Global apparel retailer Uniqlo has launched the charity t-shirt ‘Hope Away From Home’ collection at Uniqlo DA Square, Bandar Sri Damansara in Kuala Lumpur on March 21, 2024.
The collection features five winning designs from the 2023 Youth with Refugees Art Contest, co-organised with UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
The t-shirts will be available at Uniqlo stores with the UTme! service in 12 markets worldwide, including Malaysia, starting from March 24, 2024.
In Malaysia, it is available at Uniqlo stores located at Damansara Avenue, Fahrenheit88, The Exchange TRX, Sunway Pyramid and Queensbay Mall Penang.
In addition to a direct donation of US$100,000 (approximately RM479,750) Uniqlo will contribute US$3 (approximately RM14.40) 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, worth about RM381,100, based on the retail value of these items at Uniqlo in Japan.
UNHCR will internally sell these items through the online UNHCR Visibility Shop, with all proceeds supporting UNHCR’s refugee assistance activities.
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.
The contest was open to globally, welcoming participation from refugees, internally displaced individuals, asylum seekers and stateless individuals.
With over 4,000 entries received from around the world, UNHCR and Uniqlo jointly selected the five winning designs to be featured on t-shirts.
The winning designs are “A little love from home” by Afya, 14, USA; “Friend code” by Asifiwe, 14, Burundi/USA; “One moon” by Georgette, 14, Tanzania/DRC; “Birds from home” by Mawardi, 20, Somalia/Ethiopia and “Wings of hope” by Virag, 28, Hungary.
