After waiting for almost 30 years for Japan retail giant Uniqlo to open its first store in Cebu, the Cebuano avid shoppers were more than ready to welcome the brand at the North Wing atrium of SM City Cebu.
There were more than 500 guests that attended the pre-opening party held two days before Uniqlo’s official opening.
A ceremonial kagami biraki was held to commemorate the event. This traditional sake barrel-breaking, which literally means “opening of the lid,” is a Japanese tradition that symbolizes opening oneself to harmony and good fortune.
Uniqlo Philippines chief operating officer Katsumi Kubota stressed, “Contrary to what people initially think, Uniqlo is not fast fashion. It makes clothes for life, based on the Japanese values of simplicity, quality and longevity. Our life wear concept is ‘Simple Made Better.’ It is about simple apparel with a not-so-simple purpose to make everyday life better.”
The standing-room-only event was attended by Uniqlo co-COO Masayoshi Nakamura, Uniqlo Philippines general manager Geraldine Sia, marketing manager Taisuya Kobuchi, area managers Kauro Wada and Toshiyuki Oga, and participated in by SM regional operations manager for Visayas Sherry Tuvilla, City Cebu Mall manager Van Aberia, SM VP of operations Jocelyn Veloso, Uniqlo SM Cebu store manager Kat Concepcion.
A fashion presentation highlighted some of Uniqlo’s most stylish, staple outfits as models portrayed tableaus depicting travel, corporate and tropical themes.
Known for its high-quality casual wear, Uniqlo provides clothing with innovation and real value, designed to enhance everyday life. Committed to carrying clothing that focuses on the wearer, product offerings include daily-wear necessities such as premium denim jeans, stylish leggings pants, colorful chino shorts, graphic T-shirts, Supima cotton T-shirts and innerwear. The product lineup features the brand’s unique and proprietary collections such as AIRism, Heattech, and Ultra-Light Down, among others.
While there is a perception that Uniqlo is for young people, the company is instead pushing the notion that the entire family can shop there using the catchphrase “made for all.”