n 1998 a provincial Japanese clothing company known for flogging imported brands like Nike and Adidas opened its first shop in an upmarket district of Tokyo. Surprisingly, it chose a zip-up fleece as its new signature line. Until that point, fleeces had been expensive items usually worn by climbers, hikers and other outdoorsy types who had little interest in fashion. But Uniqlo’s fleece, which by the following year came in 50 colours from lavender to burgundy, was an immediate hit.
An industrial operation called Toray, which is just outside the city of Kyoto, has been at the heart of these hi-tech innovations . Uniqlo’s founder, Yanai Tadashi, approached the head of Toray in the late 1990s to develop the material used in the fleece. Today over 1,000 researchers there work on inventing new fabrics. Yanai initially envisioned Uniqlo as a Japanese version of Gap, selling simple, functional clothes.
Yanai, who had spent time in Britain and America, was impressed by Next, a British retailer that in the 1980s became one of the first stores to sell well-made, stylish clothes at affordable prices. Yanai wondered whether he could do something similar in Japan. He realised that Uniqlo would have to take charge of every stage of the manufacturing process. He instigated the collaboration with Toray and drew on Japan’s rich tradition of textile design .
In 2005 Katsuta jumped ship to Uniqlo at a time when the retailer was better known for selling socks and underwear than anything more fashionable . “Half of my friends in the industry thought I got fired because...Japanese people didn’t recognise it as good taste, or as a fashion company,” he recalled. There was even a derogatory slang term associated with the brand:, meaning “you’ve been caught wearing Uniqlo”. The quality was decent, Katsuta said, but the clothes needed “spice”.
“Everyday” is a buzzword that recurs with frequency when you talk to Uniqlo execs. John Jay, president of global creative at Fast Retailing, said that the company was motivated by “respect [for] everyday people”. It struck me as a strange value for a fashion company to tout, given that people so often express their individuality through their choice of clothes.
Uniqlo’s plainness and restraint appeals to consumers across the globe. These design principles also help the company negotiate the tension between the low cost of its garments and the perception of good quality. Kawamura recalls an old Japanese proverb, “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” She adds: “In a society that traditionally values conformity and harmony, dressing like everyone else is seen as socially desirable.
Most Japanese wear on Chinese folk clothes on the street these days.
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Good question
Basic...? With all these manga artist shirts? It’s a collectible. I won’t call it basic and boring... quiet in depth.
It's really tiring that theeconomist pushes the same stories for months again and again. The Uniqlo clothes after the sexlife spreadsheets...
Comparatively affordable( given how expensive Japan otherwise is ), simple stylish stuff and innovations ( the heattech and summer ranges) as well as utility factor of products... !!! Uniqlo ユニクロ
Fashion is what somebody tells you is cool. the industry is a bunch of sheep pretending they are better than everyone else.
Nice stores, good merchandising, colorful, cheap. It's been done before. It still works.
Not everyone needs to wear a Lambo. Disposable income as a proportion of total income in the west keeps shrinking as taxes and environment costs keep growing. People make choices that fit their circumstances.
Business agreements with famous athletes helping to market well? Federer and Djokovic being some.
nah, it’s so flexible you can wear as-is or mix things up. experiment by wearing a cool pair of sneakers or boots, swap that jacket for a cardigan or shawl and make the whole outfit pop.
People need basics
Because it’s basic and bland?
Can say I’ve worn a suit in almost a decade. 🤔
1843mag this is terrible news
1843mag Just China.
1843mag
1843mag Japan, maybe?
1843mag nice
1843mag because there are so many basic bland and boring people out there
1843mag Bland and boring doesn't deviate from any norms. ANyone can wear it
1843mag ]';/'[;/'[
1843mag What are blue jeans. The Japanese didn't invent this.
1843mag When the Fukushima reactor melted down in Japan, it was ELDERLY Japanese who volunteered to go shut it off - facing certain death. The said that they had lived their lives already. What we have here are cowards. Adults here: show some HONOR - tell them to open up the economy!
1843mag I don't have to with people physically to make a living. My clothes are the cheapest to buy, the cheapest to maintain, and the longest lasting I can find. The exception to that are the more expensive, more attractive, more high-maintenance clothing for impressing people.
1843mag Why is it so successful? Because IT’S NOT CHEAP QUALITY AMERICAN STYLE BASIC CLOTHING.
1843mag Because most people need basic bland and boring
1843mag Because the commentators have no connection to the customers. Like yours. That is why you are stuck in a niche servicing the needs of repressive plutocrats
1843mag Again with this tweet?!? Don't you have any other articles to tweet? This one has been going on for months
1843mag You don't mean to say anything nasty about basic boring folks that pick these clothes, do you?
