Difference between revisions of "Uniqlo"

Revision as of 06:28, 9 June 2013

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 neatly stacked so as to highlight the company's distinct "rainbow" array of colors. Unlike H&M, which aggressively pursues trends and whose stores receive shipments of clothing 3 times a week, 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.

Select items in stores and online are frequently offered at reduced "Sale" or "Promotion" prices in addition to clearance prices offered at retail locations.

Links

• Main Site
• Store Locator
• Uniqlones, a New York Magazine article on Uniqlo's success in the US

User Reviews and Notes

This section encourages a variety of opinions. Please identify your own comment 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." ---anon1234, 6/13

"The linen shirts are very boxy, hungry skeletons beware."

"Oxford shirts are by far the best for the price. Slim chinos and skinny jeans are also good. And remember there are detailed sizing guides for every item on their website, which is great (and something more online stores should do)." ---okokokay