Leaving the house in any outfit is a gamble at the moment. A light shirt and jeans may work for the office, but step outside and you’re either freezing in the shade, sweating in the sun, or melting on the tube. Stand on a roof terrace in the early evening and you’ll see jumpers get pulled on and off every time a cloud passes overhead.
UNIQLO’s solution to unpredictable sunshine—and the resulting unpredictable sweating—is AIRism, a line of clothes that has been perpetually evolving since its conception ten years ago. Just as UNIQLO’s thermal line, HEATTECH, uses tech-enhanced fabric to keep you warm in the winter, the AIRism materials were engineered to keep you cool and comfortable as it gets warmer—even on those 40°C summer days.
The core AIRism fabric is a micro-polyester developed by material engineers specifically to cool down sweaty skin. Ultra-thin fibres (so fine they can only be measured in microns) are woven together to create a textile that is as smooth as silk and wicks away sweat, keeping you cool and sweat-patch-free. Another material used is Cupro, developed by chemtech firm Asahi Kasei. It’s made out of repurposed cotton fibres and can rapidly absorb and release moisture—and so helps balance out excess body heat.
The AIRism line epitomizes cool—both in look and feel.
All this means that these clothes are essentially self-cooling. Pull open the waistband of the AIRism UV Protection Soft Leggings, and you can actually feel a wave of coolness emanating from inside them—not as cold as the breeze you feel when you open the fridge, but close enough for it to be almost unnerving.
It’s not just the escalating heat that these togs are combatting, but also the side effects. Where there’s heat, there’s sweat, and where there’s sweat, there’s often a smell. That’s why some AIRism garments—the men’s crew neck T-shirt and women’s camisole bra top, to name just two—are imbued with a biocide that neutralizes that BO tang, so you can get away with heading straight from the gym to the pub.
Another common side effect of rising temperatures is sunburn—and all the bad things that come with it. Regular clothes only stop 80 per cent of UV rays from reaching your skin—AIRism’s UV Protection line cuts them off completely.
By cleverly layering up deodorizing undergarments with smart, simple, and—yes, stylish—tops and trousers, anyone can use AIRism to keep themselves cool and comfortable in yo-yo-ing weather.
Here are WIRED’s thoughts on some key pieces of the current AIRism collection:
455359; AIRism Cotton Crew Neck Oversized T-shirt
This top adds extra cotton to the AIRism fabric mix, taking it up to 53 per cent, so while the interior is smooth and sweat-wicking, the exterior looks like a classic cotton tee. Plus, the colours available are muted enough for everyday wear, while still being interesting. “It’s as comfy as it looks,” says our male tester, and it is far more breathable than a regular tee, thanks to the AIRism fibre technology. If you’re rushing to work on a hotter-than-expected morning, you don’t have to worry about sweat patches (for long).
Price: £19.90 | Buy Now
455903; AIRism Easy Shorts
You can feel the coolness of the fabric as you put these shorts on, but that’s pretty much all you can feel; they’re so lightweight. “If you have sensory overload, you will love these,” says our male tester, especially when paired with the AIRism boxers.“They certainly are‘easy’,” he continues, referring to the shorts’ name; you can just pull them on for a chilled day in the park.
Price: £19.90 | Buy Now
457935; AIRism Polo Shirt
Smart and casual, this polo has a reinforced collar so it will hold its shape while the rest of the shirt keeps that AIRism airy flow. “A good balance of looking smart while also being comfortable,” says our male tester, who noticed a distinct lack of sweat patches while wearing this shirt on a long, hot walk to the pub on what felt like the first real summer’s day of the year. “Even after sitting the sun for a few hours, I didn’t feel like I needed to change my shirt before going out for the evening,” he says.
Price: £24.90 | Buy Now
448823; AIRism Crew Neck Short Sleeve T-shirt
AIRism is marketed as a“second skin’fabric, and this top is the epitome of that. Smooth and sleek, this would be great to wear to the gym or as a slinky undershirt.“It’s lighter weight than the tops I usually wear when I exercise,” says our male tester, after an upper body session.“It’s not baggy, but it also doesn’t restrict your arm movements.” The fabric is infused with a deodorizing agent, so that post-gym glow won’t have an accompanying smell.
Price: £14.90 | Buy Now
455933; AIRism U Cotton Oversized Mock Neck T-shirt
Boxy and oversized, with a casual high neck, this top is more trendy than you’d expect from UNIQLO’s technology-led lines. That’s because it’s part of the UNIQLO U collection, designed by a team at UNIQLO’s Paris Research and Development Centre led by ex-Hermès artistic director Christophe Lemaire. But all this style hasn’t taken away from the substance. The inside of the top is silky, smooth, and genuinely cold to the touch, while the outside looks like structured cotton.
Price: £19.90 | Buy Now
455939; AIRism Biker Shorts with Pockets
Pockets are an on-the-go essential—and these bike shorts have ones of the highest tier: surprise pockets. Looking at these super-soft shorts, the streamlined pockets just look like design details until you put something in them—and they are big enough to fit an iPhone and a hefty, protective case, with room to spare. The colours on offer go beyond the black, white and grey options you’d expect, and they are consistent across the collection, so you can build yourself a shorts-and-crop-top co-ord.
Price: £19.90 | Buy Now
455938; AIRism UV Protection Leggings
Usually, 20 per cent of UV rays can get through your clothes and onto your skin, but not with these leggings (and all the other items in the AIRism UV protection range). The fabric is made with recycled polyester that has been imbued with sun protection properties, yet it still has the velvety vibe of the inside of a slipper, while also being light as a feather. And—most importantly—when you bend over, no one can see what underwear you’ve got on …
Price: £24.90 | Buy Now
457477; AIRism Cotton Ribbed Sleeveless Bra Top
Considering the thinness of the the fabric in this top, it’s quite a feat how subtle the in-built bra is—and that bra is surprisingly supportive, which makes this garment ideal for layering, as it means you won’t have to add any non-AIRism undergarments to your outfit (so there’s no risk of undermining the self-cooling clothing system). It’s got a classic rib on the outside, while being smooth against your skin, helping you keep your cool even when it’s extra muggy.
Price: £19.90 | Buy Now
