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Dropping tomorrow is Uniqlo's latest collaboration capsule, this time with Jun Takahashi of the Japanese brand Undercover. (They're calling the collection "UU", and you may make you're own decision about whether to participate in that nickname.) The men's and women's collections are what most shoppers are excited about, of course, but the kids collection is also noteworthy as a sign of the company's growth in the US. This is the first time Uniqlo is doing a kid's line in America, and the brand is on track to expand in other ways, too.
Back in October, when Uniqlo opened its cavernous Fifth Avenue megastore, CEO Shin Odake told Daily Finance that he was planning to open 200 stores in the US by 2020. He recently confirmed via an e-mail interview that the company is on track to complete that plan, adding that while urban markets like New York are critical—he cited Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington DC, and Boston as cities currently under consideration for new locations—malls are also an essential part of the brand's expansion plans. "Currently our strategy is to open large scale flagship locations, however in order to expand in the US we also need to open successful mall locations throughout," he told us.
America may have to wait a little longer for e-commerce, however. Odake confirmed that there will be online shopping for Uniqlo, someday, but there is no potential launch date yet. "We want to make sure that when we launch e-commerce that it is a dynamic, innovative, easy to use system for the consumer," he said.
· Uniqlo Undercover Will Arrive March 16th, Here's the Campaign [Racked NY]
· Uniqlo Undercover [Uniqlo]
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