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Uniqlo

I don't get the craze over Uniqlo. It took me about 5 minutes to go through their Eaton Centre store. I saw nothing remotely interesting - bland designs and colours throughout. Vanilla clothes for a vanilla society.

I don't get the hype either. To sum Uniqlo up in one word - boring. It's like a Japaneses version of the Gap.
 
I looked for a winter coat but the selection was laughable. I ended up buying something at Zara - their clothes are more interesting and often made in Europe. As for H&M, I looked carefully at their men's department and I deemed it trash.
 
Zara is garbage. Designs might be interesting, but quality stinks. Everything feels cheap to the touch, mostly polyesters and rayons.
 
Zara is garbage. Designs might be interesting, but quality stinks. Everything feels cheap to the touch, mostly polyesters and rayons.

Well, it's a matter of taste and it's not high-end, but everything I've bought from them was well made, unlike several Hugo Boss items which were much more expensive and literally unravelled.
 
More like a Japanese version of Old Navy. But there's always a strong market for basic, low-cost clothing.

It is a large demographic. But they have to appeal to their demographic the same as the high end retailers because there's plenty of competition. It's all about marketing and perception.

The Japanese tend to be late to trends (hence puffer jackets) but excel at curating their stores to give an illusion of a certain lifestyle.

Muji for instance, is really just a superbly curated Dollarama.
 
It is a large demographic. But they have to appeal to their demographic the same as the high end retailers because there's plenty of competition. It's all about marketing and perception.

The Japanese tend to be late to trends (hence puffer jackets) but excel at curating their stores to give an illusion of a certain lifestyle.

Muji for instance, is really just a superbly curated Dollarama.

First time I've heard an assertion that the Japanese are late to trends. Visit Tokyo and your mind will change. As for the puffer jackets, it was a trend here but for Uniqlo, it's a winter staple.
 
First time I've heard an assertion that the Japanese are late to trends. Visit Tokyo and your mind will change. As for the puffer jackets, it was a trend here but for Uniqlo, it's a winter staple.

Japan has unique domestic trends (which stay in Japan), but are late when adopting/mimicking north american trends. Having Japanese retailers means trends will simply hang around longer for those influenced by the novelty of Japanese retail style. Guess it's puffer jacket overkill for another couple of years.

Trends are taking waaay too long to make their way through the food chain these days. Especially really stupid ones. Look at the man bun. I guess we have to wait until the 12 year olds and your goofy, middle aged, overweight uncle Ted the civil servant has a go at it before we can finally see the end of that incredibly moronic trend.
 
Trends are taking waaay too long to make their way through the food chain these days. Especially really stupid ones. Look at the man bun. I guess we have to wait until the 12 year olds and your goofy, middle aged, overweight uncle Ted the civil servant has a go at it before we can finally see the end of that incredibly moronic trend.

As someone who occasionally sports a man bun, I'm curious as to why you think it's incredibly moronic.
 
Japan has unique domestic trends (which stay in Japan), but are late when adopting/mimicking north american trends. Having Japanese retailers means trends will simply hang around longer for those influenced by the novelty of Japanese retail style. Guess it's puffer jacket overkill for another couple of years.

Trends are taking waaay too long to make their way through the food chain these days. Especially really stupid ones. Look at the man bun. I guess we have to wait until the 12 year olds and your goofy, middle aged, overweight uncle Ted the civil servant has a go at it before we can finally see the end of that incredibly moronic trend.

Okay, the man bun I'm pretty sure is something that trended in Japan first. And don't expect Uniqlo or Muji to start any trends in fashion here. They sell the basics and at most, have a designer collaboration to spice up some staple pieces. Nobody's going to Uniqlo and buying those puffer style down jackets thinking they're going to be the coolest person on Queen St. They're only buying it because it's priced well, looks decent, is lightweight and keeps them warm.
 
Okay, the man bun I'm pretty sure is something that trended in Japan first. And don't expect Uniqlo or Muji to start any trends in fashion here. They sell the basics and at most, have a designer collaboration to spice up some staple pieces. Nobody's going to Uniqlo and buying those puffer style down jackets thinking they're going to be the coolest person on Queen St. They're only buying it because it's priced well, looks decent, is lightweight and keeps them warm.

You make it sound like Mark's Work Wearhouse.

No, high quality basics have been fashion-forward forever and particularly among millennials for the better part of a decade. The Uniqlo puffer jackets you mention are regularly seen on street style blogs.

Note the success of close competitor Everlane, which I'm sure that most of you who don't wear Kirkland jeans are familiar with.
 
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