1843mag Price and quality! So comfy !!!!
1843mag Well priced, good quality...and the thing is, most of us don't want to wander the streets dressed like cartoon characters. We WANT basic, bland and boring!
1843mag Olha ai a marca das meias. Sucesso mundial, só vc n entendeu gabipugag
1843mag Dont have to think when shopping for UniQlo, dont have to think when dressing with UniQlo. Perfect!
1843mag Cnn is FAKE 'news' ... Facebook block publications if it's TRUTH after 2- 3 times ... But not Block the Lies from Cnn every minute ,because they are Millions Different Lies ....... ....... ....... .......
1843mag Cause you can wear basic clothes on literally everything....
1843mag 95% only bad news(
1843mag Someone at must really hate Uniqlo since this article is still running 😴😴😴
1843mag They serve the purpose without the fluff and they last longer and their engineered fabric is awesome.
1843mag You published this piece more than three months ago. Why are you pushing this into your followers’ feed every day?
1843mag predictably rational people
1843mag Ganja, the second largest city of Azerbaijan was attacked by missile weapons of Armenian armed forces. For the time being 12 civilians have been killed, 42 wounded. PrayforGanja StopArmenianAgression StopArmenianTerror
1843mag Trump is the worst President ever of the United States of America. COVID over 220,000 Americans dead. 220,000 so many, so sad and still the deaths are rising?
1843mag Ellegance can often be mistaken for bland and boring, but if you combine it with excellent quality and affordable prices, you've almost always got a success.
1843mag Because you can find great basic trend pieces with great quality at affordable prices.
1843mag It’s cheeeap
1843mag Because so are most people
1843mag Because 'boring' clothes are the best! sustainablefashion
1843mag Def def love them 😍
1843mag Uniqlo
1843mag Wonderful brand for me
1843mag Slave labour?
1843mag Its cheap and decent quality. Works with any style. Plus the gym tops really show off my muscles
1843mag Because fashion is shit
1843mag Dear, wanna know more? Please, follow didnotyouknow7 👍😊
1843mag Because it's basic and bland lol
1843mag Why is this tweet still running. It's been posted multiple times for over a month 😴
1843mag They have great heat or cooling fabrics that are incorporated into well made items
1843mag The vagaries of the fashion industry ... Some things are quite classic and timeless ...
1843mag Uniqlo is a powerful brand in AsiaPacific due to its trendy and vogue colors. Quite popular. They know how to build brand and their competitive positioning. branding FT Japan KL Malaysia Singapore Indonesia Philippines Vietnam Laos ASEAN Cambodia Thailand
1843mag Great article!
1843mag Because that's what people want!!?!?! I mean it's not hard for fashion brands to understand. Most people just want to look presentable and to be comfortable.
1843mag Because unfortunately that’s what ppl want ....as boring as it is Uniqlo
1843mag Because they are really really warm with no nonsense non-stupid designs for winter that most of the other companies try to sell.
1843mag People want to buy them. Plain and simple.
1843mag Because they have good products and good prices.
1843mag “basic, bland and boring”....🤔hmm.
1843mag its affordable and no stupid designer tag!
1843mag Because many find that basics are classic, and can be quite elegant, when they are 'done' right.
1843mag Asked and answered
1843mag Because it’s basic bland and boring in a sea of branded overpriced shit !!
1843mag Slave labor?
1843mag Exactly because of that
1843mag Wow i made $3900 in 9days, from home,!!! Finally found something that is legit and that i can really invest my time into. If interested inbox me and I'll tell you😊😊
1843mag Solid branding and customer experience. Have you been in a Uniqlo store?
1843mag LOL cus you can wear their shirts, eat a couple burgers, and still look like you haven't gained weight!
1843mag white supremacists found out black people don't wear them...
1843mag Because basic is essential. And there are merits in bland and boring.
1843mag because there are a lot of basic, bland, boring people about.
1843mag Basic, yes. Bland and boring? As opposed to what? Branded, flashy clothing with enormous logos? They literally make you a walking, self-paying ad.
1843mag Because basic bland and boring is good and endless consumerist flash and trash advertising masquerding as brand cache is disgusting to a vast majority of the population.
1843mag Because they fit properly, last a LONG time, and are priced more than decently. Its simple.
1843mag Anti-Japanese investment 🤦🏻♀️
1843mag Have you tried their ultra light down jacket .... 🙌🏻! I use it as a layer under my leather jacket.... it keeps you warm, it’s compact, and it’s reasonably priced!! Good combo!
1843mag nyekha_7 basic, bland, boring! 👀😂
1843mag Uniqlo is successfull due to their innovation drive
1843mag They call it 'minimalist design.'
For a while it was popular with men, and they didn't think it was beautiful.
1843mag It's true. Even in the automotive world, anything Japanese is almost always immediately trusted to be better quality which leads to less headaches for any manager down the road, including myself. The data speaks for itself.
1843mag Am reading it while I was wearing one of them. I didn’t even notice in a first place.
1843mag Ah yes, the question of our times!
1843mag Because it fits really well.
1843mag tbf, sometimes 'boring' is just what is needed
1843mag And they're harmful to the environment.
1843mag These repetitive posts should be labeled promotion?
1843mag They are what GAP used to be.
1843mag Not everybody wants to stand out in a crowd ;) it’s all about comfort 💫
1843mag High quality, minimalistic design, comfortable cutting. It's Japanese. You shouldn't expect anything less of spectacular.
1843mag Because it is basic, bland and boring
1843mag Maybe because fashion is just noise nowadays. People want simplicity.
Finfacts 1843mag It is both bland and highly succesful. Without reading the article, they do basic staples really well. Cut thinner fashion than US (Gap) etc., high quality fabric and incredible prices. Plus importantly dont plaster their brand all over clothes. Excellent business.
1843mag Because people don't care what those other people say. And who are those people anyway? You creative writers always like to say things like 'have been called'. But I think you lie a lot.
1843mag awesome shop and its cloths
1843mag Coz most people are basic , bland & boring
1843mag a racist white person figured out they dont have a black athlete endorsing their products....
1843mag People like overpaying for cheaply made clothes to flex on people. Only poor people waste there money on buying status symbols as clothes.
1843mag Excellent article
1843mag because simplicity is classy and timeless? 😹
1843mag i m a Uniqlo’s fan
1843mag Uniqlo understands what the vast majority of people really want from clothing.
1843mag TheEconodissed
1843mag because usually i just want to buy a cheap black t shirt
1843mag People want basic, well made, and comfortable clothes. Uniqlo nails that.
1843mag Fashion ... for people with no style? Trends ... for people with no imagination? Labels ... for people who like boxes? Brands ... for people who don't have their own identity? Money ... for people who don't know what's worth valuing?
1843mag Because some people don’t want to be noticed , it’s all about comfort ;)
1843mag Haven't read the article, but my answer to the question is simple: Good prices, good quality, good fit (for Asians). What more do you need?
1843mag Perhaps people are tired of being walking advertisements 😂😂
1843mag Maybe because they...sell...basics?
1843mag Because most people are basic, bland and boring. And cheap AF...like the clothes.
1843mag T-shirts of such high quality cotton my daughter complimented me on it.
1843mag Because it's Japanese. 1. Minimalistic yet attractive designs. 2. Effective product placement collaborations. 3. Quality.
1843mag Because most people fit comfortably into those categories?
1843mag like Ikea in furniture.
1843mag Quality
1843mag Roger Federer.
1843mag Underpaid laborers?
1843mag Not mine!
1843mag Because it's basic, go to, and you can accessorize.
1843mag Cuz we all need basics in our wardrobe and it’s comfy
1843mag not everyone is a model or fusion stars. ordinary people needs ordinary clothes
1843mag Because simple clothing can be just as effective as extravagant clothing as long as you have the right accessories (jewelry, shoes, purse).
1843mag Because it’s basic, bland and boring. It won’t compete with your personality.
1843mag Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo may be under a parent company called Fast Retailing ,but don't assume that it's a fast fashion brand.
1843mag It is a matter of culture. Simplicity and functionality appeal to the Japanese sense of pragmatism. Good quality too. God I love Japan, if it weren't so expensive....
1843mag Vote red for sure
1843mag Uniqlo is this generations answer to The Gap, which also was very successful with basic bland, etc...
1843mag Because we are all basic, bland and boring deep down. And their cotton is good quality and comfortable and their clothes fit well.
1843mag Uniqlo is boring for the fashionistas. But for ordinary folk, it is good quality & affordable day-to-day wear- reasonably good appearance. Tell me, a neighborhoold tailor slaps a label on a weird shirt and calls it designer, should we be paying through our nose for that?
1843mag Precisely because Uniqlo is basic, boring and bland.
1843mag As much as Japan's ability to successfully sell Nazi clothes. Funny how magazines like the Economist never complain about those Nazi clothes.
