October 30 th, India, 2026: UNIQLO, the Japanese global apparel retailer, has partnered with the 17000 ft Foundation to provide HEATTECH thermals to students at Government High School, Salampora, in Drass, Ladakh. Through this initiative, UNIQLO is bringing its global The Heart of LifeWear programme to one of India’s coldest regions, helping children stay warm and comfortable through the winter months.
Through its partnership with the 17000 ft Foundation, UNIQLO distributed 4,000 pieces of HEATTECH thermals to students and community members in remote communities across Ladakh, where winter temperatures can fall well below freezing temperatures. Alongside the donation, UNIQLO members explained the technology behind HEATTECH and how the clothing can help keep them warm during the winter months.
Kenji Inoue, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer, UNIQLO India, said, “Through The Heart of LifeWear, we are pleased to bring HEATTECH to local students and extend our support to the wider community through the colder months. This initiative reflects UNIQLO’s commitment to creating a positive impact through our business and contributing meaningfully to the communities we serve.”
The programme was attended by Deputy Commissioner of Drass Imteeaz Kacho (JKAS), LAHDC Councillor Abdul Samad, DIET Kargil Principal Khurshida Bano, alongside representatives of the 17000 ft Foundation and local education officials.
Nidhi Rastogi, Director, Marketing & CSR, UNIQLO India, said, “We chose Drass for The Heart of LifeWear initiative because of the extreme weather conditions the region faces. Through our partnership with 17000ft, we reached out to the students and community in Drass to provide warmth during the winter months, reflecting the power of clothing to make a difference in people’s everyday lives.”
The programme is part of UNIQLO’s global The Heart of LifeWear initiative, which brings clothing to communities facing difficult circumstances around the world. In 2025, UNIQLO donated more than one million HEATTECH items across 28 countries and regions.
About UNIQLO LifeWear
LifeWear is clothing that is made for all, designed to make everyone’s life better. It is simple, high quality, everyday clothing with a practical sense of beauty – ingenious in detail, thought through with life’s needs in mind, timeless in style, and always evolving.
About The Heart of LifeWear
Launched in winter 2024, The Heart of LifeWear is UNIQLO’s global initiative to donate new clothing to people in difficult circumstances, including refugees, children and disaster affected communities. Guided by the question, “What makes life better?”, the initiative aims to improve everyday comfort and support people’s dignity through functional clothing. In 2025, UNIQLO donated more than one million items of HEATTECH thermal clothing worldwide.
About UNIQLO and Fast Retailing
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese retail holding company with global headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. UNIQLO is the largest of eight brands in the Fast Retailing Group, the others being GU, Theory, PLST, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam, J Brand and Helmut Lang. With global sales of approximately 3.9 trillion yen for the 2026 fiscal year ending August 31, 2026 (US $24.7 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2026 rate of $1 = 160.0 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world’s largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan’s leading specialty retailer.
UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world’s most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a global brand. Today the company has a total of approximately 2,500 UNIQLO stores across the world, including Japan, Asia, Europe and North America. The total number of stores across Fast Retailing’s brands is now over 3,500.
With a corporate statement committed to changing clothes, changing conventional wisdom and change the world, Fast Retailing is dedicated to creating great clothing with new and unique value to enrich the lives of people everywhere. For more information about UNIQLO and Fast Retailing, please visit www.uniqlo.com and www.fastretailing.com.
