A preview of "UNIQLO and JW ANDERSON," a collaboration between UNIQLO and JW ANDERSON, was held at UNIQLO Ginza on September 21st. Sales will begin on the 22nd at UNIQLO stores and the UNIQLO online store.

Sales have already begun in JW Anderson's home base of London on the 19th, and at UNIQLO's first Spanish store, Barcelona's Passeig de Gràcia, which opened on the 20th, with queues forming before the stores opened, with some stores having hundreds of people waiting, and the collection is already a hot topic in various places even before the official start of sales on the 22nd. This collaboration, which will be sold in 63 stores nationwide in Japan and in 19 countries worldwide, is embodied in the tagline, "British Tradition and Innovation for Everyone," and combines UNIQLO's basic lifestyle wear with British heritage. The collection, created by one of today's most in-demand designers, JW Anderson, makes it easy to understand the items included. The collection features striped school scarves and trench coats knitted with Heattech, Ultra Light Down jackets inspired by the long-tailed design of old firefighter jackets, and down jackets and shirts featuring tartan, Fair Isle, and Shetland motifs, as well as tweed coats, duffle coats, and hunting jackets—traditional British pieces with a modern twist for easy styling across a wide range of demographics. The collection includes 33 items, including 14 women's styles and 19 men's styles (some knitwear is unisex). The price range for both men's and women's items is 9,900 to 14,900 yen for outerwear, 2,990 yen for blouses and shirts, and 2,990 to 3,990 yen for knitwear.

"It's amazing that we can sell items of this quality and material at this price. It's truly fashion democracy," JW Anderson said, making for an interesting comment.

This collaboration combines UNIQLO's technological capabilities, which it has developed over many years with Japanese material manufacturers such as Toray for high-tech materials and Kaihara for denim, with JW Anderson, which has stirred up art, fashion, and society in innovative ways. However, according to Matsunuma Rei, UNIQLO's Global Marketing Department Director, "it is undecided at this stage whether this collaboration will continue in the future."

Text: Tatsuya Noda