Love Traced Through Shirts, As Told By Relationships Shaped by Time

Four couples reflect on relationships shaped by time, care, and the things chosen every day with UNIQLO

Relationships rarely look the way they do at the beginning. What starts as attraction gradually becomes something quieter and more deliberate, shaped by distance, practical choices, quiet humor, or a decision to build a life together piece by piece. It’s the kind of slow-burn love often portrayed in books and films like One Day or the Before Sunrise trilogy, where love doesn’t peak early, but deepens as time passes.

As love stretches across years, it changes form: less about urgency, more about presence, from intensity to intention. This kind of love takes shape in ordinary moments of shared homes, familiar habits, the steady confidence of choosing one another again, and even the clothes worn through everyday moments. Shirts, in particular, become quiet witnesses to long-term love, present in first meetings and long days, arguments and reconciliation, travel and rest. With wear, they hold memory in creases, folds, and even storage. 

This perspective sits at the heart of UNIQLO’s Valentine’s campaign, Love is Genderless, which reflects on how love endures across different relationships, identities, and lives, and how longevity is shaped in relationships and the everyday pieces worn alongside them.

Bethany Talbot & Hyna on learning ease

Model-athlete Bethany Talbot and artist Hyna’s “meet cute” started on TikTok’s For You Page. No mutual friends, just the algorithm doing its work. What began as casual messages quickly turned into something deeper. “There weren’t even intentions of dating,” Bethany says. “It was more of just, ‘Oh, this seems like an interesting person. Maybe we could be friends.”

After four years of navigating a long-distance relationship, moving in together reshaped how their partnership functioned. “It really solidified our relationship,” Bethany says. “It’s not that we struggled with long-distance; we actually found it easy to navigate. But moving in together was such a milestone for us [because] we could finally move towards future plans, both individually and as a couple.”

Ease, for them, became something earned rather than assumed. Comfort plays a role in how they move through shared days, often gravitating toward breathable cotton T-Shirts that keep pace with daily life, like when Bethany drives for Hyna and when Hyna cooks at home. The artist adds, “There’s this idea that if something feels easy, it must be boring. But ease is actually earned. Relationships that last are built on feeling at home with each other.”

Cenon at Mav on finding familiarity

More than a decade ago, photographer Cenon Norial III met Mav Bernardo as a model for one of his shoots. There were no expectations then, just time spent together, mostly online, watching flims and talking long after they ended. Living in different provinces meant connection was built through shared references and quiet rituals: movie nights, reviews, and recommendations pulled from Cannes list or Tumblr feeds. “The first film that we watched was a Norwegian film called Turn Me On, Dammit,” Mav recalls.

“At the start, everything felt really energetic because there were so many firsts,” Cenon recalls. Over time, that energy settled into something steadier. “For me, we had a very spontaneous, go-with-the-flow type of relationship in the beginning. Now, we’re being more intentional by considering each other’s preferences and feelings,” Mav adds.

Familiarity, for them, grew through repetition, knowing who handles what, trusting each other’s roles, and building a shared structure that supports both their personal and creative lives. “We’re taking care of each other in the ways we know we deserve,” Cenon reflects. Their appreciation for classics, from notable films to creative references, extends to what they wear, even through groceries that Cenon carries for Mav in a timeless Crew-Neck T-Shirt that feels dependable and unchanged by trend.

Baus Rufo and Jammu Francisco on growing softer

Content creator Baus Rufo and business professor Jammu Francisco met on a dating app on Halloween in 2015. “It think [it] is mostly considered as a queer holiday, so we were one of the big winners that day,” Baus recalls, laughing. Within days, they were meeting for lunch, turning it into an everyday ritual that quickly made their connection undeniable.

“Certainly, our expectations and definition of what it means to be in a meaningful relationship has changed,” Baus reflects. “You could say it’s become much less idealistic and much more ‘lived in.’”

Living together during the pandemic accelerated that shift, turning uncertainty into an opportunity to build habits that made their shared space feel like home. Growth, they note, happens in parallel. “One of the most challenging and rewarding things is how to grow individually and as a unit, all at the same time,” Jammu shares. “We feel that we are stronger the more tender we are with one another.”

Their approach to style mirrors this softness, leaning towards relaxed, laid-back pieces like the structured silhouette of the AIRism Cotton oversized T-Shirts they wear for work or Jammu coming home to a home-cooked dinner by Baus. Humor, too, plays its part. “Giggling and laughing about our day right before we go to bed feels like giving the middle finger to this sometimes cruel world,” Baus adds.

Dani Mortel and Josh Colet on choosing consistency

Host-athlete Dani Mortel and actor Josh Colet first crossed paths in college through the Filmmakers’ Guild of UP, reconnecting years later by chance in La Union. What followed were long conversations, shared sunsets, and a growing alignment in how they wanted to live. Marriage, for them, brought a deeper sense of intention, a love expanded beyond feeling into responsibility.

“What feels different now is the solid sense of security not just in the relationship but also in life,” they share. That security became tangible when their families merged. “When I saw how comfortable my family was with Josh and vice versa, I knew that I didn’t have to choose where home was anymore.”

Consistency, for them, is built through shared habits: working out together, spending time outdoors, cooking at home, and recalibrating when life gets busy. “Our relationship has definitely softened in a way that we both hold space for our vulnerabilities, and sharpened in a way that our vulnerabilities have also become our strengths,” they add. Going beyond their early morning pickleball trainings, the SUPIMA Cotton T-Shirts, designed to be durable, also fit into days when Dani bakes (“It feels like a warm hug,” Josh says) or whenever Josh holds the door for her since they got together.

In the way these couples move through daily life, the shirts, worn alongside their days reflect values shaped by time and use. According to UNIQLO, AIRism Cotton is designed to remain breathable, supporting ease of movement throughout long hours. Crew Neck silhouettes are made to hold their shape, offering durability through repeated wear and washing. SUPIMA Cotton becomes softer over time, produced using premium fibers selected for comfort against the skin.

For more information, visit UNIQLO’s official website.

Photographs by KARL KING AGUÑA, styling by NEIL DE GUZMAN, makeup by JANICA CLETO, hair by GAB VILLEGAS, art direction and written by CHRISTINA ZABAT, sittings editor DANYL GENECIRAN, set design by ARJ MADZ of JAGGER STUDIOS, photographer’s assistant ROJAN MAGUYON, JOM ABLAY, ROSSMAN HITOSIS, and ANTONIO BAYLON, makeup artist’s assistant ALFREDO MENDOZA, hair stylist’s assistant REESE CY, produced by BELLA MARISTELA, project implemented by ESAB RAYMUNDO, account manager ANDREA RAMOS, additional interviews by LIAM BITENG, talents: HYNA CALDERON, BETHANY TALBOT, CENON NORIAL IIII, MAV BERNARDO, BAUS RUFO, JAMMU FRANCISCO, DANI MORTEL, and JOSH COLET.