Tag: LifeWear

  • Third Uniqlo x Marimekko collection launches

    Third Uniqlo x Marimekko collection launches

    Uniqlo has for a third time partnered with Finnish design company Marimekko to launch a new limited-edition collection.

    The new Uniqlo x Marimekko collection offers items for women and babies in six of Marimekko’s patterns, designed by Maija Isola and Annika Rimala. The patterns feature prints with different shapes and vibrant colours, “adding a splash of fun to LifeWear”.

    “Brand collaborations with partners with whom we share values and are able to create something special for customers represent unique opportunities for Marimekko to share our design philosophy with a wide global audience,” said Tiina Alahuhta-Kasko, president and CEO of Marimekko.

    Prior to the Uniqlo x Marimekko 2020 collection, the two companies collaborated twice during previous seasons.

    “Our three seasons of working closely with Marimekko have deepened our understanding and appreciation for the Finnish fashion and design house and its art of printmaking,” said Yuki Katsuta, head of research & development at Uniqlo.

    The Uniqlo x Marimekko limited edition will be on sale from April 10.

  • Uniqlo India set to open first three stores

    Uniqlo India set to open first three stores

    Uniqlo India is counting down to the launch of its first three stores in India.

    The Japanese fast-fashion retailer first announced plans to open in India in late 2017 and it has taken more than 18 months to secure necessary approvals, locations and prepare operations.

    The stores will open in Delhi-NCR, with the first 35,000sqft outlet due to start trading in three months’ time. The move is part of the brand’s global strategy to gain ground on rival brands Zara and H&M.

    “The opening of our first store, Uniqlo Ambience Mall Vasant Kunj, followed by a second and third store a little later represents a significant step in our company’s global strategy,” said Uniqlo founder and Fast Retailing chairman, president and CEO Tadashi Yanai.

    A Uniqlo India spokesperson added: “Given the size and fast growth of the Indian market, the launch will for the first time involve three separate stores to be able to offer LifeWear to as many people as possible”.

    “We have to do the best price point based on our quality,” said the firm’s head of research & development Yuki Katsuta. “I have confidence in our price and also our value. Of course, we know, maybe our price point is slightly more expensive than your local market. People feel that it’s a little bit more expensive to what they’re used to buying. But at the same time, we have confidence that once they buy it we don’t let them down.”

    Uniqlo India has been helped by the government’s relaxation of sourcing restrictions for single-brand retailers, which currently stand at 30 per cent mandatory local sourcing.

  • Concept store Uniqlo Move opens in Tokyo

    Concept store Uniqlo Move opens in Tokyo

    A lifestyle-focussed concept store, Uniqlo Move, has been launched in Tokyo by the Japanese fashion basics retailer.

    It features its LifeWear range of activewear in a space on the eighth floor of Shinjuku Takashimaya department store.

    Sections of the 75 sqm store will be arranged according to movement, ranging from everyday life to exercise. Not only will the store offer products and visuals different to Uniqlo stores, but it will also act as an information hub for tips on making everyday life “more active and comfortable”, says the retailer.

    Dubbed “The Science of Lifewear” in its entirety, the brand’s first global campaign launched last year, being described by creative director John Jay at Uniqlo parent company Fast Retailing as “the ongoing innovation of simplicity”.

    As the range was developed last year, mountaineer Marin Minayama has appointed the brand’s first female ambassador.

  • Uniqlo Spain to launch in Barcelona

    Uniqlo Spain to launch in Barcelona

    Japanese casual apparel retailer Uniqlo Spain will open its first store in Barcelona this northern autumn.

    The move takes it into the home market of archrival Inditex, parent of the Zara brand, among others.

    On the Paseo de Gracia shopping streets, the store will have 1730 sqm of space across four levels and offer a full line-up of apparel under the brand’s LifeWear concept.

    “Barcelona is the perfect location to introduce our LifeWear concept – innovative, high-quality clothing that is universal in design and comfort, and made for everyone,” says parent company Fast Retailing chairman/president/CEO Tadashi Yanai.

