First outlet of Uniqlo to open in Kuala Lumpur

By K.M. LEW

Uniqlo, known for its high quality casual wear, will make its debut in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

INDIVIDUAL style is an important part of everyday dressing. A scarf here, a bangle there – every piece plays a role in putting an outfit together and creating a look that is uniquely you.

With this in mind, Japanese brand Uniqlo (which is a combination of the words “unique” and “clothing”) is all set to diversify Malaysia’s world of fashion with the opening of its 945th store right in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

The brand, known for its wide variety of clothing styles and impeccable quality, will open its doors to the public on Nov 4 at the newly renovated Fahrenheit 88 Shopping Centre (formerly KL Plaza) along Jalan Bukit Bintang.

Uniqlo’s fleece collection is made up of a wide selection of colours, patterns, designs and textures.

The leading Japanese clothing retail brand which opened as a unisex casual wear store in Hiroshima in 1984 under the name “Unique Clothing Warehouse”, has since expanded to China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Britain, France, the United States, Singapore, Taiwan and Russia.

A primary subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co Ltd, Uniqlo was pioneered, and still run by chairman and CEO Tadashi Yanai.

The emphasis on affordability as the concept of Uniqlo is based on the premise that everyone, anywhere, can wear the brand. It doesn’t matter whether you’re 16 or 60, you’re bound to find something you like in the store.

Among the items to look out for will be a wide array of basic casual wear, along with signature items such as high-tech winter wear, Heattech, fleeces, Japanese denim and the +J collection, a collaboration with German designer Jil Sander.

“Clothes play a part in showing personality; the wearer uses them to express themselves,” explained Yanai during a Uniqlo press event in Tokyo recently. “Uniqlo is a fashion brand that will enable everyone to enjoy casual clothes and we encourage our customers to match them with other brands as well.

“Our apparel is geared towards everyone – whether it’s people in their 20s who wear sports wear or career women in their 30s. This is often associated with mass production, low prices and low quality but ‘everyone’ in our definition includes the poor, the rich, those who couldn’t care less about clothing and also, fashionable people,” said Yanai.

Uniqlo is well-known for their wide variety of leggings in different styles and colours.

 

He added that while seasons change, and trends come and go, Uniqlo clothes are designed to be current.

“There are trends that will be gone within a matter of weeks – that’s not something we want to go after. Our clothes are wearable this year and the next as well.” The brand definitely has the diversity element in the bag – no two stores, not even in Tokyo (there are 103) are the same. Shopping in them is a joy; thanks to the simple layout and clear signages displaying the sizes and colours, negating the need for too many retail assistants.

Well-known for its basics, Uniqlo also offers a great variety of casual, office and winter wear, as well as shoes and accessories.

Some of the items you can look forward to at the new KL store include:

Basics – Tank tops, Ts, leggings, shorts and skirts fall under this category. Be sure to check out the various leggings in every colour you can think of, as well as some pretty neat tops and bottoms for the casual dresser.

Uniqlo also has a pretty varied shoe collection.

UTs (Uniqlo T-shirts) – These cute T-shirts are designed with pop culture in mind, by renowned artists, designers, photographers and musicians (including Terry Richardson, Nobuyoshi Araki, Bjorn Copeland of Black Dice). They feature popular characters and themes from anime series like Evangelion, Disney characters like Mickey Mouse as well as musicians and personalities in pop culture. The limited edition Ts come in many colour and size varieties. In the Harajuku store in Tokyo, they are packaged in cute clear plastic canisters resembling tennis ball cans.

UJ collection – Straight, skinny, knit leggings. These are all items under the Uniqlo Jeans label, and they come in your regular blue, dark grey, grey, black, brown, dark green, beige and red. Nearly all of the denim used in making the items are sourced from long-time Uniqlo partner Kaihara, a premium denim producer founded in 1893 and one of the world’s most renowned denim suppliers.

The collection also includes jackets, skirts and more. Look out for “leggings pants”, which look exactly like jeans but fit as comfortably as leggings (otherwise known as jeggings).

Stylishly casual: Uniqlo T-shirts come with attention-grabbing designs.

 +J campaign – Hatched through a collaboration with German designer Jil Sander. The designs are sophisticated, a sort of luxury basics selection for those in the working world. Pencil skirts, blazers, shirts for women and men as well as classy dresses make up this lovely and affordable collection.

Winter wear – We may not have fall or winter in Malaysia, but shoppers yearning for affordable winter wear should not miss out on this collection. It includes the super light wool and premium down ultra light innovations which are essentially winter clothing made through groundbreaking technology. These clothes weigh less than regular winter wear, while still remaining warm.

The collection includes the merino cashmere line, a new material created by blending cashmere with rare high-grade extra-fine merino wool. Also look out for the fleece collection, which offers a wide selection of colours, patterns and designs in a variety of textures.

Another interesting line-up is known as the Heattech collection, using technology that uses moisture generated by the body converted into heat energy to keep you warm. Air pockets between the fibres insulate and prevent heat from escaping, while antibacterial processing reduces unpleasant odours.

Be among the first 500 in line at the store’s opening on Nov 4 at 11am and stand a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Tokyo. The first 1,000 customers will receive a free Uniqlo original tote bag. For details, log on to uniqlo.com/my/