A modest Japanese clothing company recreates community structures to become a global mega-brand.
Last month, Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo opened its second store in Western Australia. At the Carousel Shopping Center, shoppers lined up to get first access to the brand’s versatile catalogue of clothing. Onlookers could be forgiven for confusing the store opening for a Justin Bieber concert.
The brand has found a niche in the crowded marketplace of fast fashion. While its European counterparts outshine each other with loud, bold designs, Uniqlo goes against the trend. Inspired by its Japanese heritage, the company sells simple, functional clothing. Like its Supima Cotton T-Shirts, which customers can’t get enough of.
Uniqlo was founded in 1984 by Japanese businessman Tadashi Yanai, who once said “without a soul, a company is nothing”. He invokes ideas from Buddhism — one of Japan’s official religions — in the company’s motto, “Made for All”. He shares the Buddhist idea that people are at their happiest when they are thinking of others.
In traditional Japanese homes, everyone sleeps in shared bedrooms known as a ‘tatami rooms’. Family members lay on thin-layered mattresses, giving up individual privacy in order to optimize space. They sacrifice their own wants for the greater good of the household.
A Community Brand Experience
Uniqlo lives by its motto to recreate a community-oriented culture in its stores. This is evident the moment you walk into one. Smiling shop assistants greet you, “Welcome to Uniqlo!” You are not treated as a customer, but as someone who belongs to the community. Contrast this with the solitary shopping experiences of other stores, where you aimlessly glide between racks, unattached to any sense of social structure.
The shop assistants are dressed head-to-toe in Uniqlo clothing. By wearing the brand’s merchandise, they not only encourage you to join them, but they also act as live mannequins. Real people in an inclusive range of body shapes, sizes, and ethnicities.
Uniqlo’s clothing is famous for its simplicity. It specializes in plain, classic designs that you can mix and match. T-Shirts, sweaters, pants, and jackets, exist in fashion harmony. Everything was purposefully made to compliment each other.
Even among the male, female, and children’s collections, the designs are similar. Many are unisex, not too masculine or feminine. This means that families or friend groups who wear the brand’s clothing, can look good together.
Some may argue that Uniqlo’s simple styles prevents individual expression. But the Japanese and Buddhist sense of conformity is not about stifling personalities. It is about achieving balance and happiness through social harmony. Collective thinking replaces the anxieties attached to individually minded thinking.
Uniqlo is not the first company to approach its brand this way. When Steve Jobs launched the Apple Store in 2001, he reclaimed the shopping experience for all, announcing “this is our store.” The Apple Store is designed with an open layout that encourages people to mingle. Apple even hosts interactive classes and workshops inside them.
Uniqlo’s success reveals how much we still value our social connections. With the rise of the internet and online streaming services, people are interacting less in person. Uniqlo’s community brand is a breath of fresh air for modern souls.
We don’t buy the plain white T-Shirt just because it is comfortable and looks good. We buy it to feel a sense of connection to others customers.