    Since opening its first store in Japan in 1984, Uniqlo has built a network of more than 1800 outlets across 18 markets. Spain will be its sixth market in Europe following the UK (first store opened in 2001), France (2007), Russia (2010), Germany (2014) and Belgium (2015). It has 45 stores across the five markets.

  • Uniqlo US to open at Disney resort

    Uniqlo US to open at Disney resort

    Disney Springs, at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, will be the location for the latest store for Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo US.

    Opening next month, the first Uniqlo store in the US southeast will occupy 25,000 sqft (2300 sqm) across two sales floors. It will showcase the brand’s full assortment of LifeWear as well as items incorporating its Japanese heritage plus special Disney-inspired products.

    “We hope to make every day at our store feel like opening day for our customers,” says Uniqlo US CEO Hiroshi Taki.

    There will be Japanese-inspired daily giveaways, as well as in-store events each week and month like Taiko drummers and a Japanese-style game show.

    Uniqlo continues its link with Disney, which started in May last year with its global launch of a line featuring Mickey Mouse as a professional tennis player and golfer. The same month, the store launched Disney’s new Tsum Tsum concept plush toys.

    Uniqlo-Disney-Spring-Florida

    In July, Uniqlo announced “friendship in Disney Pixar movies” as the theme for its annual UT (Uniqlo T-shirt) Grand Prix 2016 design contest.

    The following month Uniqlo launched the “Magic for All” global initiative with Disney Consumer Products, adding Marvel action and Star Wars themes to its LifeWear fashions.

    In September, Uniqlo opened a Magic for All store on the fifth floor of its Shanghai global flagship store, the largest in the world, and in April the Magic for All line was installed on the 12th floor of the Uniqlo Ginza Global Flagship Store in Tokyo. It will be there until the end of next month.

    A brand of Fast Retailing, Uniqlo has 43 stores in the US, including Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle, and its online store.

  • Uniqlo Oxford St remodel complete

    Uniqlo Oxford St remodel complete

    Uniqlo Oxford St, the London flagship of the Japanese fast fashion brand, will reopen on March 18, after an extensive refit.

    One of the brand’s global flagships, Uniqlo Oxford St originally opened back in 2007 at No 311, six years after Uniqlo made its UK debut. In its new guise, the store will showcase the group’s LifeWear concept as well as pay tribute to London’s rich culture.

    “We wish to celebrate the special connection we feel with London,” says Global Creative fast-retailing president John Jay. “We believe that our new campaign, ‘This Way to Utopia’, and campaign ambassadors showcase this in the best way possible.”

    The completely renovated sales floors at Uniqlo Oxford St span five layers, covering 2240 sqm altogether. A highlight is the Uniqlo WearHouse London, a special area on the third and fourth floors where customers can immerse themselves in the LifeWear concept, which aims to enhance individual lifestyles by delivering quality clothing that is functional in design and versatile to wear.

    These special floors will feature core seasonal styles along with items – also for sale – that capture London lifestyles.

    Cultural events will be held at the store throughout the year to celebrate London’s art and music scenes.

    Another new attraction at the store is a roof terrace overlooking central London. There will be public events in this space throughout the year that combine Uniqlo with local culture.

    To mark the reopening of the store, Uniqlo is collaborating with local partners. The Liberty London spring/summer collection makes its global debut on March 18. It is a collaboration line with Liberty, a London store known for its floral prints since being founded more than 140 years ago.

    For the first time in the UK, the Uniqlo X Hana Tajima collection of modest wear will have its UK launch at the flagship store. Hana Tajima, a UK-born fashion designer and blogger, mixes her styles with Uniqlo’s LifeWear concept to create a collaboration line that has already launched in Southeast Asia and the US.

    A new partnership with Tate Modern Museum will include regular events at the store curated by the museum. In addition, Uniqlo will be the official sponsor of the Tate Modern’s relaunch weekend in June, as well as a new attraction at the museum, Uniqlo Fridays, a series of late-night events starting in October.

    The talents of six leading Londoners from the art, fashion and music scenes will be featured in the “This Way to Utopia” reopening campaign.