Testino gets snap happy for Uniqlo

Mario Testino – and a few model friends – are getting behind Uniqlo's new Heat Tech campaign this autumn.

High street favourite Uniqlo is going all high fashion in the run-up to Christmas, thanks to photographer Mario Testino, who has gathered together some of his famous model friends to shoot for the brand's autumn/winter 2009 Heat Tech campaign.

Lily Donaldson, Erin Wasson, Karlie Kloss and Coco Rocha are among the girls - and boys - getting cosy in bright Heat Tech seperates against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains in the resulting images. They'll also be hitting the small screen, too, marking Uniqlo's first ever foray into TV advertising.

While any fashionista worth her salt already counts Uniqlo as a go-to label for well designed basics, the Testino campaign highlights its emergence as a fashion force to be reckoned with. Art director Stephen Gan and stylist Nicola Formichetti were also on the creative team, which was charged with portraying the rainbow-hued Heat Tech line in a "distinctive and impactful" way.

Comprising T-shirts, tights, leggings, vests and socks, Heat Tech can be worn either as inner or outerwear as the winter chill sets in. Each piece uses a rayon mix that absorbs moisture from the body and converts it to heat in a unique process developed by Uniqlo and textile manufacturer Toray Industries.

Although the range only launched in the UK last year it is phenomenally popular in Japan, being worn by one in three of the population. Now that Testino and his supermodel army behind it, chances are it's set to become just as ubiquitous here. Time to get in on the act?

Picture: Lily Donaldson for Heat Tech, autumn/winter 2009.

uniqlo.co.uk