Contrary to popular belief, Uniqlo is not just a large Japanese flagship store installed in Opéra since last November which sells V-neck sweaters and other basics in fun colors.
Imagined in 1984 by Tadashi Yanai and established all over the world (London, Beijing, New York, etc.), this Japanese brand justifies its success with accessible, quality, innovative products available in numerous variations, both in terms of colors so many sizes. This is a combination of assets that are currently not found among its fast retailer competitors, hence the name of the brand Uniqlo, a contraction of Unique Clothing.
In short, Uniqlo first arrived in France in December 2007 with the opening of a 200m² store in La Défense, at Les 4 temps. First concept at the opening, the UT t-shirt line, a line with varied manga prints made in collaboration with numerous artists.
Distributed in the form of capsules, this is what it looked like:
The next step took place in summer 2009: a pop-up store was opened in the marsh from July to September. It sells the brand's major symbolic basics (cashmere sweaters, merino sweaters, jeans) and only serves to promote the opening of the Opéra flagship.
It is supported from August to the end of September by a second pop-up boutique on the second floor of the Colette boutique, which also sells the brand's classics.
The Opéra flagship opens its doors on Thursday October 1, 2009 and there is an immediate surge of thousands of customers looking for clothing in their size as if their survival depended on it.
So much for the necessary reminder.
Let's now focus on the Uniqlo products themselves.
Let's talk about jeans first, since Uniqlo launched the UJ range, classified according to 3 criteria Fit Fabric and Finish (cut, materials and finishes): we ultimately obtain 54 possible combinations in these color tones.
Several possible prices: 29 euros for basic jeans, 39 euros for basic jeans and 49 euros for selvedge jeans in Japanese canvas.
In an interview given a few years ago, one of Uniqlo's denim managers compared jeans to a good wine. At the beginning, we have raw material which we then work to achieve a unique result.
If the starting material is worthless, in wine we will have vinegar and in jeans we will have a cheap wash and a fragile canvas.
This is why these famous jeans at 49 euros are particularly interesting: threads, rivets, canvas and buttons, everything here is Japanese made, and on top of that they are selvedge
Here, the canvas is a Kaihara canvas, from the traditional Japanese Kaihara mills in operation since 1893, a company originally specialized in the cultivation of indigo plants, whose dye was first used for kimonos and then denim workwear. In short, Kaihara is a denim manufacturer renowned for using the most demanding production techniques. Kaihara's boss credo: "Japanese denim is a big industry now. But before Japanese denim, there was Kaihara denim.".
Selvedge jeans can be recognized by this narrow white selvedge, sometimes including a colored line (red for Uniqlo jeans).
It indicates the use of a narrow loom (29 inches) and a slower, more careful manufacturing process.
In practice, the weaving is of better quality and this edge prevents the weft from fraying.
The selvedge itself does not ensure a better quality canvas. However, as its manufacturing is more demanding, better materials will generally be used.
In short, if you buy jeans from the UJ range, remember that the added value is by far on the raw selvedge jeans at 49 euros which you can keep for years rather on the jeans at 29 and 39 euros which for the most part offer cheap colors and washes.
Ordinary entry-level jeans, cheap and lambda canvas
Raw denim, selvedge weave and Japanese canvas.
A classic to keep for years.
Another classic, merino wool and cashmere sweaters, thick and with impeccable finishes. Only downside: Uniqlo cashmere pills.
Favorite, flannel shirts. Some excellent color combinations combined with well-thought-out patterns.
The t-shirts have nothing to envy of AA.
Here, Uniqlo innovates with its Heattech range, for which you have surely already seen the advertisement.
Already distributed since November 2008 at the La Défense store, a free distribution was even organized on the square (as well as in NY, Beijing, etc.), led by men in silver jumpsuits.
It works the same as cashmere clothing: your body releases natural heat that the garment retains.
These t-shirts have as many functions as an astronaut's suit: they are soft thanks to incorporated milk proteins, stretch, anti-static and anti-bacteria.
They will probably also serve as bulletproof vests next season.
To wear it regularly, it's warmer than normal but I wouldn't venture to do like the guy in the ad.
Unless you have read the article diagonally, you will have understood that Uniqlo excels in the basics.
But Uniqlo is also about creation through an advanced strategy of collaborations allowing it to mix luxury and mass consumption in its stores.
The best known of these is the Jil Sanders collab, also called J+, whose launch coincided with the opening of the Opéra flagship.
Unlike an ordinary one-off collaboration, this is a real contract that is signed between Uniqlo and Jil Sanders over several seasons.
As in his classic collections, his work here is sober, minimalist and the work of the cuts is meticulous.
J+ unfortunately overshadowed another Fall-Winter 09-10 collaboration: the one with Kim. Unlike the polished work of Jil Sanders, this collaboration has a wild and authentic side: certain clothes could almost be worn by Siberian Eskimos removed from civilization for 10 years. The cuts are loose and the materials are almost oldschool: we find velvet, thick knits and faux fur. This is a one-off collaboration for the Fall-Winter 09-10 season.
In conclusion, Uniqlo manages to meet very different needs: the brand satisfies mass consumption through its low-cost basics while managing to attract a more demanding clientele more sensitive to the codes of luxury who will be seduced by the work of creation provided in the collaborations, with the added promise of quality and innovation dear to Uniqlo.
In France, the Opéra flagship is packed with people every Saturday and it is sometimes difficult for customers even to do fittings.
