On Monday night, Cate Blanchett attended Uniqlo: The Art and Science of LifeWear at Museum of Modert Art (MoMA).

Armani Beauty shared photo of Cate, taken during Venice Film Festival, for their Giorgio Armani Cinema Club campaign which celebrates the brand’s deep love for cinema.

“Changing clothes. Changing conventional wisdom. Change the world.”

That’s Uniqlo’s mission statement: Going beyond past conventions and creating clothing that never before existed.

The brand held “The Art of Science and LifeWear” at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Monday night to showcase the global retailer’s mission and workflow through a series of exhibits and displays. Held in hopes of furthering public awareness for LifeWear, the one-night-only event also marked Uniqlo’s 20th anniversary of operating in the United States.

“It’s also my literal, to-the-second, very last event as director of the Museum of Modern Art,” said Glenn Lowry, MoMA’s sixth director. He joined in 1995 and resigned last month, effective Sept. 15. But some 10 years earlier, he set out to broaden MoMA’s reach by finding a corporate partner that could translate the museum’s core work into public-facing programs; Uniqlo fit that role.

It was an equally special day across the street, Fast Retailing’s chairman, president and CEO Tadashi Yanai shared. The brand’s first stateside brick-and-mortar opened on Broadway in 2005. Its success led to a second flagship, opened 2011, on 5th Avenue—mere steps away from MoMA, a Uniqlo partner for over a decade.

Now, Uniqlo operates 108 stores in North America, with 76 stores in the United States alone; the group has established a network of some 3,600 stores across 27 countries and global regions. Yanai projected revenues to reach 3.4 trillion yen—the equivalent of $23.18 billion—for the fiscal year ending last month. Uniqlo also operates a digital platform with some 180 million global subscribers. Its e-commerce site is accessed more than five billion times annually.

“It’s no exaggeration, then, to say that the growth we have achieved to date began with our success here in New York,” Yanai said before clearing up one of Uniqlo’s unfavorably pervasive public perceptions: that it’s fast fashion.

 “We do not make throwaway clothes,” he said. “We make clothes that transcend the times and can be worn year after year…that are timeless.”

The concept resonates deeply with consumers—not excluding Cate Blanchett, Uniqlo’s newly-named global brand ambassador.

“You build a wardrobe over time,” Blanchett said during her first public appearance in her new role. “I grew up with a Depression-era grandmother, so the idea of waste has always been an anathema to me. Waste is actually the enemy of creativity.”

The Academy Award, BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning actress joined the likes of longtime supporter Roger Federer, as the tennis legend has been associated with the Tokyo retailer since 2018, to work with Uniqlo on the LifeWear collection, supporting humanitarian efforts worldwide.

“As a tennis player, you always chase perfection, but never really achieve it—it’s fluid. I see a lot of innovation in Uniqlo LifeWear,” Federer said. “Like me, they keep adjusting to new situations, and I have the feeling they have a ‘winner gene’ in them.”

For Blanchett, clothing should be enduring rather than disposable—an approach rooted in the Australian producer’s upbringing, carried into how she views style today.

“What I really loved about visiting the [Uniqlo] mothership in Tokyo, and the work Uniqlo is doing, is that you have classic staples that let you build a personal sense of style,” she continued. “And if you don’t want them anymore, you pass them on. There’s a classical nature to it.”

She sees LifeWear as a foundation of timeless essentials: pieces designed to stay in circulation, either in one’s own wardrobe or someone else’s.

“Clothes are receptacles of memory,” said Blanchett. “What you put close to your skin has an emotional impact. I still wear a denim jacket my parents gave me for my 15th birthday; it holds massive memories for me.”

Durability is more than just a practical solution, she continued, as the clothing also carries emotional weight, rendering garments as markers of one’s personal history.

“It shouldn’t be a luxury to have good, well-made clothes. Quality should be available to all,” she added.

“It’s the attention to detail, the deep love of craft,” Blanchett said of her time in Japan. “Sashiko—that idea of a flaw in something meant to be beautiful, which actually deepens its meaning. It’s not about seeking perfection, it’s about working with what’s in front of you to create something beautiful.”

Google translated from Vietnamese to English

On the evening of September 15 (New York time), at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), UNIQLO and its technology partner Toray Industries held the event “The Art and Science of LifeWear” to celebrate 20 years of operation in the US market.

The highlight of the program was the first public appearance of actress Cate Blanchett as Global Brand Ambassador last August.

Hosted by Clare Waight Keller, Cate Blanchett shares her personal style and sustainable fashion philosophy.

What made you accept to become a global ambassador for UNIQLO?

– Obviously, no one person can change the world. But you are truly committed to making the lives of those you touch better – from employees to consumers. I sense a dynamic, genuine, listening relationship, and that is something I really appreciate.

During my work, especially during my trips to Japan, I noticed a common thread running through it: the essence, simplicity, perfection, and beauty in each product. And this is also a great environment for creativity.

What role does fashion play in your life and career?

– I hope my fashion sense has changed for the better since my teenage years. Luckily, there was no social media back then! (laughs) .

For me, clothes are more than just fashion. I always see costumes as part of the character creation process.

It’s not just what I wear, but how I wear it. I’ve kept a lot of old clothes: a denim jacket my parents gave me for my 15th birthday, clothes from my grandmother, my mother, and even “borrowed” ones from my sister.

Clothes are memories. I also have a group of friends who “share style” – whoever likes something, we are ready to give it to each other.

For me, building a wardrobe over time, rather than short-term consumption, is important. I grew up with a grandmother who went through hard times, so the awareness of waste is ingrained. I believe waste is the enemy of creativity.

Is that also the LifeWear spirit that you aim for?

– Yes. I like the idea of ??having classic, durable pieces to build my personal style, and then when I no longer use them, I pass them on to someone else.

It’s a natural cycle. Clothes are not just about economics, they’re about aesthetics, they’re about emotions. For me, what I wear next to my skin has a huge emotional impact.

Do you have any special attachment to Japan?

– I have had a close Japanese friend, Noriko, since elementary school. I used to be a representative for a Japanese cosmetics company, went to sake factories, met Japanese women to understand their dreams.

I love the meticulousness, the spirit of craftsmanship, the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi: beauty lies in imperfection.

As an actress with many diverse incarnations, what “self” will you bring to your new ambassador role?

– I just bring myself with me – someone who is curious, who listens, who is open-minded and interested in the “big picture”. I have four children, so I am interested in the future of the world, in the state of young women. Hopefully I can open up that perspective.

Sources: Sourcing Journal, tuoitre.vn