1843mag Because they never pay their factory workers
1843mag I'd add a time-proven adage: form follows function. It over time becomes elegance. Take jeans. They evolved from being a working class utility to it all, at the same time, in style. Also, Virginia Postrel. Her work is very much in the intersection of style and the liberal take.
1843mag I love their winter tights, well priced, well made, lasts after many washes. What not to like.
1843mag They're quality yet not overpriced functional clothing items in my experience, what more do you need? And my lime green packable rain jacket is neither bland nor boring.
1843mag Because many of us like simple classics? Aka 'basic, bland, and boring'?
1843mag It uses Xinjiang cotton?
1843mag Because they are basic, bland and boring, no logos, no frills just simply fitting clothes.
1843mag Are you confused? muji
1843mag bicycles buy.
1843mag lipstick on a pig - what others offer. not what uniqlo offers
1843mag lipstick on a pig
1843mag Because I’m basic, bland and boring too. And they do good socks.
1843mag Because their clothes are comfortable, use natural fibres, and are reasonably priced. Also, when you have two sons who are tall but slim and can’t find jeans to fit them anywhere else.
1843mag Welcome to Uniqlo 🎶
1843mag Good quality, simple and safe fashion wise, and durable too. What more could u ask for? UniqloUSA
ruujimin0311 1843mag 悪くは無いと思うが、自分的には今はムジンかな🤔実際に着てみて質が高い様に思えたからね❗＼(_ _)。
1843mag fits to our taste
1843mag UNIQLO_UK clothes are comfortable stylish and they actually fit 🙌 loving the white shirts and trousers
1843mag They are comfortable...
1843mag It’s simple, cheap, good quality, fashionable.
1843mag For someone who is shorter than the average guy, the clothes actually fit perfectly. Better range of sizes and the quality is like no other brand. That and the prices are decent. Honest opinion 💁🏻♂️
1843mag Practical!
1843mag Because we're going to be vassina lie down load on white background stock photography down if not sutisified about their normal routine Piper water without with drowning in Shaa Allah
1843mag At the time of drinking, my friend wore the same UNIQLO clothes as me.
1843mag quality*
1843mag Because they fit and last a long time. How exciting does a pair of socks or a gray t-shirt need to be?
1843mag Why are you repeatedly advertising that brand?
1843mag Never liked Uniqlo. Never bought it. Never will.
1843mag Cause unfortunately that’s the way fashion is going ‘basic bland and boring’..... so sad
1843mag I can style uniqlo more fashionable than some flexin yeezy or heron preston
1843mag
1843mag They’re anything but those things. They’ve done what so many companies before them have failed to do- have a strong, successful brick & mortar presence. And now they’re signing athletes. They’re a young, fun, & clever company.
1843mag Practicality? They do good clothing for hot climates.
1843mag Basic, bland, and boring? I’ll take that any day over what passes for general day-wear these days i.e. loud, obnoxious, and pretentious...
1843mag Theres always going to be a huge market for basic clothing as a lot of people not interested in fashion and opt for comfort prefer this, also great for casual dress work environments, especially at the high quality and price Uni qlo offers
1843mag because it's basic, bland and boring like so very many of us humans...
1843mag Its affordable and they make great pieces to add on with your more expensive items.
1843mag Because concentration of the wealth to the 1% created a vast customer base for Uniqlo's affordable products, who cannot afford to shop Louis Vitton
1843mag People are basic, bland an boring. And that's OK.
1843mag Sounds like a paid ad in the guise of an article.
1843mag Because people like the quality at the price point? It is comfortable and affordable...
1843mag Affordable !!!
1843mag Try walking into a Uniqlo store and you might just see why. Even better... go to Japan where most people are modest and try to see fashion through their lens. While you're there, ask yourself the same question again without comparison or concern about the world's opinions on it.
1843mag Because they are affordable too! And a lot of it isn’t really boring.
1843mag Because people don't have money to waste with fads anymore
1843mag It's a great, successful history Uniqlo.
1843mag
1843mag Who doesn't love uniqlo :)
1843mag I have no idea. Other than puffer jackets, I never see anything in there I would buy.
1843mag Because of 3 reasons you have already listed . Are your so so stupid ?
1843mag Exactly because it’s basic, bland and boring!!! My entire wardrobe is Uniqlo
1843mag Simple is the best+design+material quality 👍
1843mag And isn’t made in Japan... for your information.
1843mag It’s all about the cut
1843mag Because you will look ridiculous if you try to wear a flashy, trendy outfit every day.
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