The favourite Japanese brand has announced a collaborative label with former Givenchy designer Claire Waight Keller. Sounds like a pairing to replace the one they went into—and ended—with Jil Sander

Uniqlo has had quite a few successful collaborations up their Airism sleeves in the past many years. And a new one has just been announced after the recent launch of the three-way tie-up with Jonathan Anderson and Roger Federer. The next fashion darling they have chosen is Claire Waight Keller, one-time womenswear designer at Gucci (under Tom Ford), and the former Givenchy designer who left the LVMH label in 2020. This is a rather unexpected collaboration even when rumours were circulating as early as May that something was afoot with the Japanese label and the British designer. The announcement of the new Uniqlo project with Ms Keller—to be launched as soon as next month—is delighting many fashion insiders, as well as those waiting to finally see what would be in store at Phoebe Philo’s new also-launched-in-September eponymous label.

The latest Uniqlo collaborative label will be called Uniqlo: C, recalling Uniqlo U (created with Christophe Lemaire), but is more evocative of +J, if only because it is conceived with a female designer and targeted at a more progressive customer. While Jil Sander was credited with bringing her unique take on minimalism and sophisticated tailoring to Uniqlo, Ms Keller will be introducing a more chromatically varied line with a relaxed, slouchy silhouette, as seen in the initial images shared by Uniqlo. Fast Retailing, Uniqlo’s parent company, described the results’ “timeless designs, subtle use of color, and roomy silhouettes in contemporary materials” without mentioning anything about Britishness in style, as they did with Mr Anderson’s (on-going) collab with them.

Ms Keller told Vogue that the letter ‘C’ in the label’s moniker isn’t just her name (Ms Sander also lent the initial of her first name for use in the collab with Uniqlo, but, thankfully, there was no Uniqlo I with the Ines de la Fressange collab), it “captured a lot of things that I was talking about: people commuting living in the city, the face that there’s a real clarity to the palette and this idea of casual, but also a sort of cheekiness.” Which seems less severe (but not unappealing) than what Ms Sander proposed during her time with Uniqlo, as well as the brief comeback, after the label was killed before being briefly resuscitated, and then put to rest again. She added, “it’s this idea of an effortless wardrobe that’s really focused, and captures chic, casual, weekend — all the elements of everyday lifestyle for this customer.” Many are hoping for a next +J, and this might be it.

The collaboration between Uniqlo and Ms Keller seems timely. Not only is there increasing spotlight on female designers, such as Ms Philo, the world is ready to explore what these women can bring to the table in terms of advancing womenswear beyond prettiness—such as the raging trend Barbiecore. And there is also a slew of new exhibitions in different cities that draw visitors with works conceived by female designers, such as Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. Clare Waight Keller may be best remembered for designing Meghan Markle’s wedding dress when she tied the knot with the Duke of Sussex, but she did, in fact, dished out some striking work at Givenchy that was nothing like that bridal fluff. Has Uniqlo found the best partner after the inimitable Jil Sander? Another month isn’t too long a wait to know.

Uniqlo: C debuts in-store and online on 15 September.Photos: Uniqlo