There are rare people who can make Tatsuo Chiaki nervous. Perhaps his more well-known name is NIGO, and these letters can be described as vocal in the field of fashion. He was also founded by Bape, a camouflage and apes-like classic fashion brand called Bape. But at the end of 2012, he was anxious to meet a guest in his own studio full of art collections. It was the first time that NIGO had met with the founder of Uniqlo and the general manager of Fast Retailing Group, Mr. Yanai Yang.

Yanai was considering giving NVIDIA's UT product line to NIGO management. This may be the reason for the tension of NIGO. You must know that UT is a quite important product line of Uniqlo. It can be said that in the summer, Uniqlo's 1/3 shelves will be occupied by various printed t-shirts.

NIGO is now UT Creative Director

UT is the abbreviation of UNIQLO T-Shirt. When it was born in 2003, UT was just a simple T-shirt that was sold by any clothing brand. Some logos or logos were printed on the chest, which was low-priced and featureless. But nowadays, UT's story has changed its narrative style. Many times it is more like a trend item.

In the summer of 2016, UNIQLO collaborated with New York artist KAWS to launch a series of UTxKAWS offerings. The main models were sold out within 3 minutes of Tmall channel. The UT with "I AM YOUR FATHER" printed in the 2015 Star Wars has more than twice the price of yellow cattle...

T-shirts actually carry cool genes. It was originally a standard underwear for American soldiers during World War II. After World War II, the T-shirt began to be worn as a coat. The American actor James Dean's wearing of the movie “The Resistance Without Cause” has made the T-shirt outerwear fashionable. In the 1960s, the T-shirt even became the basic attire of young people and rock music lovers in the western trend. As a result, different brands began to print various designs on the chest of the T-shirt, as can be replaced by tattoos. T-shirts evolved into the carriers of young people's self-expression.

The story of Uniqlo combining culture with T-shirts is no longer new. But now, when you look back, you will find that at the time, the UT series, led by the two key designers Sato Keiko and NIGO, used T-shirts as a carrier of culture and marketing, and also witnessed Japanese trends and fashion. The ups and downs of the trend.

The beginning of UT and the words “tidal” and “cool” did not have a single relationship.

However, Uniqlo and T-shirts did not have any necessary relationship. It was originally known in Japan as a polar fleece with a warm function. Even earlier in Japan, many young people were a bit "opponent" to Uniqlo. In the TV drama "Train Boy", the actor Masako Yamada asked how to dress up on a social network. His reply was: "Uniquku is definitely not okay!"

UT series in 2013

Like Unimark, Uniqlo encountered the problem of rapid growth in the number of stores and an inventory overstock when it expanded in the Japanese market. The rapid expansion of the UNIQLO’s performance from 2002 to 2003 suffered a sharp decline. In order to save the bad financial figures, Uniqlo used many methods, such as entering the Chinese market, opening stores in Shanghai in September 2002, and launching t-shirts.

T-shirts are indeed very consistent with Uniqlo's business philosophy of quality and low price. “As long as the complete process of printing cooperation, production distribution, and sales is determined, it will be possible to reduce the cost and the final selling price to a great extent to attract customers.” Yanai’s idea was that at that time.

2003 UT series was born. The UNIQLO logo printed on the chest of the T-shirt is mostly cartoon characters or the logo of Uniqlo. It does not seem to have any desire to buy. The UT in the parity strategy does not seem to exert the natural charm of the T-shirt. There are a variety of T-shirts displayed in the store. There is always a sense of cheapness in the hypermarket.

Thankfully, Sato Koshi and Saved UT

"If the UNIQLO brand is like a media, there is only one thing that can be done only by Uniqlo. What is this?" Saito Keshi, artistic director of Uniqlo, asked Yanai. "That's a T-shirt," he replied.

This simple dialogue almost changed the trajectory of UT and even Uniqlo.

Sato Kosaki is a figure in the Japanese design field and he may be known to Chinese consumers because of his best-selling book on finishing techniques in recent years. However, in Japan, he included a number of advertising awards such as the Tokyo ADC Awards and Kameura-Gakusei at a young age. At the same time, he was responsible for the graphic design of SMAP's promotional activities. Yanai is seeing Sato Kazuto in a television interview. He feels that he has an incomprehensible feeling of symphony with Uniqlo. "He not only knows the ideas of Japan but also knows about Japan now, so we chose to work with him." Cooperation."

Sato Keshi is not a scorn and is known in Japan as the Knife Warrior. His change to Uniqlo was also immediate and rapid. The visual style of the Uniqlo brand that you see now is designed by Sato Kasei. At the same time, Uniqlo’s flagship store in New York is also designed. His greater contribution is to combine T-shirts with "culture" and integrate marketing into Uniqlo's most representative T-shirt business model.

Sato Keshi and designed UNIQLO master brand visual effects

Sato Keshi and designed UNIQLO master brand visual effects

Sato Keshi and Designed Uniqlo New York Flagship Store

In Sato's vision of Cosco, the UT that Uniqin wanted to do was "More than just a T-Shirt", returning to its place in the trend culture, like the hippies or rock lovers wearing those Ts in the 1960s. The shirt became an expression of a make statement. In this way, Uniqlo has unlimited creative space on a T-shirt. The T-shirt became its free media and could be printed with anything that wanted to communicate with consumers - there was no more direct and efficient channel than this.

So UT changed.

Sato Keshi and selling UT in a transparent jar

If you have purchased Uniqlo's UT series, you will find that it has two tags. In addition to the ingredients and bar code cards commonly found in Uniqlo's other products, there is also a sign that describes the background of this product designer. This is where UNIQLO wants consumers to pay attention. In order to inject cultural elements into T-shirts, starting from 2006, 100 companies and designers in different fields such as film, food, animation, and games have joined the cooperation of UT. The so-called "cross-border" cooperation began.

