British fashion designer Clare Waight Keller joined forces with UNIQLO to launch an affordable womenswear sub-label titled UNIQLO : C last September. Constructed with her core design elements — fluidity, movement and femininity — the brand’s early launches were well-received; and just last month, she expanded her offering to include menswear, too. Now, thanks to the line's success, Waight Keller has been named UNIQLO's creative director, a role in which she will not only lead UNIQLO : C but also the brand's mainline LifeWear offerings.
“What you’ll start to notice is that within some of those core programmes there’ll be new fashion shapes, and there’ll be new silhouettes that drop every other month, to really bring in the freshness," Waight Keller told British Vogue of how she plans to shake up the label. In practice, she plans to reinvigorate UNIQLO's signature color palette, first and foremost.
Waight Keller, who led Givenchy for three years and Chloé for the six years prior, aims to lift UNIQLO's womenswear division with more exploratory patterns and cuts on the imprint's classic silhouettes for a younger audience. Her menswear, meanwhile, will include "softer tailored jackets" and "more interesting oversized shapes," per the outlet.
Outside of ready-to-wear, she confirmed that she has new footwear in store, too. “I’ve got a very good collection of flat shoes now," she said. "That’s always the go-to, on the run, with travel. But there’s still not a good selection in the market. That’s a category that’s going to expand [at Uniqlo], as well.”
Waight Keller's UNIQLO designs will begin entering stores later this year. Until then, revisit her UNIQLO : C designs here.
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