Uniqlo Appoints Clare Waight Keller as Creative DirectorUNIQLO
Uniqlo is a Japanese apparel brand founded in 1949 by Tadashi Yanai. Known for its ready-to-wear basics, it operates under Fast Retailing Co., which is also parent to Helmut Lang, Theory, Comptoir des Cotonniers and more.
Partner content by UNIQLO
UNIQLO and Fast Retailing
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese retail holding company with global headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. UNIQLO is the largest of eight brands in the Fast Retailing Group, the others being GU, Theory, PLST, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam, J Brand and Helmut Lang. With global sales of approximately 3.1 trillion yen for the 2024 fiscal year ending August 31, 2024 (US $21.39 billion, calculated in yen using the end of August 2024 rate of $1 = 144.9 yen), Fast Retailing is one of the world’s largest apparel retail companies, and UNIQLO is Japan’s leading specialty retailer. UNIQLO continues to open large-scale stores in some of the world's most important cities and locations, as part of its ongoing efforts to solidify its status as a global brand. Today the company has a total of more than 2,500 UNIQLO stores across the world.
UNIQLO LifeWear
Apparel that comes from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity. Designed to be of the time and for the time, LifeWear is made with such modern elegance that it becomes the building blocks of each individual’s style. The simplest design hiding the most thoughtful and modern details. The best in fit and fabric made to be affordable and accessible to all. LifeWear is clothing that is constantly being innovated, bringing more warmth, more lightness, better design, and better comfort to people’s lives.
Company Snapshot
TYPEPrivate
ESTABLISHED1974
HEADQUARTERSJapan
EMPLOYEES> 10,000
Find out more
Highlights
Uniqlo Appoints Clare Waight Keller as Creative Director
Uniqlo Partners with J.W. Anderson
Uniqlo Owner Takes Stake in Lemaire
Fast Retailing Reports Record $3 Billion in Annual Profit
Latest News & Analysis
Technology
Which High Street Fashion Brands Are Winning the AI Discovery Battle?
Getting recommended by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other AI chatbots is fast emerging as a competitive advantage for fashion brands. As AI reshapes discovery, which brands are being favoured by AI and why?
Which High Street Fashion Brands Are Winning the AI Discovery Battle?
Getting recommended by ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and other AI chatbots is fast emerging as a competitive advantage for fashion brands. As AI reshapes discovery, which brands are being favoured by AI and why?
Workplace & Talent
Announcing Uniqlo and Another Community on BoF Careers
Check out this week’s new partners and openings on BoF Careers, the global marketplace for fashion and beauty talent.
Announcing Uniqlo and Another Community on BoF Careers
Check out this week’s new partners and openings on BoF Careers, the global marketplace for fashion and beauty talent.
Retail
Do Mass Brands Need Creative Directors?
This week, Uniqlo appointed Clare Waight Keller the creative director of its main line, while Stefano Pilati signed on for a collection with Inditex flagship Zara and Zac Posen staged a New York Fashion Week bash with Old Navy. The jury is still out on whether hiring designers from high-fashion will drive retail results.
Do Mass Brands Need Creative Directors?
This week, Uniqlo appointed Clare Waight Keller the creative director of its main line, while Stefano Pilati signed on for a collection with Inditex flagship Zara and Zac Posen staged a New York Fashion Week bash with Old Navy. The jury is still out on whether hiring designers from high-fashion will drive retail results.
Retail
Does America Need Another Fast-Fashion Brand? Uniqlo Thinks So
The Japanese apparel chain will be launching its sister brand GU in the US later this year, targeting younger consumers with lower prices and a curated selection of trendy wares.
Does America Need Another Fast-Fashion Brand? Uniqlo Thinks So
The Japanese apparel chain will be launching its sister brand GU in the US later this year, targeting younger consumers with lower prices and a curated selection of trendy wares.
Retail
Fashion’s Stalled Self-Checkout Revolution
RFID technology has made self-checkout far more efficient than traditional scanning kiosks at retailers like Zara and Uniqlo, but the industry at large hesitates to fully embrace the innovation over concerns of theft and customer engagement.
Fashion’s Stalled Self-Checkout Revolution
RFID technology has made self-checkout far more efficient than traditional scanning kiosks at retailers like Zara and Uniqlo, but the industry at large hesitates to fully embrace the innovation over concerns of theft and customer engagement.
Retail
Uniqlo’s Sister Brand GU Aiming to Take On Markets in US, Europe
While GU, with slightly lower prices than Uniqlo and clothes aimed at younger clientele, has a solid presence in Japan, it’s less known in other major markets. Building its presence abroad is part of Fast Retailing founder Tadashi Yanai’s push to “become a true global player,” by first doubling annual profit to ¥5 trillion within a few years.
Uniqlo’s Sister Brand GU Aiming to Take On Markets in US, Europe
While GU, with slightly lower prices than Uniqlo and clothes aimed at younger clientele, has a solid presence in Japan, it’s less known in other major markets. Building its presence abroad is part of Fast Retailing founder Tadashi Yanai’s push to “become a true global player,” by first doubling annual profit to ¥5 trillion within a few years.
Retail
Case Study | The Art and Science of Retail Store Success
The best stores don’t just serve as billboards or customer touchpoints —they’re a stable and lucrative revenue stream. As younger consumers have embraced in-store shopping despite their digital native instincts, the value of stores is undeniable. Running an effective store requires choosing the right location, understanding its sales potential and making sure it serves its local clientele.
Case Study | The Art and Science of Retail Store Success
The best stores don’t just serve as billboards or customer touchpoints —they’re a stable and lucrative revenue stream. As younger consumers have embraced in-store shopping despite their digital native instincts, the value of stores is undeniable. Running an effective store requires choosing the right location, understanding its sales potential and making sure it serves its local clientele.
Marketing
Inside the Nylon Bag’s Unlikely Rise to ‘It’ Status
In an era of soaring prices for luxury accessories, cheap, utilitarian nylon purses from brands like Lululemon and Uniqlo have become some of fashion’s most sought-after items.
Inside the Nylon Bag’s Unlikely Rise to ‘It’ Status
In an era of soaring prices for luxury accessories, cheap, utilitarian nylon purses from brands like Lululemon and Uniqlo have become some of fashion’s most sought-after items.
Beauty
The Business of Beauty Haul of Fame: The Smell of Success
Scenting ultra-exclusive events is beauty’s next big branding opportunity.
The Business of Beauty Haul of Fame: The Smell of Success
Scenting ultra-exclusive events is beauty’s next big branding opportunity.
News & Analysis
BoF VOICES 2023: Confronting the Creativity Crisis
Designers Jonathan Anderson and Diane von Furstenberg, actor-filmmaker Dan Levy, Uniqlo’s John C Jay and others spoke about the state of creation in an age of artificial intelligence and corporate mediocrity.
BoF VOICES 2023: Confronting the Creativity Crisis
Designers Jonathan Anderson and Diane von Furstenberg, actor-filmmaker Dan Levy, Uniqlo’s John C Jay and others spoke about the state of creation in an age of artificial intelligence and corporate mediocrity.