One thing that I’ve tried in my quest to consume less is to stop walking into clothing stores at random. I used to shop as a past time, especially during a sale. Now, I try not to go into a store unless I have a specific need in mind. But … sometimes I slip. Last week after a much-needed haircut, I was walking down the hill to catch public transit when I passed by Uniqlo. Dear reader, I popped in.
I was immediately drawn to this line of geometric tees, part of Uniqlo’s SPRZ NY line. According to the tags, “the project centers on our 5th Avenue NYC flagship,” whatever that means. In practice, this seems to mean that the Japanese retailer licenses the works of artists to create T-shirt designs. (BTW, that store is HUGE and worth a visit if you’re a Uniqlo fan and find yourself in New York.)
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They’ve featured designs by Eames (yes, the furniture-making Eames), Andy Warhol, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Right now they’re showcasing Barry McGee and this collection here called Supergeometric, which features designs by two artists: French abstract artist Francois Morellet and Finnish artist Niko Luoma.
SPRZ NY Supergeometric Tees – $14.90
I fell in love with this design by Niko Luoma. Cut and fabric wise, the shirts are similar to the ones from the Marimekko x Uniqlo collab (reviewed here). They’re boxy with longer-than-average short sleeves (though the Marimekko sleeves run longer). The fabric is 100% cotton, a medium thick weight, and smooth to the touch. It felt the same as the Marimekko fabric. One big difference is that the Supergeometric shirts run a bit smaller. In the Marimekko T-shirt, I fit an XS. Here, I’m wearing XS on the left and S on the right. You can see that the XS is actually a bit tight on the arms, so I ended up going with the S.
The medium thickness of the cotton makes this T-shirt appropriate for summer or for fall. Here’s how I’d wear it for fall (or just a regular chilly summer day in San Francisco) with skinny jeans and a moto jacket.
Uniqlo SPRZ NY Supergeometric T-shirt // Club Monaco Moto Jacket [similar] // Uniqlo High-Rise Skinny Jeans // Everlane Pocket Tote [review] // Eileen Fisher pumps
Uniqlo SPRZ NY Supergeometric T-shirt // Banana Republic Skirt [similar] // Yellow Heels [similar] // Phillip Lim x Target Bag
I love how versatile this top is — and it’s just a T-shirt! OK, you totally got me Uniqlo.
P.S. I’m trying to be better about my shopping choices, so with each post, I try to include info about ethics and sustainability. Uniqlo was cited for abusive practices in 2016. It has since said it’s putting better processes in place. Cotton takes a lot of water to produce so it’s not the most sustainable fabric, but I figured at least it’s not generating tiny plastic fibers that end up in the ocean as synthetic fibers do.
