Four garments were selected by UNIQLO to be displayed for two weeks at its flagship store on Madrid’s Gran Vía
News
Integrating Sustainability into Fashion with UNIQLO
Date
11 April 2025
IED Barcelona has collaborated with UNIQLO on UNIQLO Awards, an academic project in which third-year Fashion Design and Fashion Styling and Communication students reflected on the impacts of key processes in the fashion industry from the perspective of integrating sustainability into the Japanese multinational’s products.
In the case of the Fashion students, they took a donation of UNIQLO garments as a starting point and, after critically analysing the product’s life cycle, generated a total of 12 new garments using upcycling techniques. All of them proposed alternative volumes and uses for the original products, always based on social and environmental sustainability criteria where such integration could be materialised.
The Fashion Styling and Communication students submitted a shooting proposal for each of the projects entered into the competition.
Of all these projects, four were selected by UNIQLO to be exhibited for two weeks at its flagship store located on Madrid’s Gran Vía.
Meet the garments selected:
‘Wabi Sabi'
Fashion Design: Jon Navales, Ester Mengs and Marina Samarini
Styling: Martina Algueró
A jacket in neutral colours and a clean design inspired by the Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi, which represents the values of simplicity, neutrality, and beauty in imperfection. These values speak to how imperfection (a discarded or flawed garment) can be transformed into something beautiful.
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‘Shizen Loop’
Fashion Design: Alex Gaset, Marianne Alfonso, Sara Vainer and Ana Varona
Styling (‘Made for you, make for all’ campaign): Ana Varona Aldekoa
A cargo vest inspired by Japanese architect Toyo Ito that focuses on the relationship between the body and its environment, highlighting simplicity, functionality, and accessibility. It uses reclaimed materials and disused textiles to celebrate fashion’s ability to regenerate and become a tool for positive change.
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‘Oasis’
Fashion Design: Andrea Ferré, Beatriz Calicó and Iva Shopova
Styling (‘One shirt, every story’ campaign): Iva Shopova
A timeless unisex shirt, transformable and adaptable to all moments and everyday needs, combining comfort with formality and elegance, inspired by the Mediterranean summer and its fresh breezes.
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‘Respiro U’
Fashion Design: Laura Bautista, Albert Porta and María Xandri
Styling (‘Breathe Wherever You Go’ campaign): Marta Ros Florenza
A jacket that aims to be more than just a jacket. A design that enhances universality, freedom of movement, and subtlety in a bid to silence the noise and stop the frenzy around us, creating a space for contemplation in which to observe the everyday.
Fashion Design and Styling students from IED Barcelona visiting the UNIQLO store in Madrid.
"Wabi Sabi"
“Shizen Loop”
"Oasis"
“Respiro U”
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