Uniqlo has announced the appointment of Clare Waight Keller as creative director, strengthening a relationship that began in 2023. Keller will celebrate her new role tomorrow in New York with her latest ideas for the Japanese brand.
In September 2023, Waight Keller, who has overseen the management of such iconic fashion houses as Givenchy and Chloé, took on the role of designer for Uniqlo’s womenswear venture: C.
The UK-born designer will continue in this capacity with UNIQLO:C, while also overseeing Uniqlo’s main collection from Fall/Winter 2024. Her remit also includes Uniqlo’s large menswear division.
“I have been so impressed by their ability to create exceptional products over the past two years with my work with UNIQLO. Working with the team, I have become deeply immersed in the brand and the future they are creating. It is incredibly exciting and an honor to be a part of the evolution of LifeWear,” said Waight Keller in a press release.
Uniqlo is based in Japan and is a division of Japanese fashion giant Fast Retailing.
“We are proud to welcome Ms. Clare Waight Keller as Creative Director of UNIQLO,” said Tadashi Yanai, Chairman and CEO of Fast Retailing. “Along with her exceptional originality and extensive experience, I am impressed by her excellent sense of balance, which never forgets the consumer’s perspective. I believe that with her, we will be able to evolve Lifewear, the perfect everyday garment, into something even richer and create clothes that will make our customers happier.”
Born in Birmingham, Waight Keller, 54, began her career at Calvin Klein in New York, after graduating with a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London. She then moved to Ralph Lauren, working on its Purple brand, before joining Tom Ford at Gucci in Milan.
She also ran Scottish cashmere brand Pringle for seven years and achieved international fame in 2018 when she was the Givenchy couturier for designing Meghan Markle’s wedding dress for her marriage to Prince Harry. That same year she was voted British Designer of the Year at the annual British Fashion Awards.
The British designer will celebrate her new role next Wednesday with a cocktail party at Spring Studios in New York, where she will also offer an exclusive preview of the Timeless Tones-inspired fall/winter 2024 collection.
Reiterating the Japanese group’s enthusiasm for hiring Waight Keller, Yukihiro Katsuta, Senior Executive Officer of Fast Retailing Group and Head of R&D at Uniqlo, said: “Clare Waight Keller’s work with UNIQLO has convinced me that she is one of the few creatives in the world who can strike a high balance between creativity and marketing. I believe that the experience, knowledge and skills she has gained, based on her keen aesthetic sense and intelligence, will greatly expand the Uniqlo LifeWear universe.”
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