Uniqlo appoints Clare Waight Keller as creative director

She will lead the Uniqlo mainline collection, including menswear, from 2024 Fall/Winter.

Global apparel retailer Uniqlo announces the appointment of Clare Waight Keller as creative director. Waight Keller has had an exceptional career with a number of leading fashion houses, and in September 2023 took on the role of designer for the Uniqlo : C womenswear project. While continuing in this capacity with Uniqlo : C, she will also lead the Uniqlo mainline collection, including menswear, from 2024 Fall/Winter.

Tadashi Yanai, fast retailing chairman, president and CEO, said: “We are proud to welcome 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.”

Yukihiro Katsuta, fast Retailing Group Senior Executive Officer and Head of R&D for UNIQLO, said: “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.”

Clare Waight Keller, UNIQLO Creative Director, 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 is a renowned British designer known for bringing a highly original sense to modern elegance and taking high fashion houses around the world to critical acclaim under her leadership. She was named one of the most influential people in the world by TIME 100 in 2019. She was appointed as designer of the UNIQLO : C collection, which debuted in Fall/Winter 2023.