclusion for people who have fled their homes to find hope and rebuild their lives in places they have sought refuge. The artworks help refugees find acceptance and take the next steps, from meeting new friends and having a place to learn, to reuniting with family and finding work. More than 4,000 entries were received from all over the world, and UNIQLO made T-shirts from the five winning designs.

In addition to a direct donation of $100,000 UNIQLO will make to UNHCR, it will also donate $3 to UNHCR for each purchase of a T-shirt from the collection. UNIQLO will also donate 5,000 T-shirts and 1,000 tote bags from the collection to UNHCR.¹ UNHCR will also sell these items internally at the online UNHCR Visibility Shop², with all proceeds used for UNHCR's refugee support activities.

About the 2023 Youth with Refugees Art Contest
Submissions were accepted through the UNHCR website from June 15 to September 30, 2023, from young people aged 10 to 30. The contest was open to anyone in the world, with participation welcomed from refugees, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, and stateless persons. The theme for the creations was "HOPE AWAY FROM HOME." UNHCR and UNIQLO selected five winning entries based on the artwork's creativity and message.

"HOPE AWAY FROM HOME" Collection - Contest Winners
Asifiwe, 14: Friend Code
(Resettled to the U.S. from a refugee camp in Burundi)

"My drawing is a picture of my friend group from when I lived in Burundi. We all follow our friend code that says: 'My friend squad comes first and nobody can break us apart.' My friends are a source of strength and hope for me. We may be separate, but I am sure we're together in heart and that our memories will continue to live on."

Afya, 14: A Little Love from Home
(Young woman passionate about art, living in the U.S.)

"The heart-shaped paper airplane is from someone important. When someone receives it on the other side of the globe, they will be hopeful and optimistic as a result of getting a little love while being away from home."

Virag, 28: Wings of Hope
(Submitted her design from Hungary after visiting a UNIQLO store in Tokyo)

"Having met many inspiring asylum-seekers and refugees, I know how important 'hope away from home' is to rebuild one's life in a new environment. My drawing aims to express the act of chasing this hope, and the heart symbolizes that it is very much possible to follow your dreams, even if you are far away from home."

Georgette, 14: One Moon
(Fled from Democratic Republic of Congo, now lives in a refugee camp in Tanzania)

"The sky and moon symbolize protection and unity. Despite our differences, we are all under the sky and share one moon, it doesn't matter where you are, there is only one moon, and you are protected by the sky. I want to be a president because I believe I will have the power to make decisions that will not hurt people; power to end wars in the world."

Mawardi, 20: Birds from Home
(Fled to Somalia, hoping to become a doctor in her home country, Ethiopia)

"I remember the beautiful birds in my home country in the beautiful green forest. My hope is to see these birds again in the future, whether in my home country or somewhere else."

Overview of the HOPE AWAY FROM HOME Collection

Name:               HOPE AWAY FROM HOME
Launch date:   Monday, March 25th, 2024
Price:                 $24.90
Sizes:                 XS-XXL

Availability:     

• New York, NY: SoHo                                   
• New York, NY: 5th Avenue                       
• Boston, MA: Newbury Street                    
• Orlando, FL: Disney Springs                      
• Chicago, IL: State Street                            
• Seattle, WA: Pine Street                            
• Honolulu, HI: Ala Moana                           

Special website:    https://utme.uniqlo.com/tips/17233/

Notes

1. Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., the parent company of UNIQLO, will make the donation to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency engaged in international activities to protect people forced to flee because of conflict and persecution. The amount may vary depending on the exchange rate at the time of payment.
2. Store supporting UNHCR country offices and colleagues worldwide by offering visibility items and products designed to promote understanding of UNHCR's activities and refugee issues.

About UNHCR
UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, leads international action to protect people forced to flee because of conflict and persecution. UNHCR delivers life-saving assistance like shelter, food, and water, helps safeguard fundamental human rights, and develops solutions that ensure people have a safe place to call home and build a better future.
www.unhcr.org/

About UTme!
UTme! is a service to easily create unique, original items. Users can make a purchase just by selecting the design and product they like. One-of-a-kind items can also be made with illustrations drawn on a smartphone or tablet.

About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese retail holding company with global headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. UNIQLO is the largest of eight brands in the Fast Retailing Group, the others being GU, Theory, PLST, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam, J Brand and Helmut Lang. With global sales of approximately 2.77 trillion yen for the 2023 fiscal year ending August 31, 2023 (US $18.92 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2023 rate of $1 = 146.2 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world's largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan's leading specialty retailer.

UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world's most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a global brand. Today the company has a total of more than 2,400 UNIQLO stores across the world, including Japan, Asia, Europe and North America. The total number of stores across Fast Retailing's brands is now close to 3,600.

With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere. For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit www.uniqlo.com and www.fastretailing.com.

Fast Retailing global partnership with UNHCR
Fast Retailing began working with UNHCR in 2006, providing clothing assistance for refugees and displaced persons around the world, and making support for refugees one of the key components of its sustainability program. In 2011, to give more comprehensive support to help solve the refugee crisis, Fast Retailing became the first company based in Asia to enter into a global partnership with the UNHCR. Along with sending used clothing items collected through its product recycling initiative to refugee camps, Fast Retailing provides a wide range of assistance, including refugee self-reliance programs, employing refugees in UNIQLO stores, and conducting refugee awareness campaigns.

More information on UNIQLO's sustainability program, including refugee assistance programs, is available at: www.uniqlo.com/jp/en/contents/sustainability/

About the partnership with UNHCR:
www.unhcr.org/uniqlo.html

For media enquiries, please contact:
Samantha Levy ([email protected])

SOURCE UNIQLO