Uniqlo Appoints Clare Waight Keller as Inventive Director

Uniqlo has named British designer Clare Waight Keller its new artistic director, including additional heft to its longstanding program of tie-ups with luxurious designers.

After stints on the artistic helm of LVMH’s Givenchy and Richemont’s Chloé, Waight Keller launched her first assortment for Uniqlo final 12 months, a sub-label referred to as “Uniqlo: C.”

Along with persevering with “Uniqlo: C” this fall with a group of relaxed twists on British wardrobe staples (assume wool-blend overcoats and Barbour-like quilted barn jackets), Waight Keller can be overseeing Uniqlo’s core assortment for men and women from Autumn/Winter 2024, the corporate revealed.

The transfer sees Uniqlo — finest recognized for accessibly-priced fundamentals like puffer jackets and outsized poly-blend T-shirts — giving additional scope to its partnerships with marquee designers from the luxurious house. Earlier designer tie-ups embrace collaborations with J.W. Anderson, Jil Sander, Marni and Christophe Lemaire (who serves as artistic director of the “Uniqlo U” sub-brand as a part of an ongoing partnership).

The combination of on a regular basis fundamentals and haute design credibility continues to drive gross sales: Uniqlo’s proprietor Quick Retailing has forecast a report income of three.1 trillion Japanese yen (up 11 p.c year-on-year) for its 2024 fiscal 12 months. A tumbling Japanese yen has seen vacationers flock to Japan zealously, driving surging gross sales in its dwelling market, whereas the model can be rising its market share within the US and Europe.

Waight Keller’s easy-to-wear, ultra-feminine tackle Richemont’s Chloé model helped to ascertain her as a bankable design star earlier than she was named artistic director of Givenchy in 2017. Whereas development slowed on the LVMH-owned couture home throughout her tenure, blockbuster VIP partnerships with Rosamund Pike and Ariana Grande, in addition to supplying the marriage robe for Megan Markle’s marriage ceremony to Prince Harry, continued to burnish the model’s luxe picture.

As luxurious demand slows, Uniqlo may proceed to win over new customers for its curated, design-conscious (and budget-conscious) wardrobe provide. Tadashi Yanai, Quick Retailing’s founder and CEO, stated in an announcement: “I’ve been impressed by [Waight Keller’s] wonderful sense of stability, which by no means forgets the angle of the patron.”

Does America Want One other Quick-Vogue Model? Uniqlo Thinks So

The Japanese attire chain can be launching its sister model GU within the US later this 12 months, concentrating on youthful customers with decrease costs and a curated number of stylish wares.