
The United Nations of Uniqlo - allenleein
https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/07/06/the-united-nations-of-uniqlo
======
iamben
Huge fan of Uniqlo, we're very lucky to have so many of them in London.

The clothes tend to be the right side of 'fashionable', ie the cuts are modern
and flattering, the price is very comparable with and often better than the
other UK high street rivals, and most importantly the quality for the most
part far surpasses everything else in the price bracket. It's (generally) far
better than buying from Zara or H&M, which feels very 'fast' in comparison.

The GAP comparison is probably apt, although one thing I really appreciate
about Uniqlo (especially compared to GAP) is the lack of branding and logos.
You can easily build a complete wardrobe (work/pub/play) - especially if
you're buying base pieces. Which is probably the reason they get a lot of love
on /r/malefashionadvice/.

~~~
wastedhours
Before the lockdown and WFH, I'd say about half my work-casual wardrobe ended
up being Uniqlo. Very good quality, good design, and as you say, there's
nothing obnoxious about their branding.

If they had a similar free delivery option as Asos Premium, would probably use
them for pretty much everything.

Though I don't fully understand their ridiculously long trousers.

Edit: as per responses, make use of their alterations service!

~~~
tjr225
> Though I don't fully understand their ridiculously long trousers.

I don’t have any length issues with their pants due to my height but perhaps
they are intended to be hemmed?

~~~
eden_hazard
I heard in Japan when you buy pants at retailers, they will hem it for you
free of charge.

~~~
Hwatwasthat
Uniqlo in the UK do too, probably why the legs are abnormally long! I have had
a few pairs from them and all have had some alteration done in store.

------
Joe8Bit
I did some strategy work for a very large UK fashion retailer who's at the
complete opposite end of the "don't chase fashion" market. Everyone in that
industry is trying to emulate Uniqlo's margins and unit economics.

This article talks about how they produce their fabric, but the thing they
realised super early is how valuable _vertical integration_ can be in fashion
retail. They own the end to end process, from raw material purchase upwards.

They can do this BECAUSE of how limited their selection is, if you're a fast
fashion retailer you always needs new materials and new patterns and new
tooling so it's incredibly hard to chase vertical integration and strong unit
economics. They get savings by pushing that risk and RnD onto dedicated
manufacturers in places like Bangladesh. It's 'just in time' manufacturing in
a pretty extreme sense. Because Uniqlo have so much less cardinality in their
stock they can focus and optimise for it. It also enables them to control
quality in a way few others can.

~~~
ksec
Where I could read up more on it? Or are these sort of insider knowledge? ( If
so, if you dont mind expand on it in a bit more detail )

~~~
Joe8Bit
My knowledge is from consulting for fashion companies, so am not sure where to
point you I'm afraid!

Most fashion retailers work with contract factories. They design a garment (or
line of garments) and then put out a tender to a set of factories in their
approved supplier list. The factories then bid to manufacture those garments.
The decision-making criteria for the fashion companies vary but are usually
some combination of quality on offer, price and 'time to store'/turnaround
time. This tender process can happen dozens or hundreds of times a year for
big, high turnover fast fashion retailers. Some of these retailers do have
their own factories, but most don't.

The reason these retailers need to do this is because they're always trying to
stay 'on trend' and have the latest, most fashionable items at the lowest
cost. They're 'chasing the zeitgeist'.

Uniqlo, on the other hand, doesn't chase fashion in the same way. They have a
stable set of core garments they always sell in predictable (and VERY large)
quantities. This means they can negotiate longer term, much larger scale deals
with manufacturers that work out MUCH cheaper for them. It also means they can
go 'up the value chain' and manufacture the fabrics and patterns and tooling
themselves, reducing cost even further.

~~~
vorpalhex
You should write a longform on this.

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csomar
I have stumbled on Uniqlo while around Tokyo. I was surprised how cheap it is,
minimalist the styles were, and how _very_ good the material/quality is. I
have been mainly purchasing from Celio, Mango, H&M (ie: the European brands).
My experience is that the clothes will last less than a year before becoming
too washed to be wear. Clothes I bought from Uniqlo still look _very_ good now
1.5 year later. Looks like they'll last for a couple more years.

I'm surprised Uniqlo didn't take over the world in fashion. But EU/US buyers
might not be careful enough to care about quality and just focus on how it
looks like today.

