2024.07.25
The Ever-Evolving Functional Inner Wear of UNIQLO: What Makes AIRism So Comfortable?
This functional inner wear, designed to regulate the rhythm of "air," delivers a level of comfort that makes one forget they're wearing anything at all.
Since its inception in 2012, AIRism has been updated almost every year, continuing to evolve. We spoke with Emi Suzuki of UNIQLO to explore the secrets behind AIRism's comfort.
PROFILE
Emi Suzuki
Public Relations at UNIQLO
The Two Inner Wears that Became the Foundation of AIRism
Could you share the origins of AIRism?
The birth of AIRism is deeply linked with two types of inner wear: "Sarafine" and "SilkDry."Also referred to as "air-conditioned inner wear," Sarafine is a women's inner wear that maintains a comfortable interior garment environment by quickly absorbing and spreading sweat and moisture. Using delicate Bemberg[1] yarns, it achieved a reduction in friction against the skin and realized a silky smooth wearing experience.
On the other hand, SilkDry was a men's inner wear aimed at achieving "zero discomfort." By micro-sizing the fibers, it reduced skin friction, achieved a softer touch, and when compared to conventional products, it improved breathability by about 1.8 times and drying functions by about 1.2 times.
So, these two inner wears served as the basis for AIRism?
Yes. From 2007 to 2011, Sarafine and SilkDry achieved cumulative sales of over 54 million items, making them representative inner wear for the spring and summer seasons. In 2012, UNIQLO positioned these two items as global strategic products and unified them under the single, universal brand of AIRism.Since then, it has been updated almost every year, adding various features such as improved breathability, lightweight design, and antibacterial and deodorizing functions.
Focus on the Discomfort Caused by the Disruption of the Inner Garment Environment
What kind of features does AIRism have?
When people wear clothes, an "inner garment environment" consisting of temperature, humidity, and airflow is created between the skin and the garment. AIRism's function is to eliminate the discomfort caused by disruptions in this inner garment environment.- Quick absorption and drying of sweat: "Wicking and Drying"
- Special fibers absorb and neutralize odors: "Deodorization"
- Inhibition of bacterial growth: "Antibacterial and Deodorizing"
- Venting water vapor between clothing and skin to alleviate humidity: "Moisture Absorption and Release"
- Smooth wearing experience: "Skin Surface Smoothness"
- Chilly sensation when touched: "Cool Touch"
- Remarkable expandability: "Stretch"
- Special fibers absorb and neutralize odors: "Deodorization"
- Inhibition of bacterial growth: "Antibacterial and Deodorizing"
- Venting water vapor between clothing and skin to alleviate humidity: "Moisture Absorption and Release"
- Smooth wearing experience: "Skin Surface Smoothness"
- Chilly sensation when touched: "Cool Touch"
- Remarkable expandability: "Stretch"
The above seven are the main features of the current AIRism.[2]
What kind of material is used in AIRism?
Different materials are used for men's and women's inner wear. For men's inner wear, a special type of polyester is mainly used.In the past, the typical materials for men's inner wear were 100% cotton or mixed synthetic materials combining cotton and polyester. However, while 100% cotton excels in water absorption, it has the disadvantage of being slow to dry. On the other hand, mixed synthetic materials have quick-drying properties, but they had issues with texture.
Therefore, UNIQLO developed a polyester material in collaboration with Toray Industries. The highlight is the extreme fineness of the fibers, which are only about one-twelfth the thickness of human hair. These super-fine fibers create an unprecedented light and smooth wearing experience, and also achieve rapid sweat absorption and drying capabilities.
So, synthetic fibers like polyester are not originally highly absorbent. How can they absorb a lot of sweat?
This is due to the capillary phenomenon, which allows liquids to rise in narrow tubes or gaps regardless of gravity.This polyester material is woven from threads that bundle nearly 100 polyester filaments together, with microscopic gaps between each thread. Sweat, through the capillary phenomenon, passes through these gaps, diffuses, and evaporates while moving from the skin side of the fabric to the outside. Therefore, despite being synthetic fibers, they can absorb a large amount of sweat.
What kind of materials are used for women's innerwear?
The representative material is "Cupro." Women, who often layer their innerwear, tend to have slightly higher temperatures inside their clothing than men, making them prone to stuffiness and cold sweat. This led to Cupro, which makes it difficult to cause stuffiness and cold sweat thanks to its excellent absorbency and diffusivity (water discharge).In addition, this regenerated fiber, which uses cotton linter as a raw material, has a high water content comparable to silk, and a unique moist and supple texture.
In women's AIRism, this unique Cupro, which takes advantage of these material features and supplements the strength and functions required of innerwear by mixing in nylon, is used.
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