Uniqlo

Synopsis

Uniqlo (pronounced "YOU-nee-klo") was originally founded in 1984 as "Unique Clothing Warehouse." The Japanese based manufacturer, designer, and retailer expanded rapidly from 100 stores in Japan in 1994 to over 1000 worldwide in 2013 and has plans for further expansion. Uniqlo is generally regarded as a good budget brand, offering notable value for the price, and as a reliable destination for basics.

In terms of design, Uniqlo emphasizes a kind of uniformity or "ordered abundance," its clothing stacked or hanged neatly in what has often been called a "rainbow" colored pattern. Unlike H&M, which aggressively pursues trends and releases new clothing every X, Uniqlo focuses on stable basics like plain t shirts, oxfords, dress shirts, hoodies, slacks, and jeans, distilling them down into a basic if often mundane form. It's this very uniformity--going so far as to only offer a single inseam on pants--that allows the company to reduce costs and produce garments of reasonably good quality.

Links: Main Site Store Locator

User Reviews and Notes

This section encourages a multiplicity of opinions. Identify your own post with a signature.

"As with most stores, the quality varies here. Uniqlo doesn't do well with more interesting fabrics like chambray, but the cotton tees and hoodies are well made and inexpensive. The fit of the men's tops doesn't work for me, though. I'm 5'10" and wear an xs, but Uniqlo's xs tops are consistently too short for me, hitting just below the belt. If you're a taller person who wears small sizes I'd recommend checking the size guide before buying. Otherwise, though, everything is more of less true to size. Same goes for the pants: get your actual waist size and it should fit well. The slim fit chinos I bought here are probably my favorite purchase from the store. Far and away the best fitting chinos you can get for under $50. They're slim, but not exceedingly so. They're essentially a straight leg for a thin person. The jeans, though, look like ass." ---nikkaaqua, 6/13