A JAPANESE fashion brand is set to open its first store in the country, with the Philippines joining in the brand’s rapid growing presence in Southeast Asia.

Uniqlo’s first retail location, opening in June, will be at the SM Mall of Asia. The company is still uncertain about the number of branches to be opened here, Naoki Otoma, managing director of Uniqlo Japan and Asia said. “Just one for this year.”

Chief Operating Officer of Fast Retailing Philippines, Inc. (the mother company of the brand) Katsumi Kubota noted that Philippines is one of the fastest growing markets in the region. The upcoming store opening follows the introduction of Uniqlo in Russia, Taiwan, Malaysia and Thailand.

He pointed out that the brand has, in average, opened 50 stores per year in the last 10 years. As of January 2012, the total number of stores stands at 851 in Japan, 241 in Asia, and 234 in other global markets — London, New York and Paris, among others.

The Philippine market is important to Uniqlo, said Mr. Kubota, as the brand aims to be the number one apparel brand in Asia, including the Philippines, which is a key regional focus in the brand’s global expansion, he said.

The brand is setting its sights on being number one in the world by 2020, along with the opening of 4,000 stores. To achieve this, the brand will start to open 200 stores per year starting this year.

Asian countries with potential growth, he noted, are Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, South Korea and the Philippines, among others.

Partnering with the local SM group was a natural move for the Japanese brand. He noted the brand’s philosophy, “made for all,” and SM’s wide market range, with customers from all walks of life. Having the title of “number one retail group in the country” also helped strengthened this decision, he added.

In terms of price points, the Philippine store will follow the global pricing policy. “What exactly you find in other stores, you’ll also find here,” said Mr. Kubota, not revealing the exact price range but emphasizing that the brand will be competitive.

The Mall of Asia store will feature around 1,550 square meters of floor space and will offer clothing for men, women and children. The babies line will not be introduced to Manila yet, but the brand hinted that it will be offered in time.

Some of the brand’s innerwear and product lines are presently being manufactured in the country. Mr. Otoma expressed the brand’s interest in manufacturing within the country, “but for now, we’d just like to focus on the consumer aspect first.”

Warehouse store
First opened in 1984, Uniqlo’s name is a contraction of it’s original name — Unique Clothing Warehouse.

The brand is proud of its “component wear” that enables one to mix and match outfits. Mr. Kubota describes Uniqlo as high-quality, innovative, casual and fashionable.

Some innovations in recent years are the AIRism innerwear which has a heat release function and wicks away perspiration quickly, and Bratop, female apparel with a stitched-in bra lining.

Uniqlo’s cult following can be attributed to its classic and timeless pieces and Japanese-styled products. The brand is also big on collaborations which included the UT (unique T-shirt) project launched in 2007.

Among the artists, designers, photographers and musicians which have collaborated on UT projects are Terry Richardson, Bjorn Copeland of Black Dice and Peter Saville, among others. An Asian collaboration which was proved successful was with South Korean K-pop group, Big Bang.

In celebration of the group’s Japan tour, the brand came up with 10 different designs for the collaboration and according to the brand, every single Big Bang item were sold out within 15 minutes of the store opening in Japan. — Camille Erika R. Sarte