Uniqlones -- NY Mag on the rise of Uniqlo

ctrlaltelite · May 18, 2010

Jesse Thorn (aka YoungAmerican) of PutThisOn, put me on to this recent NY Mag article detailing the rise of Uniqlo in the mass retail world: http://nymag.com/fashion/features/65898/

Pretty good read that covers how the retailer is focusing on fabrication as opposed to fashion, to a little about why Jil Sander chose to come out of retirement for them.

dunkin · May 18, 2010

bit late but maybe others havent seen it yet

ctrlaltelite · May 18, 2010

yeah but i figured there was enough material in the article to pull out more than a few worthwhile discussions that didn't involve j. crew.

Desi · May 18, 2010

Read the article before but: i wonder how they fold their shirts. i don't use a board most of the times unless i am having trouble with a fat men's item. Wondering if they air fold like I do with the women's pieces or fold an entirely different way?

TheDroog · May 18, 2010

People were talking about it on the Uniqlo thread last week ...

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...=96221&page=39

ctrlaltelite · May 18, 2010

Originally Posted by TheDroog

People were talking about it on the Uniqlo thread last week ...

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread...=96221&page=39

in passing, amongst a bunch of "why isn't there a uniqlo proxy" and clothing-specific questions.

i just thought with the glut of posts in the "why designer clothes cost so much" thread, it'd be interesting to see what people thought about the other side of the spectrum.

for example there's this quote:

Originally Posted by NY Mag

Despite its low price tags, however, Uniqlo doesn’t fall neatly into the category of deep discounter. Like the mass-fashion brands, it delivers a low-cost product that shares qualities of high-end retail. “Uniqlo is a bit of a different animal,” says Luca Solca, who covers retail for Bernstein Research. “And what’s different about Uniqlo is that they have chosen fabric, rather than fashion, as the area where they want to excel.”

and then:

Originally Posted by Jil Sander

It is my vision to create uniforms for the future: pure, sophisticated clothes that work like a common language for the global community.

i mean, uniqlo and american apparel have a lot of overlap in the types of goods they produce and the experimentation with in-house fabrication, yet despite not having as much domestic presence as the latter uniqlo is making a killing.

yet just a year or two ago the standard sf uniform was aa hoodie, aa tee, apc new standards, and chucks. i even remember user kodiak starting a thread asking about how his aa shirt fit! next thing you saw he bought a pair of nudies, then diors, then cps... within the span of like six months.

Roguls · May 18, 2010

This makes me not want to buy any Uniqlo, ever.

Anybody ever seen Gung Ho?

The parts about the cash out contest and the 6 shirts folded in one minute just made me want vomit.

LabelKing · May 18, 2010

The morale-building rituals described in the article remind me of the stuff they do at Wal-Mart.

van_hammersly · May 18, 2010

The article seems to indicate that clothes are no longer specifically sized larger for the American market. My only experience with Uniqlo was some XS oxfords from a few years ago that fit like an american Small. Is it true the sizing is smaller?

Joffrey · May 18, 2010

Went to the UNiqlo store a few weekends ago. Don't see the hoopla.

MetroStyles · May 18, 2010

Originally Posted by Jodum5

Went to the UNiqlo store a few weekends ago. Don't see the hoopla.

But did you see the swarming blipsters?

Big Pun · May 18, 2010

Never been, but isn't it like a Gap for Asian sized people? As in nondescript clothing? Is it easily identifiable or what?

APK · May 18, 2010

I'd say that's pretty accurate, though the selection is far larger than any comparable brand. In my limited experience (one visit plus two shirts and a pair of jeans), the fabric quality is a bit better than GAP. The prices are better, too.

What the store does is offer a lot of basic items that fit well and will compliment mid-tier or higher end pieces. Personally, I find their shirts to suffice most of my shirting needs. Likewise, it'd be my go-to place if I needed something that looked nice, but I know wouldn't get a ton of use (like a trench).

EDIT: And if we're just talking about the US store, the sizing isn't THAT different than GAP or J. Crew. A bit slimmer, but my medium button-downs could still stand to be taken in a little and I usually waft between a medium and large.

LabelKing · May 19, 2010

I've been to the Beijing store--never again.

ctrlaltelite · May 19, 2010

Originally Posted by LabelKing

The morale-building rituals described in the article remind me of the stuff they do at Wal-Mart.

i was definitely weirded out by the "my name is Uniqlo" bits.

Uniqlones -- NY Mag on the rise of Uniqlo

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