OREANDA-NEWS. UNIQLO announces plans to support eight great ideas aimed at giving kids around the world a brighter future. The effort is an exciting new initiative for the "Clothes for Smiles" (CFS) program developed with Novak Djokovic, the world's top-ranked men's professional tennis player and UNIQLO Global Brand Ambassador.

UNIQLO launched the CFS program in October 2012 with a call for ideas from the general public on ways to give children in need a better tomorrow. In response, UNIQLO received a total of 739 inspiring ideas from 46 countries. A panel of five distinguished judges selected the best ideas for CFS. Alongside Novak Djokovic and Tadashi Yanai, Fast Retailing Chairman, President & CEO, the panel comprised of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, renowned violinist and composer Ikuko Kawai, and leading architect Tadao Ando.

Working closely with the idea's originators, UNIQLO will begin bringing them to life from April. UNIQLO will support these projects with USВ 5 million, half of a USВ 10 million fund established from the sale of HEATTECH and Ultra Light Down items during the 2012 fall/winter season. The other USВ 5 million in the fund goes towards support for the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). UNIQLO will share regular updates on the progress of each project online, via its website.

Through initiatives such as "Clothes for Smiles," UNIQLO aims to leverage the power of its clothing to improve lives, worldwide.