Clare Waight Keller new artistic director

Uniqlo has named Clare Waight Keller as its creative director, further cementing a relationship that began in 2023. She will fete her new role tomorrow in New York with her latest ideas for the Japanese marque.

Back in September 2023, Waight Keller, who has helmed such storied fashion houses as Givenchy and Chloé, took on the role of designer for the UNIQLO : C womenswear project.
 
The UK-born designer will continue in that capacity with UNIQLO : C, while also overseeing the Uniqlo mainline collection from 2024 Fall/Winter. Her remit also includes Uniqlo’s substantial menswear division.

“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,” enthused Waight Keller in a release.
 
Based in Japan, Uniqlo is a division of the giant Japanese fashion group Fast Retailing.
 
Tadashi Yanai, Fast Retailing chairman, president and CEO, added: “We are proud to welcome Ms. 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.”
 
Born in Birmingham, the 54-year-old Waight Keller began her career with Calvin Klein in New York, after graduating with a master’s degree from the Royal College of Art in London. She subsequently moved to Ralph Lauren, working on its Purple label, before joining Tom Ford at Gucci in Milan.
 
She also helmed Scottish cashmere label Pringle for seven years and achieved global acclaim in 2018 when she was the couturier of Givenchy for designing Meghan Markle’s wedding dress for her nuptials with Prince Harry. That same year she was voted British Designer of the Year at the annual British Fashion Awards.

This Wednesday, the British designer will celebrate her new role at a cocktail party in New York in Spring Studios, when she will also stage an exclusive preview of the 2024 Fall/Winter collection inspired by Timeless Tones.
 
Underlining, the Japan’s group excitement at hiring Waight Keller,  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.”