~~~
hobofan
> and how very good the material/quality is. I have been mainly purchasing
> from Celio, Mango, H&M (ie: the European brands).

Compared to those cheap brands, sure. I've mainly bought Uniqlo clothes for
the last 4 years, and they've been decaying at about a slightly slower rate
(maybe 0.75x) than similar brands to those you listed, but for each item, I
estimate that it was probably 2-3x as expensive as their cheap counterpart.

In contrast to that, I also still wear some skateboard clothes that run in the
same price range as Uniqlo and are ~10 years old by, which hold up much better
(with most of the damage coming from my cat). I don't have any illusions that
any of my Uniqlo stuff will last that long.

I still like Uniqlo, as they provide one of the most straightforward shopping
experiences for someone who doesn't like shopping, but there is certainly room
for improvement in their quality.

~~~
csomar
> but for each item, I estimate that it was probably 2-3x as expensive as
> their cheap counterpart.

Maybe in the EU Uniqlo is expensive. But in Japan the prices were lower for
what I'd pay for these brands.

For the US, here is t-shirts for Uniqlo vs H&M. Uniqlo is cheaper or at a
similar price

>
> [https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/men/t-shirts](https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/men/t-shirts)

> [https://www2.hm.com/en_us/men/products/t-shirts-tank-
> tops/gr...](https://www2.hm.com/en_us/men/products/t-shirts-tank-
> tops/graphic-printed-t-shirts.html)

Edit: Also if you haven't checked the cheaper brands in the last 4 years, you
might not be aware that their quality deteriorated rapidly especially for
Nike/Adidas.

------
victor106
Love the clothes Hate the work culture.

I have a few friends who work for Uniqlo on the e-commerce team in the US.
They all tell me that the work culture is horrible. It’s very Japanese.

\- Long unproductive hours gets your bosses appreciation.

\- Very sexist and male dominated.

\- They hate working remote even when it was absolutely necessary for the
employee.

\- No respect for maternity related issues.

Any company that would like to see itself become multinational has to adapt to
local cultures

~~~
kinghtown
> Any company that would like to see itself become multinational has to adapt
> to local cultures

Good luck on that. General consensus out here in Asia is that western people
are lazy ( but not everyone feels this way! Some people consider westerners to
be lazy and nice..)

Traditional Asian culture, this is my own Non controversial opinion coming,
values hard work. A bunch of people I know who work in Science park in Taiwan
are actually afraid of being productive because if they were to become more
efficient then suddenly they would be working so much more. No managers reward
productivity out here with a shorter work day.

If the rest of the world were to mandate four day work weeks by law, and
flourish doing such, then the companies out here would rub their hands
together greedily because they will dominate with their work culture and
punishingly long hours.

So much about Japan is best in the world but their work culture is soul
crushing.

~~~
stickfigure
"How's that working out for you?"

'Dominating' doesn't seem like the appropriate word to apply to Japan right
now? From Wikipedia:

 _Japan 's asset price bubble collapse in 1991 led to a period of economic
stagnation known as the "lost decade", sometimes now extended as the "lost 20
years." From 1995 to 2007, GDP fell from $5.33 trillion to $4.36 trillion in
nominal terms. Japan today has the highest ratio of public debt to GDP of any
developed nation, with national debt at 236% relative to GDP as of 2017. This
debt is predominantly owned by Japanese nationals. The Japanese economy faces
considerable challenges posed by an ageing and declining population, which
peaked at 128 million in 2010 and has fallen to 126.5 million as of 2018.
Projections suggest the population will continue to fall to potentially lower
than 100 million by the middle of the 21st century._

Economies are complex. It's not clear that punishingly long hours at work are
an advantage.

~~~
kinghtown
I don’t think long hours are an advantage.

Honestly, it’s a cultural divide which probably won’t go away.

I know someone who works at a German owned branch for a manufacturer in
Taiwan. The previous Taiwanese head guy got let go because for years they
would be very behind schedule for deliveries. Like months behind.

So new big boss is a German. He gave a big talk to introduce himself to the
factory. One of his main points was to reward productivity, KPI shouldn’t be
the only metric, whatever. He recommended a book called The Lazy Project
Manager and emphasized that this is the mindset he wants everyone to be in.

Funny thing is, the Taiwanese engineers kind of zoned out on everything he
said but perked up at the word “lazy” in the book title. To cut to the chase,
the factory thinks the new boss is lazy.