If you are familiar enough with the trend field, then you will not be unfamiliar with the word "cross-border", it has become a marketing strategy.

Old Brand's "Cultural Endorsement"

Among the various cross-border UTs, the most distinctive is probably the cooperation with established companies.

For example, Kikkoman Co., Ltd. is a food company founded in 1917. Its main product is soy sauce and various seasonings. It is widely known in Japan. Uniqlo once printed its logo on UT. Not only Kikkoman, including milk brands, kanto lemon, even lactic acid bacteria, has been associated with Uniqlo.

UT's integration with Kikkoman Co., Ltd. and milk brands

UT cooperates with Yakulto and lemon brand kanto lemon

At that time, among the young Japanese generation, there was a popular style of きゅうしき きゅうしき 中文 —— —— —— —— —— —— —— 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 如果 。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。 。. In addition to Uniqlo, you can find such clothes in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, Japan. This is one of the favorite street blocks for young people in Tokyo. Many young people like to come here and find some clothes with traditional Japanese brand logos. These old brands are very common in Japanese life, but because of their clothes, they have one. A retro and interesting trend.

Uniqlo captures this trend culture. Every year, it selects Japan and even the world's famous brands and conducts joint corporate series. The Japanese love for this retro trend is printed on T-shirts. Uniqlo borrowed from the commercial culture that other brands had settled for many years. It was a clever way to make the UT series, which had only been born for a few years, become rich in different connotations and tributes to the classic meaning.

UT cooperates with the Japanese sake brand Mensan and Campbell Soup

T-shirt art exhibition

The cooperation with artists seems to be based on the same business logic.

In May 2013, Uniqlo began to praise MoMA (New York Museum of Modern Art). After that, it managed to print those priceless works of art on a ten-dollar T-shirt. In addition to the quick promotion of UT's rankings, this approach also narrows the gap between the average consumer and the art, undoubtedly increasing their enthusiasm for UT.

Uniqlo sponsors the American Museum of Modern Art

Several of the most famous collaborations include Andy Warhol, wave paranoia artist Kusama Kusama, and Jean-Michel Basquiat and Jackson Pollock. Artists such as Ryan McGinness have appeared on UT—though you probably haven't heard any of these names, Andy Warhol and Kusama's UT series were also listed. Was robbed.

“MoMA is committed to helping the broad audience to understand and appreciate contemporary art. The cooperation with UNIQLO can support us in fulfilling this mission.” Thomas Randon, general manager of MoMA Retail, said, “Retail cooperation enables new audiences to better understand our well-known and not-so-known Artist."

Uniqlo's cooperation with Andy Warhol

Uniqlo's cooperation with Andy Warhol

“MoMA is committed to helping the broad audience to understand and appreciate contemporary art. The cooperation with UNIQLO can support us in fulfilling this mission.” Thomas Randon, general manager of MoMA Retail, said, “Retail cooperation enables new audiences to better understand our well-known and not-so-known Artist."

Collaboration between Uniqlo and Kusama

Collaboration between Uniqlo and Kusama

Please ask NIGO to bring UT into the crowd

Of course there are some UTs that are not that interesting. For example, the long-distance Disney series, each year is the portrait of Mickey Mouse grinning. While young people are changing their tastes, UT needs to keep up with the times.

In the new round of UT cross-border upgrade, NIGO has become a key figure. He not only established the right to speak up in the field of current trends but also could bring more cutting-edge cross-border cooperation to Uniqlo.

Look at the cross-border cooperation that NIGO is responsible for after UT and you know how valuable resources are. Pharrell Williams of the Fumihas brought his famous i am OTHER to the T-shirt. He cooperated with the public brand very much. He also shared the American artist KAWS and re-engraved his tidal brand T-shirt that had been discontinued for Uniqlo. Joe, the founder of the brand Brooklyn Machine Works, is also willing to cooperate with this Japanese brand... They are all good friends of NIGO.

NIGO invited the original author of Hello Kitty Yamaguchi Yuko to design a picture of Kitty and Melody

This kind of cross-border brings the most direct effect. It is the detonation of sales and the attention of the brand. After the cooperation between KAWS and Uniqlo last year, it quickly brought the latter the topical effect of the tidal brand. On the day of the sale, young people lined up at major global stores - of course, Chinese cattle. This year UNIQLO continued its cooperation with KAWS and sponsored KAWS' exhibition at the Yude Yao Art Museum in Shanghai.

UT and KAWS are on sale

KAWS's exhibition at Shanghai Yude Yao Museum in 2017

The reason why KAWS chose to cooperate with UNIQLO, in addition to knowing with NIGO, he also wanted to see the effect of the combination of niche culture and mass brands. “Uniquku has a large number of stores and a large number of consumers. Such cooperation can see the balance between economies of scale and artistic creation.” KAWS told the interface news.

Before at least Uniqlo's cooperation with KAWS last year, many Chinese young people did not know who KAWS was. KAWS was introduced to the public and seemed to have more power in the field of current trends, just like independent opinion leaders.

NIGO and KAWS

In 2017, KAWS cooperated with UT and chose another representative of KAWS to represent Peanuts.

Of course there are business returns. At the event, John Jay, creative director of UNIQLO, disclosed that the previous cooperation series had sold more than 1 million pieces. According to the price of 99 yuan per piece, the single KAWS UT series last year brought about 100 million yuan in sales for Uniqlo.

The UT series is now 14 years old. With the overall sales growth of UNIQLO in the past two years and the continued decline in profits, UT's brand reshaping function has become stronger and stronger. "The competition is fierce, and how to maintain attractiveness is also a problem we face." John Jay told Interface News: "We will maintain more influential cooperation, but we cannot yet publish more."

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