Uniqlo to open denim concept shop in downtown L.A.'s Arts District

Uniqlo to open denim concept shop in downtown L.A.’s Arts District

By Tara Paniogue

Sept. 22, 2017 4:05 PM PT

Meet the newest cool kid on the block in downtown Los Angeles: That would be Japanese causal-wear brand Uniqlo, which plans to open a denim concept shop in the Arts District later this year.

Uniqlo will join H. Lorenzo, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Acne Studios and other prominent fashion brands that have opted to have retail space in downtown.

Marisol Tamaro, Uniqlo’s U.S. director of marketing, made the announcement about the downtown store during the brand’s #DedicatedToDenim event in Hollywood on Sept. 19.

According a media release, Uniqlo is strategically moving beyond its reputation as retailer of fashion basics and focusing on L.A.’s heritage and roots with denim. The new concept shop will be the 47th Uniqlo store in the U.S. and the ninth in the L.A. area. The company declined to reveal the exact location for the store.

Also, at the Hollywood event, Uniqlo celebrated the arrival of its new fall and winter ’17 denim collection, which is hitting store shelves now. The collection was inspired by L.A. and conceived at Uniqlo’s Jeans Innovation Center in Gardena.

For its denim line, the brand uses authentic fabrics from Japanese denim manufacturer Kaihara as well as advanced technology and craftsmanship to improve its production.

“We are very excited to bring Uniqlo denim to L.A. in a new and interactive way,” said Hiroshi Taki, Uniqlo’s U.S. chief executive, in the media release. “We are continuously searching for new ways to serve our customers and often look to L.A. for style and design inspiration for LifeWear, [Uniqlo’s tagline for its everyday basic apparel].”

At the new downtown store, customers will be able to see what goes on behind the scenes in denim design and production. Denim visuals and prototypes will be on display to show the research and development coming from Uniqlo’s Jeans Innovation Center, which opened last November.

Customers will be able to shop and try on the entire range of Uniqlo denim and select offerings of J Brand denim. (J Brand is a division within Uniqlo’s parent company, Fast Retailing Co.) Also, the store will sell an assortment of other Uniqlo apparel to pair with denim.