The hard working mentality is very deeply ingrained out here.

------
jointpdf
Random tip: Uniqlo is an usual but excellent source for inexpensive
hiking/backpacking/lightweight travel clothes. In particular: the UL down
jackets/parkas (~9.5oz in size M), HeatTech Extra Warm baselayers, Airism
underwear, wind jacket, and socks/gloves. You see a ton of this stuff out on
any long distance trail (it’s high quality enough to last an entire thru-hike
and beyond).

Once you put on the HeatTech extra warm leggings, you’ll understand why
superheroes wear tights—they’re the bomb.

~~~
screye
Heat-tech and airism are both incredibly legit base layers. Heat tech is my
favorite piece of clothing for New England winters and winter treks. The ultra
light down jackets and weather proof parkas are incredibly convenient too.

They seem to be going through a wierd cut phase, which accentuates men's chest
in an awkward way and looks like dad wear unless you are really slim/athletic,
but I hope it is temporary thing. (or maybe I just need to get in better
shape)

------
neom
Due to the Japan boycott, Uniqlo and Muji here in Korea are ghost towns, I
don't know why they bother putting them in this market. it's pretty uncommon
to see them busy. There is a _huge_ Uniqlo next to my house and I was
literally the only one in it yesterday.

~~~
Andrex
Could you provide more information on this boycott? I'm not sure I've heard of
it before now.

~~~
neom
Sure, this wikipedia article is pretty accurate[1]. It comes down to a series
of pretty complex issues between South Korea and Japan. Although the current
boycott is usually talked about in the news as a result of what SK perceives
to be an unfair trade relationship, the tension amongst the average person I
talk to comes down to the lack of apology by Japan over comfort women, and
more recently the Liancourt Islands[2]. Japan has updated it's High School
history curriculum to state the Islands are owned by Japan and not mentioning
the disputed status, while SK teaches about the dispute. As a result of all of
this, many many Koreans won't shop at Japanese brands[3]. (I am not Korean
however I live in Korea)

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Japan%E2%80%...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019%E2%80%932020_Japan%E2%80%93South_Korea_trade_dispute)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liancourt_Rocks_dispute](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liancourt_Rocks_dispute)

[3][https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_boycott_of_Japanese_produ...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_boycott_of_Japanese_products_in_South_Korea)

~~~
microcolonel
These deficiencies in Japanese education are self-reinforcing; people who are
unaware of these things will not pressure the state to include them in the
curriculum. Of course, I'm sure SK doesn't talk much about their greatest
moral embarrassments.

~~~
neom
Similarly, we don't teach about the Canadian Indian residential school system
in high school, and non-native Canadians have a difficult time empathizing
with the state of reserves. Does any country do a good job of this?

~~~
stallmanite
Germany does a good job of owning their past it seems like.

------
puranjay
Uniqlo launched here in India last year and has quickly become my favorite
brand. I appreciate their no-nonsense marketing. I like that they don't try to
sell me an 'identity', but utility - their product descriptions focus on
product benefits, not some copywriter's exaggerated idea of the self (looking
at you, Nike).

------
throwaway287391
> The American market has proved harder to crack. The 56 Uniqlo stores in
> America fall far short of Yanai’s plan, in 2012, to open 200 there. They
> still operate at a loss.

Huh, that's surprising -- the stores I've been to are always pretty packed.

The whole "invisibility" thing throughout the article rings true for me -- I
like Uniqlo (it's more or less the only place I shop for clothes now) because
the quality is usually good, especially for the price, and most of the designs
are nice and plain. The last thing I want my clothes to do for me is make me
stand out.

~~~
_tik_
East Asian from Singapore here. Maybe it is due to the available Uniqlo
available size and styles. I seldom buy American brand due to the shape. It is
too long for me and lack of "kawaii" ness of the design

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odiroot
Uniqlo is my favourite brand. They have "skinny" sizes unlike most fast
fashion brands.

The clothes are also durable and have good, timeless style.

Their winter undershirts are also great, super thin & breathable but plenty
warm.

------
viiralvx
Anybody interested in reading more about Japanese fashion should read
"Ametora: How Japan Saved American Style". Uniqlo's story is told there as
well,but it paints a picture of the history behind how's Japan's fashion scene
evolved from imitating American style to becoming something unique and
desirable in its own manner.

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totetsu
The problem with wearing uniqlo in japan, is you will always pass someone
wearing the same things as you.

