Droga5 London launches "Because of Life" global campaign for UNIQLO

Feb. 23, 2017

Droga5 London has created a global campaign for UNIQLO under the banner “Because of Life, We Made LifeWear”, a new articulation of UNIQLO’s quest to create clothes that make life better.

The campaign, which is the first work by Droga5 London for UNIQLO, features three ads: “Wireless Bra”, “AIRism”, and “Distressed Denim”. The films answer the question posed by the “Why do we Get Dressed?” work from Droga5 New York last year by showcasing the thought that goes into UNIQLO’s deceptively simple clothes.

“Wireless Bra”, choreographed by Ryan Heffington (who was behind the iconic videos for pop artist Sia and Netflix hit The OA, amongst others) and styled by Nancy Steiner (the award-winning costume designer behind Lost In Translation and The Virgin Suicides) is unique among bra commercials in that it challenges the stereotypes of what feminine movements look like.

The film, directed by Autumn de Wilde through Somesuch, shows women performing unusual dance moves and urges viewers to “Move Like You’re Not Supposed To”. The soundtrack is “Ants” by Starcrawler, an unsigned band fronted by Arrow de Wilde.

“AIRism”, shot in the streets of Santiago by director Nick Gordon through Somesuch, focuses on UNIQLO’s high-tech innerwear made from breathable materials. The black-and-white film artfully captures images of people going about everyday activities, with perspiration evaporating from their bodies. The ad asks: “Shouldn’t our clothes breathe with us?”

“Distressed Denim”, also shot by Nick Gordon, captures two people in a chance romantic encounter at a remote gas station - both are wearing UNIQLO’s distressed denim, which is engineered to combine the two often opposing forces of comfort and imperfection.　

The soundtrack to the film also has its own romantic backstory. The track - ‘Baby’, by Donnie and Joe Emerson was recorded by two brothers who had grown up on a remote farm with the radio on their tractor as their only source of musical education. Yet, thanks to their father building them a recording studio on the farm itself, they were able to record their own album. The result was a private press album that remained undiscovered for decades, and only finally emerged to the mainstream American public in 2012.

John C Jay, President, Global Creative, Fast Retailing said:

"The new UNIQLO campaign is a great example of how exceptional storytelling dimensionalises  the technology-led benefits of our LifeWear apparel. The Droga5 London team’s creativity lifts the rational reason to an emotional answer."

 

David Kolbusz, Chief Creative Officer at Droga5 London said:

“Uniqlo make some of the best clothes I put on my body. Everything they do is dedicated to improving what they sell. Every iteration of every garment is a step up from the last. What we've tried to do here is take the rational reasons you buy their clothes and articulate them in the abstract.”

 

The ads are voiced by English actress and War and Peace star Tuppence Middleton.

* The campaign will run in the US, Europe, Asia and Australia. The first ads in the series break this week and the campaign will roll out globally throughout February. The ads, which will also run online, will run in 60, 30 and 15 second cut-downs and will be supported by a print campaign.