Uniqlo collaborates with British designer Clare Waight Keller in new LifeWear collection
MANILA, Philippines — Ahead of the fifth anniversary on October 13 of its global flagship store in the Philippines, Uniqlo unveiled its Fall/Winter 2023 collection. The Japanese fast-fashion brand collaborated with British designer Clare Waight Keller for a fresh new vision of the LifeWear line called Uniqlo: C.
The collection features “fluid designs, delicate use of color and modern silhouettes,” and is made more compelling because of the presence of Pinay supermodel Charo Ronquillo in the campaign and the lookbook.
LifeWear apparel is derived from the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity. For Uniqlo: C, Keller’s effortless sophistication translated to “a core wardrobe of chic essentials for the modern woman that moves easily from the city to the country and beyond — made for the energy of modern life.”
Keller gushed on Instagram about the debut: “After 18 months it’s so exciting to finally see the collection hit the stores. Huge thank you to the Team at [Uniqlo] and all the incredible support from everyone.” Fellow fashion designers Marc Jacobs and PierPaolo Piccioli, and supermodel Lily Aldridge immediately sent their congratulations.
Keller collaboration
Keller was artistic director at Pringle of Scotland (2005-2011), Chloé (2011-2017) and Givenchy (2017-2020) for the haute couture and ready-to-wear for women and men. She designed the wedding dress of Meghan Markle when she married Prince Harry in 2018.
At the 2018 British Fashion Awards, she was given the British Designer of the Year Womenswear Award. In 2019, she was one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people.
“Uniqlo: C marks an exciting new chapter in the design of Uniqlo womenswear. I believe Clare’s wealth of experience and her designs that fully appreciate the modern woman will usher in a new standard of LifeWear for women,” Yukihiro Katsuta, Fast Retailing Group senior executive officer and head of R&D for Uniqlo, said in a statement. “We hope to continue to work with Clare for a long time to come, creating collections full of energy and sensibility that will delight the wearer.”
In response, Keller said: “I am honored to have been asked to create a new label for Uniqlo. I have long appreciated its LifeWear design philosophy of technical innovation and functional authenticity. I have always admired the Japanese aesthetic of subtlety, simplicity and detailed perfection, so to be able to work with the Uniqlo team to craft a new sensibility for my womenswear collection on such a global scale is a truly exciting opportunity.”
Sense of ease and movement
In an interview posted at the Uniqlo web site, Keller explained the essence of her first collection for the brand:
“The collection is about bringing casual chic to an everyday, essential wardrobe. For me, that captures a modern, effortless sense of style — something I’ve done for years and wanted to bring into this collection, to express what I believe is true to us.
“All the things I think are so essential in a women’s wardrobe, from the key coat shapes, the femininity and the versatility, to the idea of things that go from city to country. There’s a sense of ease and movement, as well as a complete everyday wardrobe that’s timeless and effortless.
“The C stands for multiple layers of things. Sometimes it’s connected to a collection I’m working on. Sometimes it’s just a spirit. It stands for casual and chic, city, clarity, connection, capsule, connectivity, creativity. And also, it stands for me.”
The C could also stand for Charo, the Pinay supermodel who stars in the campaign and the lookbook. She also got to wear some of Keller’s favorite items.
“Definitely the trench coat. And the pleated skirt, because it’s so special and timeless and the colors are really beautiful. It’s got such a lovely fluidity. Really great colors there. The double-faced coat is such a beautiful, luxurious piece for this price point. It’s a really beautiful cut and the colors are fantastic.
“The other essential item is the cap. The little felt cap. It finishes the look, just giving you that great attitude. And then the corduroy pant shape is really good. It’s super flattering and an essential for the autumn/winter wardrobe.”
From couture to ready-to-wear
In creating the collection, Keller was most particular about one thing.
“The fabric, for sure. When you’re working at a different price point, the way the fabric translates is very important to achieve the right silhouette, and so this was a critical part of the work I did at the beginning. Really looking at what were going to be the most special fabrics and ones that would create the most successful and beautiful result for the price.
“And I have to say, I’ve been very impressed. Things like the cottons, and the nylons, are of an exceptional level. They really are. So that was a nice surprise when designing the collection.”
What’s unique about Uniqlo: C
“There have been some interesting challenges along the way in creating the collection, and some of that is because I wanted to incorporate a few interesting techniques I’ve used in my past. The idea of pleating – I’m using very textured fabrics for pleating and fine gathering. These tiny little spaghetti string coulisse, similar to a drawstring that runs through the dresses, which makes everything adjustable and easy.
“You can create different silhouettes using the drawstring in various ways. There’s also a beautiful satin pleated skirt with a graphic band across the bottom. That was logistically quite difficult to manage — the pleating and the graphic element — to get everything to work so perfectly, but we achieved everything in the best way.”
More information about the Uniqlo: C Collection is available at the Special Uniqlo: C website. The complete collection will be available online, in Uniqlo Manila Global Flagship Store, SM Megamall, Uniqlo C3 Annex and Westgate Alabang.
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