Though now successful, Yanai is no stranger to failure. The mild-mannered gentleman very ambitiously launched 20 Uniqlo stores in various small towns across the UK in 2001. Sadly, they failed to attract customers and Yanai was forced to close them all. His first venture into the US was similarly unsuccessful, with all three outlets there forced to close its doors. These lessons proved invaluable to his growth and eventual success, inspiring the title of his 2003 autobiography One Win, Nine Losses. Uniqlo entered the UK market again in 2004 with four stores in central London. That number has grown to 10 in the city alone, thanks to a stronger and more effective strategy — since 2005, the brand has concentrated on opening megastores in major cities across the world as part of its international expansion plans. Yanai is keen to highlight that although Uniqlo is a key brand in the global fashion industry, he does not consider it a player in the traditional sense. “Uniqlo is not a fashion brand,” he declares. Rather, its focus is on functionality and product development through innovative manufacturing techniques. Over the past few years, in its quest for global expansion, Uniqlo has focused on perfecting the quality of its clothes instead of chasing trends. For example, its Heattech range offers practical clothing designed to keep the wearer warm. The full range includes T-shirts, leggings and socks. At the other end of the spectrum, the AIRism range provides comfortable clothing that quickly absorbs and evaporates sweat. This allows Uniqlo to cater for consumers in cold climates as well as the tropics. The brand’s philosophy extends to its designer collaborations with fashion personalities such as Jil Sander, Christophe Lemaire, Inès de la Fressange and Carine Roitfeld. Uniqlo adopts a more discreet approach to such partnerships, shying away from the intense fanfare that designer collaborations by other high street brands tend to generate. The selection of design partners reflects the style preferences of its customers. “Collaborations with designers is something we have always put effort in,” says design director Naoki Takizawa. “Right now, we are working with Inès and Carine — they are not designers; Carine is an editor and Inès is a former model. They lead lifestyles that others aspire to, so collaborations with such influential personalities indicate what customers are looking for in contemporary fashion.
At the forefront of this season’s collection is the LifeWear concept, which comprises four lines: essentials, work, sport and home. At the Belle Salle event hall, we had a chance to see how the clothes reflect everyday lifestyles. The lines were presented using theatre sets, with models posing in different settings. The runway show held later featured a combination of dressed-up basics for autumn/winter that had a strong streetwear aesthetic. Uniqlo’s collaborations follow the Life- Wear concept with its functional and uncomplicated approach to sophisticated clothing. Among its biggest design challenges over the years has been to appeal to female customers looking for trendy clothes with a more tailored aesthetic, which inspired collaborations with the likes of de la Fressange and Roitfeld. For menswear, Uniqlo created a stir recently with its appointment of Lemaire as artistic director of a new R&D centre in Paris. The former creative director of Hermès unveiled an affordable line called Uniqlo U, which includes womenswear, at Paris Couture Week in early July. With “elevated” basics and a minimalist aesthetic, the new line is a natural progression for Lemaire, who designed the Uniqlo and Lemaire collections with his partner Sarah-Linh Tran. Takizawa himself was previously creative director at Issey Miyake. On his transition from high fashion to clothing for the masses, he says, “If I had worked for a maison in Europe, I don’t think I would have been able to adjust to Uniqlo’s culture. But Issey Miyake sees clothes as a product. The development process is connected to the design, fabrication, yarn, cutting and production methods.” Uniqlo’s head of research and design as well as group senior vice-president Yukihiro Katsuta also hails from a high-fashion background, having worked as vice-president of men’s sportswear at luxury department store Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. A conversation with Katsuta reveals that designing basic clothing is not as simple as it looks. The brand has invested a significant amount of time and resources into this and aspires to continue improving. His role as head of research and design also gives him the chance to determine and further develop seasonal trends and essentials, such as tunics and skinny jeans. “We do a lot of monitoring tests ourselves,” he explains. “I often wear an item because unless you are confident about it yourself, you will not be able to sell it with confidence. For outerwear, I will wear the outfit for 10 consecutive days. By doing so, I may discover something with the stitching that I did not notice the day before or have an idea to add something.”
Finding the right balance in terms of product mix is key to reaching sales targets, says Taku Morikawa, CEO of Uniqlo Southeast Asia. For example, selling winter clothing in tropical countries can be a challenge, but Asian travellers often get their winter clothes from Uniqlo. “Winter wear accounts for substantial sales in Southeast Asia. We are also developing summer wear that can be worked into our autumn/winter collections in this region.” The opening of Uniqlo’s Global Flagship Store for Southeast Asia at Orchard Central in Singapore on Sept 2 creates the ideal setting for the brand’s largest product line-up anywhere in the region. Spanning 2,700 sq m across three floors, it highlights the LifeWear range and provides a compelling shopping experience to locals and tourists alike. When asked about opening a similar space in Malaysia, Morikawa is enthusiastic. “We aim to open a flagship store there as soon as we can.” Uniqlo’s stock-in-trade remains its promise of stylish, practical and affordable casual wear that serves any customer anywhere in the world. These pillars support its plans for international expansion and are key to its continued growth. “We don’t want to create just fashionable and trendy items,” Morikawa says. “We want to create innovative and comfortable clothing that will suit everyone in everyday life.” Hannah Merican is a writer with Options at The Edge Malaysia. This article appeared in the Options of Issue 746 (Sept 19 ) of The Edge Singapore.
