Labels to Love: UNIQLO

For those of you familiar with my blog, you probably recognize the UNIQLO label from prior posts.  It’s a brand I turn to primarily for basics and capsule wardrobe pieces as they offer a good quality product at a reasonable price.

I first became familiar with UNIQLO on a 2011 trip to NYC.  They had just opened their 5th Avenue location – at 89,000 square feet, the largest retail space on 5th Avenue!  With over 100 dressing rooms and close to 50 cash registers, it was a site to behold.

Background

UNIQLO started out in Japan and espouses the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity.  Today the company boasts over 1,900 retail stores in 19 locations worldwide.  They offer well made, classic clothes for women, men, children and infants.  Their parent company, Fast Retailing, also holds other notable labels such as J Brand, Theory, Helmut Lang and Comptoir des Cotonniers.  UNIQLO currently lists close to 50 stores in the US, mostly on the coasts but slowly making their way inland.

Collaborations

Along with their reliably well made basics, the company also specializes in collaborations with international designers such as JW Anderson (Irish), Ines de la Fressange (French), Christophe Lemaire (French) and Hana Tajima (British).  If you see something you like in one of these collections, jump on it quickly as they often sell out within a short time!  The IDLF Collection pieces shown below are a few of my current fall favorites and will be available online 10/19 and in stores 10/20.

Shop Uniqlo

As mentioned before, some of my favorites at UNIQLO are their day-to-day basics.  The puffer vests and coats, Pima cotton t-shirts, the merino wool and cashmere sweaters, etc.  In fact, I prefer my UNIQLO grey cashmere cardigan to several more expensive ones I own.  That feeling is substantiated by this Daily Mail test of bargain-rate cashmere.  UNIQLO’s heat-tech pieces are great for layering in colder climates.  The sliders below highlight a few pieces that caught my eye for women, men and even children.

UNIQLO for Women:

For Men:

And for Kids: