Ready. Get set. ’Qlo!
TOKYO, Japan — Not sure where my face ends and where the glass window begins.
Think one giant organism pressed against the glass facade of the Uniqlo store in Ginza, Tokyo’s upscale shopping district. No, no, the said life form isn’t Ultraman’s nemesis, not something regurgitated from some celluloid anime. It is in fact composed of journalists, shoppers, store staff and security guards waiting for the 10 a.m. opening of a Uniqlo flagship store, the brand’s ninth (two in New York, one each in Osaka, London, Paris, Shanghai, Taipei and Seoul) and its largest. So far.
The countdown starts now. Ten. Nine…
We are here, we are one, and we learned that quietly in the nippy spring night, two lines snaked in the area, Japan’s very own 5th Avenue or Oxford Street. The techie faithful have camped outside the Apple store (sleeping bag, check; thermos, check; Macbook, check), hoping to be the first to finger and fondle the ipad 3; while several blocks away, people from all walks of life have lined up to set foot inside the Japanese dream.
That’s how Fast Retailing Co. president and CEO Tadashi Yanai puts it. “When we opened the store on New York’s Fifth Avenue, I thought that we had realized the American dream. In
‘Simple has a lot of meaning for Uniqlo,’ a Uniqlo executive explains. Simplicity, timelessness — these concepts will be forever loved by Uniqlo which will have its first store in the Philippines at SM Mall of Asia in June.
Japan’s Ginza (district) it’s the same thing. I think it’s a symbol of the Japanese dream,” says the billionaire chairman of Uniqlo and, according to
Forbes, Japan’s richest man. The dream stands 12 stories tall, has a total retail space of 4,950 square meters, and is a virtual rainbow coalition of colors, cuts and styles in affordable prices. In a past interview, Yanai declared that people shouldn’t have to spend a lot of money to get high-quality clothing. And Uniqlo is for all kinds of human beings — the cameraman in front of me with a head as round as Doraemon’s, the ultra-slim Japanese TV presenter with eyes that could make the appointed arrival of sakuras pointless and superfluous, and the fidgety reporter in red forever looking for Wi-fi an electrical outlet. For you. For me. For everybody. Not surprising at all since the brand operates on the “Made For All” philosophy. Made for ... to mangle a Who song ... anyone, anytime and anywhere.
Yanai — who wears Uniqlo from top to bottom whenever he’s not sporting a suit — says they set up shop at the heart of consumer Tokyo to show tourists what Uniqlo is all about. “We need to express what we are. Ginza is the optimum location to do that.”
Inside, the flagship store exudes contemporary cool — glass, clean lines, alluring LED dis-
plays, and subdued colors of the interiors. With its lineup of apparel for women, men, children and babies, as well as my favorite UT line of graphic shirts (100 million of these babies have been sold worldwide), the Uniqlo megastore allows customers to have an idea of the DNA of the brand.
This is not an exaggeration: there is something for everyone. Tops, jeans, windbreakers, parkas, socks, underwear and bra- tops, among others. But the shirts, man, the shirts! With designs that I’ve always looked for but never did get to find elsewhere: David Lynch ( the Eraserhead, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive are tops), Andy Warhol and, at the Concord section, Prestige-era Miles Davis (“Steamin’”), Thelonious Monk and other jazz/ blues greats. ( There is a Jim Jarmusch collection, although I’ve been skimming lucklessly through shirts in my search for a piece.) There are also tops featuring Japanese comic One Piece, Hello Kitty, Peanuts, The Beatles and even — Bill Murray peddled this quaff in Lost in Translation — Suntory.
The 10th floor features the collaboration between Uniqlo and designer Jun Takashi’s Undercover cult-hit, street-inspired label, which blends a punk-inspired aesthetics and sophisticated upscale fashion. (Uniqlo has collaborated in the past with designers such as Jil Sander and Charlotte Ronson.) The UU (Uniqlo Undercover) portfolio boasts edgy yet accessible pieces: for men are motorcycle jackets, hoodies, etc.; for women are blousons, tunics, etc.; for children are raincoats, pants, etc.; and for babies are innerwear, coveralls, etc.
Fast Retailing group senior VP for R& D Yukihiro Katsuta says that the Uniqlo design universe revolves around the concept of introducing excitement into the simple.
“Simple has a lot of meaning for Uniqlo,” he explains. The brand is also about providing clothes that a person can wear in the long term. Thus, the quality of design and materials is very crucial. “(Jil Sander-designed) items three years ago still look fresh today. Just like modern furniture made in the ’50s or ’60s, they still look good today. We would like to make that kind of clothes, too.”
Simplicity, timelessness — these concepts will be forever loved by Katsuta and his team.
In choosing designers to consult with, Katsuta says, “I don’t care if he or she is famous or not. The important thing is we can share the philosophy. It’s not just about money, it’s about future design, future clothes.”
And what does he always tell his team of designers?
“Do not over-design, do not decorate,” Katsuta enthuses. “But it’s important to add newness, to add your message, and to add your passion.”
ARE YOU GONNA ’QLO MY WAY
During an interview with Filipino journalists, Yanai explains that the fashion industry tends to segment brands into categories — dedicated sports brand, fashion for women, or apparel for teens. He doesn’t see it that way.
“We do not conduct that kind of segmentation at all,” he stresses. “This shirt that I am wearing (for example) is only one component of how I will be able to dress up for a certain occasion. So, the component is what we’re offering. That’s the standpoint as to how we look at fashion.”
We are told that the brand established in 1984 (its name a mash-up of “Unique,” “Clothing” and “Warehouse”) is all about component wear, which is high-quality, innovative, as well as casual and fashionable. And the thrust is: to mix and match by yourself, to combine the parts differently to create your own uniquely glowing expression.
The Uniqlo man states, “Our approach is to offer basics — and to incept fashion flavors into those basics. It’s not our intention to create a fashion-fashion brand.” Or be a blind follower to the whimsies of trends. Or be thrilled by frills and adding ruffles for the sake of ruffling. The brains behind Uniqlo want none of that.
That’s the wonder of basics when pared down to the very Zen, that’s the magic of simple yet functional pieces when combined into a one-of-a-kind ensemble. Call it a democracy of casuals. Consider it as finding beauty in hyper-practicality. Call it what you like and ‘Qlo your own way.
Yanai and company would like more people around the world to buy into that mindset. Hence the building of flagship stores in key cities around the world, including… drum roll, please… Manila.
Fast Retailing and SM Retail Inc. are joining forces for this venture. The first Uniqlo store is a 1,550 square-meter looker at SM Mall of Asia.
Yanai is quite excited about opening a Uniqlo store at the MOA in June. “I think the Mall of Asia is one of the finest sites we will open a store in,” he shares.
Katsumi Kubota, Fast Retailing Philippines COO, says the biggest challenge for him is communicating to Filipino consumers a fair understanding of the brand. Kubota — who will be staying in Manila in a month or two to set up the opening in June — agrees that this is the challenge that could be quickly turned into an opportunity.
“We will bring what we have in Japan to Manila,” he says, adding there will be a higher percentage of summer apparel.
Well, Uniqlo and SM share philosophies. For Japan’s leading clothing retail chain, it’s “Made For All.” For its Filipino counterpart, it’s “We’ve Got It All For You.” Hmm…. Methinks something good will spring from the alliance.
Five, four, three…
The doors of the Ginza megastore are now open. The men and women of the Uniqlo flock look at each other. Ready. Get set. ’Qlo.
Uniqlo opens its first store in the Philippines at SM Mall of Asia in June.