Now you can shop Olympic quality activewear at Uniqlo – as tried and tested by Sweden's top athletes

Within the walls of Uniqlo’s headquarters in the Ariake district of Tokyo, development teams test garments to an unparalleled degree: with a dedicated weather simulation chamber. The chambers can be set to plunge to negative temperatures or to simulate heat and humidity that consumers may encounter daily – accurately mapping heat, perspiration and movement zones on the human body to ensure the highest quality and functionality.

Ever since Uniqlo signed on as the designer of the Swedish Olympic and Paralympic Uniforms five years ago, it’s not only textile developers who have stepped into these chambers, but world-class athletes too. The close relationship between Uniqlo and Sweden began when the brand opened its first store in Stockholm in August 2018. Uniqlo found instant synergy in the Scandinavian consumer landscape. “Swedish people and their culture prize beautiful, simple designs and modern lifestyles,” comments Nikolina Johnston, the COO of Uniqlo in Scandinavia.

So it didn’t take long for discussions to begin with the Swedish Olympic Committee, based on, in Johnston’s words, their “shared common values about culture and design.” “The Swedish Olympic Committee sought a new apparel partner for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics,” Johnston recounts. “Its three selection benchmarks were quality, innovation and sustainability, which are all vital criteria for Uniqlo and our innovative range of simple, high-quality and long-lasting LifeWear,” she says.

Now, with the 2024 Summer Olympics just around the corner, the Swedish Team has once again collaborated with Uniqlo designers on the development process. According to Johnston, the collaborative process was as crucially important as ever. “The athletes have given us invaluable feedback on function, materials, fit and comfort, which have been reflected in the final products,” Johnston says. “This has, for example, led to not adding pockets to our knit jacket to make it lighter, and expanding the size range to better fit various body shapes and adding a two-way zipper to make it easier for people with just one hand to take on and off.” The new improvements also include mesh cut-outs and ventilation holes in areas that may be exposed to intense sweat in the inevitable warmer weather conditions of Paris in July and August.

While your own morning jog might not clock the speed-demon record times of top athletes and your weekend swims at the archipelago might not sport a glorious diving form, Uniqlo has now deemed that all consumers should have access to the same calibre of gear created for the Olympians and Paralympians. A collection directly inspired by the official team designs called the Sweden Olympic Paralympic collection, has been released this week – giving all access to Uniqlo’s ‘High-Performance Simplicity of LifeWear’.

Related: "Our price is affordable but our process is luxury": Why Uniqlo's LifeWear philosophy is the antidote to fast fashion

On choosing to make the designs available to all consumers, Johnston explains that it’s simply in keeping with Uniqlo’s LifeWear philosophy. “LifeWear is clothing designed to make everyone’s life better. It is simple, high-quality, everyday clothing with a practical sense of beauty. Made for all,” she says. “We hope that by offering great activewear at a reasonable price, we contribute to a more active lifestyle, and as a result, greater wellbeing,” Johnston adds.

The gold medalist-worthy features, based on the values of quality, innovation and sustainability, include some of Uniqlo’s top-performing materials. These include quick-drying Dry Ex, Ultra Stretch (that offers stretch both vertically and horizontally) AIRism which quickly wicks away moisture to maintain comfort, and UV protection in the fibres.

The superior technology won’t get in the way of your day though, with attention paid to style to ensure you’ll transition seamlessly from your workout to the streets. Anchored in a sophisticated navy shade, the colour palette – together with the clean silhouettes – gives the collection a feeling of understated elegance. The Sweden Olympic Paralympic collection sees Uniqlo master the balance between comfort and mobility, with some ingenious features that ensure a timeless quality: note the streamlined stand-up collars and composite trouser hems that eliminate visible seams.

In a world-first for Uniqlo,16 items from the official Team Sweden collection incorporate molecular-level recycling, a clothing-to-clothing model where new fabrics are derived from used clothing collected across Uniqlo stores. These fabrics are also utilised in the AIRism Team Sweden T-shirt, now on sale as part of the consumer collection. “We hope that we can expand the use of clothing-to-clothing recycled material in future Olympic and Paralympic collections,” Johnston says.

Inspired by Sweden’s passion for and leadership in sustainability, Uniqlo has also increased momentum in this area with these Olympic and Paralympic designs. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with the development and production of Sweden’s uniforms have been reduced by approximately 50% compared to the process of creating the collection worn for the Tokyo 2020 Games. “Innovations and learnings from the partnership have not only been incorporated into the official collection but also into the Olympic and Paralympic collections sold to consumers and UNIQLO’s core product line up globally,” Johnston confirms.

The Sweden Olympic Paralympic Collection is available now at uniqlo.com, and in Swedish stores: Uniqlo Kungsträdgården, Uniqlo Westfield Mall of Scandinavia and Uniqlo Fredsgatan 12, Gothenburg.