Uniqlo names Clare Waight Keller creative director

Dive Brief:

• Uniqlo has named Clare Waight Keller its creative director, according to a press release sent to Fashion Dive on Tuesday.
• Keller, who has held the top creative roles at luxury fashion houses Givenchy and Chloé, worked with Uniqlo as a designer for the Uniqlo : C womenswear project that launched last year. 
• The designer will continue her work with Uniqlo : C and also lead the Uniqlo mainline collection, as well as menswear, beginning with the fall-winter 2024 collection.

Dive Insight:

Keller’s hire at Uniqlo shows the growing trend of mass-market brands collaborating with luxury companies and designers, a strategy that looks to make luxury both accessible and aspirational.

The Fast Retailing-owned brand is positioning Keller’s hire as a move to boost its “LifeWear” line, which focuses on “simplicity, quality and longevity” in everyday wear, per the release.

“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,” Yukihiro Katsuta, Fast Retailing group senior executive officer and head of R&D at Uniqlo, said in the release. “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.”

Keller’s work with Uniqlo : C included elevated basics in fabrics including gabardine twill, corduroy and cashmere. The collection included suiting separates, tops, skirts, sweaters and more. Prices ranged from $30 to $150.

Keller was creative director for Chloé from 2011 to 2017, when she was hired at Givenchy.

Keller left her role at Givenchy in 2020 after three years as its artistic director, according to an article from Women’s Wear Daily. While there, Time magazine named her one of the most influential people in 2019 after designing the wedding dress of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The Uniqlo : C launch was Keller’s first collection since leaving Givenchy. 

Fast Retailing, meanwhile, is focused on global expansion. Last month, the company announced that its GU brand is launching e-commerce operations in the U.S. as well as a flagship store in New York.

In its 2023 year-end report, Fast Retailing said it wanted to open 30 stores each year in both North America and Europe. Uniqlo in particular plans to open more than 20 new stores in the U.S. and Canada this year.