On February 25th, UNIQLO released its new Spring/Summer 2013 bottoms collection and held a press conference in Tokyo. This season's main lineup includes three items: men's legging jeans, a revolutionary new bottom design; legging pants with updated designs and colors; and ultra-stretch jeans in new colors. The most noteworthy item is the men's legging jeans. "Since their release in 2010, legging pants have become a staple bottoms thanks to their skinny silhouette, legging-like stretch, and exceptional comfort. While they're often thought of as a women's item, we want to break that stereotype and make them a standard for men as well," said Tetsuya Sarutani, head of R&D. While attention to detail, including five pockets, a zip front, buttons, and rivets, has been paid to the design, the pants are made with a stretchy material with a stretch rate of over 20%, a first for UNIQLO men's bottoms, making them comfortable enough to move easily through every movement of your daily life. The silhouette is regular fit above the knee and tapered below the knee for a clean look. It comes in 17 colors and patterns, including denim, checked, and colored, and is priced at 1,990 yen.

In addition, the women's leggings pants (1,990 yen) have been updated with details such as darts on the back of the hips. In addition to further enhancing the leg-lengthening effect, a highly stretchable knit print material has been added to the satin print pattern that was popular last year, and is available in a wide variety of 42 colors and patterns. In addition, the Ultra Stretch Jeans (3,990 yen), which feature exceptional stretch with a stretch rate of 40% and a recovery rate of 90%, now come in new, vivid colors.

Regarding the design concept, design director Naoki Takizawa, who has also served as creative director for ISSEY MIYAKE, said, "We aimed for 'lifewear,' not casual or sportswear. We're in a body-conscious era, and we've moved away from an era where fashion was self-assertive. We're now in a demand for clothes that put the wearer at the center and enrich each individual's lifestyle. UNIQLO's new bottoms for Spring/Summer 2013 were created by putting ourselves in the shoes of the wearer and recreating their sense of style, and we've put together the materials, colors, and cuts to create these unique clothes. We want to continue creating unique clothing that is comfortable and blends naturally into everyday life."

Also, at the presentation, stylist Kyoko Kame used the new bottoms to propose a variety of outfits, including work fashion for office ladies, active weekend styles that incorporate a trendy feel, and relaxed yet stylish styles for parents.