Uniqlo puts focus on London with new campaign and collaborations

By

Cajsa Lykke Carlson

Published
Mar 10, 2016

Uniqlo, the Japanese fashion giant owned by Fast Retailing, is relaunching its London flagship store on Oxford Street this month.

The company is introducing the new campaign "This Way to Utopia", which was conceived and produced by Faster Horses, a creative partnership founded by award-winning creative directors Sam Walker and Joe De Souza, for the relaunch. The campaign was shot by Rankin and is "a celebration of the vibrant London scene," the brand said. It features six cultural ambassadors that Uniqlo chose because they "reflect the creativity, positivity and diversity of London in 2016."

The ambassadors are fashion designer Hana Tajima, rapper Skepta, transgender model, DJ and activist Munroe Bergdorf, DJ and record producer Benji B, filmmaker Sean Frank and photographer and model Cate Underwood.

John C Jay, Fast Retailing President of Global Creative, said, “London is one of the most diverse cities in the world and a true creative and cultural utopia.” He added, “At Uniqlo, we believe ‘utopia’ is more than just a place; it is a means for self-expression, through design, creativity and cultural diversity. We wish to celebrate the special connection we feel with London, which was after all our first overseas market almost fifteen years ago, and believe that our new campaign, called This Way to Utopia, and campaign ambassadors showcase this in the best way possible."

The renovated store will open on Friday March 18, and be the first in the world to sell the new collections from Uniqlo and Liberty London. It will also launch the Uniqlo X Hana Tajima line in the UK, and the last Uniqlo and Lemaire collaboration line.

Uniqlo has also become the official sponsor of the relaunch weekend for the newly expanded and rehung Tate Modern in June, and will sponsor a series of monthly Friday late night events at the gallery starting in autumn this year. Tate will also take part in quarterly events at the Oxford Street store. In addition, Uniqlo has teamed up with east London internet radio station NTS, for monthly events including a summer barbecue on the rooftop of the store.