“UNIQLO was founded in 1984 by Tadashi Yanai with the opening of a single store specialising in casual clothing in Hiroshima, in the south west part of Japan.

With its distinctive company philosophy: simplicity, democracy, individualism and total system control, UNIQLO has revolutionised the way the Japanese dress. And by offering well-made, basic casual clothing at low prices, UNIQLO has become a leading brand dressing men, women and children of all ages and backgrounds.

UNIQLO’s store expansion programme began to accelerate during the early 1990’s with 60-70 new stores opening each year. By 1996 the company had established a network of 205 stores starting in Hiroshima and stretching further north. In 1998, UNIQLO opened a flagship store in Harajuku, the fashionable area of Tokyo to a 1kilometre queue of customers eager to buy the company’s high quality basics at a low prices. Following the opening of UNIQLO’s Harajuku store, the company’s expansion has continued. UNIQLO now has over 550 stores in Japan has over 20,000 employees with headquarters located in Tokyo. The company is listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

The UNIQLO brand is owned by Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., which manages all facets of the business, from product planning and design to production, distribution and sales.

UNIQLO’s first step into international markets began with the UK launch in Autumn 2001 and is followed by a move into China in Autumn 2002. “