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Now, if you’ve been keeping an eye on Malmö’s website you’ll notice that we’ve mentioned Uniqlo a number of times. Founded by Tadashi Yanai in 1988 and now sitting under the umbrella group Fast Retailing Pty Ltd, Uniqlo is a commercial success story. Uniqlo opened its first retail store in 1984 in Hiroshima and now has over 775 stores in Japan, with signature stores opening in New York, Hong Kong and London in early 2009.
Hiring Jil Sander in early 2009 to be the creative director of the company was a coup of sorts by Yanai–san. Not only did she design a wildly successful capsule collection called +J – which recently launched its S/S10 collection – exhibiting the minimalist but incredibly detailed aesthetic that we’ve come to know from Sander, but she will also oversee the design of their basics range as well. Transcript feels that this is a perfect choice for the company to improve its brand positioning further.
The only mass clothing company to post year-on-year growth in FY09 (compared against H&M & Topshop), Uniqlo has just expanded into Paris with its first signature store opening there in January. As you know by now Transcript commends companies who are innovative and take risks, and Uniqlo has certainly done that with its streamlined and efficient approach to service, its signature store design and quality products at very affordable price points. No wonder Yanai–san is currently the wealthiest man in Japan…
Read more from Transcript’s editor here
