Wear UTme! to Support Refugees, Available from March 24

Global apparel retailer UNIQLO announced the launch of a charity T-shirt collection featuring winning designs from the 2023 Youth with Refugees Art Contest, co-organised with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency. Items will be available at UNIQLO stores with the UTme! service in 12 markets worldwide, including Malaysia, starting Sunday, March 24.

The Youth with Refugees Art Contest, established by UNHCR in 2020, provides a platform for young people around the world (aged 10 – 30) to showcase their talent and creativity while expressing solidarity with refugees through art. In 2023, UNHCR and UNIQLO co-organised the contest, inviting customers globally to support refugees by purchasing a special collection of T-shirts.

The 2023 Youth with Refugees Art Contest centres around the theme “Hope Away from Home”, highlights recognition and inclusion for those who have fled their homes in search of hope and the opportunity to rebuild their lives in places of refuge. The artworks created for the contest, aimed to assist refugees in finding acceptance and taking the next steps in their journey, from meeting new friends and having a place to learn, to reuniting with family and finding work. With over 4,000 entries received from around the world, UNIQLO selected the five winning designs to be featured on T-Shirts.

In addition to a direct donation of US$100,000 (approximately MYR479,750) UNIQLO will contribute US$3 (approximately MYR14.40) to UNHCR for each T-Shirt purchased from the collection. Furthermore, UNIQLO will donate 5,000 T-shirts and 1,000 tote bags from the collection to UNHCR, equivalent to approximately MYR381,100), based on the retail value of these items at UNIQLO in Japan.1 UNHCR will internally sell these items through the online UNHCR Visibility Shop2, with all proceeds supporting UNHCR’s refugee assistance activities.

About the 2023 Youth with Refugees Art Contest

The Youth with Refugees Art Contest centred around the theme “Hope Away from Home”, inviting young amateur and professional artists (aged 10 to 30) as well as young refugee artists, to creatively express their interpretation of hope.

Entries were accepted via UNHCR website from June 15 to September 30, 2023, from individuals aged 10 to 30. The contest was open to globally, welcoming participation from refugees, internally displaced individuals, asylum seekers, and stateless individuals. UNHCR and UNIQLO jointly selected five winning entries based on the artwork’s creativity and message.

“HOPE AWAY FROM HOME” Collection – Contest Winners

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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.