The launch of some clothing models of the Uniqlo brand will be delayed due to restrictions due to the new coronavirus outbreak in factories in Japan and Vietnam. The novelty is positive for its direct rivals on the fashion scene, especially for Inditex’s H&M and Zara.
The brake on Uniqlo was confirmed by the company that owns the brand, Fast Retailing, in a statement explaining that delays will affect four Uniqlo U brand items which were due to launch in stores this month and next month.
Most of the Uniqlo brand apparel factories are located in Vietnam and are overflowing with orders from subsidiaries around the world. Nevertheless, due to new outbreaks of covid-19, they are practically paralyzed.
That’s right, due to restrictions and delays in vaccination, they have almost no workers, which makes it impossible for them to meet the established deadlines.
This especially affects the plants in Hanoi, according to publishes Reuters.
Uniqlo, a brand that represents more than 80% of Fast Retailing’s sales, has been expanding around the world for a long time, threatening the giants Zara and H&M. The Japanese brand derives more than half of its operating profit from international markets and is no longer so reliant on Japan.
Zara, the Spanish market leader; H&M, the Swede who is second in the race; and Forever 21, among others, base their strategy on quickly rotating their garments.
The idea is: create the need, manufacture the clothing, sell it and within a few months offer it at auction prices. So that? To re-generate the need and thus in an endless virtuous circle.
Technically, Uniqlo would not be a faithful representative of fast fashion, but of the timeless basic strategy, as reflected here The Economist.
Thanks to this, it is making significant progress that positions it ever closer to Zara and H&M.
The difference is that while the leaders methodically follow fashion trends, Uniqlo aims for the timeless.