~~~
lorenzfx
This might be a feature for some people, not a bug.

~~~
Hamuko
[https://up.gc-
img.net/post_img_web/2016/06/a45633d657e17ce3f...](https://up.gc-
img.net/post_img_web/2016/06/a45633d657e17ce3fb78c8adb41b6c8d_5707.jpeg)

------
ur-whale
[http://archive.is/kc5Jp](http://archive.is/kc5Jp)

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mwexler
This article and comments would read the same in the 80s about Benetton and
90s about the Gap. By being vague about identity, they got extra runway but
then got greedy and flamed out. Let's hope uniqlo can manage to escape the
patterns of history.

------
627467
Their range of soft touch cotton long sleeve t-shirts have become a stable in
my wardrobe for years now. For the winter they are a must. Every time I
managed to travel to a country with Uniqlo I stock up with another 4 or 5 of
those.

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bruceb
What H&M had, Zara somewhat still has, but Uniqlo doesnt have is the must buy
or might not see it again.

Uniqlo does a good business selling decent quality clothes at a decent price
that are modern classics.

~~~
gberger
> What H&M had, Zara somewhat still has, but Uniqlo doesnt have is the must
> buy or might not see it again.

And this is why I shop at Uniqlo, not at H&M or Zara. I like to ensure that my
favourite basics will always be available for repurchase 2+ years after the
original purchase, so I can replace a worn item.

~~~
arethuza
I wish all clothes would come with a machine readable label that takes you
directly to a page to buy _exact_ replacements or duplicates.

~~~
uoaei
Yeah, seriously, this is a solved problem in inventory management and we have
the technology to spin up some infrastructure for that without too much effort
nowadays, even for multinational brands. QR codes, a database, a REST API, and
a static site generator. Literally that's it. You don't even need to store the
webpages you generate, just generate them on-the-fly and discard them for
rarer items.

I was looking for some specific bike parts and found the exact serial numbers
for exactly what I need and there's no way to determine if anything similar
still exists.

That being said, I wish semantic web blew up like it was supposed to. If we
had ontologies for describing products that could be searched to find an
appropriate item, that would be huge. But the scale was always limited by the
nonzero rate of human error and the high rate at which humans lose interest in
maintaining systems manually.

------
thenanyu
I worked in the apparel industry for many years; From what I remember, Uniqlo
focused obsessively on quality control and unit economics.

They have very few fabrications that are shared across many styles so they can
order an entire mill's supply for a season in some cases. In this industry
segment, materials costs can be ~70% of total production cost so this make an
enormous impact.

They outsource to factories outside of Japan, but they will send in their own
operations team to do production line setup and training. Their tolerances
were very tight and QC process rigorous. If you walk into a factory, you will
see Uniqlo branded posters up everywhere with "10 rules of quality control"
and the like.

My former employer really prized hiring the same factories that Uniqlo used
because we knew the QC was going to be a step above and the unit costs
optimized.

------
boojack
Uniqlo makes up 80%+ of my "wardrobe".

Minimalist design, good fitting, decent materials, at a very affordable price
point.

And I'm also continually impressed by their work on new materials: heat tech,
tight "Chino" pants that are stretchy that I can do parkour in.

------
mellosouls
Loved the very cool Uniqlo screensavers from years ago, made this non-
fashionista remember the brand name.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAMC1NizEU0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAMC1NizEU0)

------
paulcole
Compare to this article from _2010_ :

[https://nymag.com/fashion/features/65898/](https://nymag.com/fashion/features/65898/)

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tzury
[https://outline.com/68BXAZ](https://outline.com/68BXAZ)

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dirtyid
Big fan of Uniqlo, curious how they fail to sell shoes in the last few years.
1-2 models of casual shoes and a summer sandals in monochrome colors every
year. Well made and cheap. Always pushed to discount bin after a few weeks.
Haven't seen anyone wear them outside.

------
samat
I have all my clothes from Uniqlo except for shoes, wallet and a bag for 5
years now. The reason is I don’t have to think hard about it. And I can
restock worn out items pretty reliably (although I wish they did not change
items year by year at all).

------
H1Supreme
I love their long sleeve dress shirts. I have probably every "checked" variety
they offer. They hold up great.

I really love their comfort sport coats. Great alternative to a sweater that
can be dressed down to wear with denim. Mine always get compliments.

