UNIQLO appointed Clare Waight Keller as its new Creative Director. Keller, who has been working with UNIQLO since September 2023 on the UNIQLO: C womenswear project, will now also lead the UNIQLO mainline collection, including menswear, starting with the 2024 Fall/Winter season.
Clare Waight Keller is a British stylist and fashion designer who has served as the artistic director for several luxury fashion houses and brands, including Pringle of Scotland, Chloé, and Givenchy. She was the first woman to head up the prestigious French house Givenchy. Keller began her career as one of three assistants to Tom Ford at Gucci, alongside Francisco Costa (Calvin Klein) and Christopher Bailey (Burberry). Born in Birmingham, she started with Calvin Klein in New York, graduated with a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London, and then moved to Ralph Lauren before working with Tom Ford at Gucci in Milan.
“We are proud to welcome Ms. Clare Waight Keller as the Creative Director of UNIQLO. Along with her exceptional originality and wide-ranging experience, I have been impressed by her excellent sense of balance, which never forgets the perspective of the consumer. I believe that with her, we will be able to evolve LifeWear, the ultimate everyday wear, into something even richer and create clothes that will make our customers even happier,” Tadashi Yanai, Chairman, President & CEO, Fast Retailing, commented.
“Clare Waight Keller’s work with UNIQLO: C has convinced me that she is one of the few creators in the world able to achieve a high level of balance between creation and merchandising. I believe that the experience, knowledge, and skills that she has amassed, based on a keen aesthetic sense and intellect, will greatly expand the world of UNIQLO LifeWear,” Yukihiro Katsuta, Fast Retailing Group Senior Executive Officer and Head of R&D for UNIQLO, said.
“Working with UNIQLO over these past two years, I have been hugely impressed by their innovation and ability to create exceptional products. Working with the team, I became deeply immersed in the brand and the future they are creating. It is very exciting and an honor for me to be involved in the evolution of LifeWear,” Clare Waight Keller, UNIQLO Creative Director, said.
Keller is a renowned British designer known for her contributions to modern elegance in fashion. She was named one of the most influential people in the world by TIME 100 in 2019. Keller was appointed as the designer of the UNIQLO: C collection, which debuted in Fall/Winter 2023.
LifeWear is an apparel line based on Japanese values of simplicity, quality, and longevity. It is designed to be contemporary and timeless, with a focus on perfection in fit and fabric while remaining affordable and accessible. LifeWear aims to bring more warmth, lightness, better design, and comfort to people’s lives.
UNIQLO is a brand of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese retail holding company headquartered in Tokyo. UNIQLO is the largest of Fast Retailing’s eight brands, which also include GU, Theory, PLST, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam, J Brand, and Helmut Lang. Fast Retailing reported global sales of approximately 2.77 trillion yen (US $18.92 billion) for the fiscal year ending August 31, 2023. The company operates over 2,400 UNIQLO stores worldwide and nearly 3,600 stores across all its brands. Fast Retailing is committed to creating innovative clothing that enriches people’s lives.
