Uniqlo chooses Clare Waight Keller as creative director

Precisely one year ago, in September 2023, Clare Waight Keller - a past in fashion labels from Chloè to Givenchy - launched her personal vision of the Japanese fast fashion brand Uniqlo, UNIQLO : C. An evidently fortunate project given that today came the appointment of the designer as head of Uniqlo's core collection, including menswear, from Autumn/Winter 2024. The aim is to evolve everyday clothing, the core business of the brand, which is part of the Fast Retailing group.

"We are proud to welcome Clare Waight Keller as Creative Director of Uniqlo. In addition to her exceptional originality and vast experience, I was struck by her sense of balance, which never forgets the consumer's perspective," said Tadashi Yanai, chairman of Fast Retailing, president and CEO of Uniqlo. "I believe that with her, we will be able to evolve LifeWear, the ultimate everyday wear, into something even richer, creating garments that will make our customers even happier. Echoing him is

Yukihiro Katsuta, senior executive officer of Fast Retailing and head of R&S at Uniqlo, pointed out that Clare Waight Keller "is one of the few designers in the world who can achieve a perfect balance between creation and merchandising. I believe that the experience, knowledge and skills she has accumulated, based on a keen sense of aesthetics and a great intellect, will greatly expand the world of Uniqlo LifeWear".

The British designer, born in Birmingham in 1970, has a career in luxury behind her, from Pringle of Scotland to Chloè to Givenchy, the house in which she was the first woman to be appointed creative director. She designed, among others, the wedding dress of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex. The designer, who started working with the Japanese company a year ago to create her own line, emphasised the role that research and innovation play at Uniqlo, saying she was fascinated by it: "Having worked with Uniqlo for the past two years, I have been enormously impressed by the degree of innovation and ability to create exceptional products. Working with the team, I have become deeply immersed in the brand and the future they are creating. It is very exciting and an honour for me to be involved in the evolution of LifeWear," commented Waight Keller.

Uniqlo is the flagship brand (as well as the largest in terms of weight) of the Fast Retailing Co. group, which closed the 2023 fiscal year (as of 31 August 2023, ed.) with global sales of approximately 2.7 trillion yen and aims to close 2024 over 3 trillion yen (almost 20 billion euros at current exchange rates). Uniqlo has more than 2,400 shops worldwide, including Japan, Asia, Europe and North America. In Italy, it opened trenegozi in 2024: in Rome, in Via del Corso, on 18 April, and in Roma Termini, and in Milan, in Piazza Gae Aulenti, on 2 May.