UNIQLO and Cate Blanchett plan a literary magazine for women’s voices, with a first issue in autumn 2027
Stories she tells will begin with Connection. The University of Tokyo is a launch partner; submission details are expected around December 2026. The October 29 student book fair has already ended.
UNIQLO is taking its cultural work beyond clothing. On October 29, 2026, the brand and global brand ambassador Cate Blanchett launched stories she tells, a project centered on women’s experiences, perspectives and writing. Its first literary magazine, featuring work gathered through an open call, is planned for autumn 2027. The announcement dates from October 29; this is a project launch, rather than a magazine already on sale or news first announced on October 30.
The inaugural theme is Connection. The University of Tokyo is a launch partner, with faculty from its Center for Co-production of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, IncluDE, advising on themes and editing, alongside planned content collaboration. The concrete task is to gather and edit writing, giving women’s stories a wider readership.
Connection brings essays, research and literature together
The magazine is expected to include essays expressing women’s experiences and viewpoints, alongside related research papers and literary works. That brings several forms of writing to the theme, rather than presenting a single person’s success story. Actual contributors and the contents list remain to be seen; planned categories are not a confirmed table of contents.
Blanchett will chair the selection committee. The initiative aims to bring voices that have had fewer opportunities to be shared to readers across genders and generations. The people writing and the people reading are distinct groups: the magazine is not described as reading material exclusively for women. Partnerships with universities around the world are planned, but that does not establish that submissions are open in every country.
An open call is planned for winter; rules are expected in December
The open call is planned to begin this winter, with eligibility and selection details expected around December 2026. Interested writers can consider the theme and the experiences they may wish to explore, while waiting for the formal submission process. The material reviewed for this article does not provide a word limit, accepted languages, deadline or complete submission route; those gaps should not be treated as settled rules.
UNIQLO’s official English project page says the inaugural edition will open for submissions in Japan, and describes cultural programming, scholarships and the magazine as forms of support within the initiative. This does not promise a scholarship to every applicant, or establish eligibility for a writer in Taiwan. Winter 2026 submissions and the planned autumn 2027 publication are separate stages.
The one-day book fair has ended; its books are not the magazine’s contents
To mark the launch, One-Day Bookshelf took place in front of the University of Tokyo’s General Library on October 29 for university students. It is not an ongoing public event on October 30. Nohohon BOOKS&COFFEE, a bookstore in Hokuto, Yamanashi, at the southern foot of the Yatsugatake mountains, selected books by women writers, artists and photographers from Japan and abroad.
Books arranged on a red tablecloth, with some standing on wooden display holders
The photographs of books on a red tablecloth and a display board document that one-day selection. They do not show a finished copy of stories she tells or the inaugural issue’s reading list. The next practical milestone for prospective contributors is the submission guidance expected in December. Readers hoping to buy the magazine should distinguish its planned 2027 publication from the student display that has already closed.
Questions and answers
Has stories she tells been published yet?
No. The project launched on October 29, 2026. The first issue, themed Connection, is planned for autumn 2027.
When will submission requirements be available?
An open call is planned for winter, with eligibility and selection details expected around December 2026. The official English page says the inaugural call will take place in Japan; writers in Taiwan must check the formal rules.
Can I still visit One-Day Bookshelf?
It was a one-day event for University of Tokyo students on October 29 and has ended. The books displayed do not represent the future magazine’s contents.
