[:ja][From August Issue 2015]
ユニクロ
プロテニスプレイヤーの錦織圭選手は今年の全仏オープンで初のベスト8入りを果たしました。錦織選手のテニスウエアに必ず入っていたのがカジュアルブランド「ユニクロ」のロゴマークです。2011年以来、錦織選手とスポンサー契約を結んでいるからです。
ユニクロというブランド名は「ユニーク・クロージング・ウエアハウス」を短く縮めたものです。親会社はファーストリテイリング(FR)です。もともとは1949年に山口県宇部市で設立された「メンズショップ小郡商事」でした。2015年2月末現在、FRグループ全体で世界中に2,872店舗を展開しています。その半分以上の1,558店舗がFRの中心的な会社であるユニクロです。
ユニクロの名前を一躍有名にしたのは1998年に発売したフリースでした。豊富なカラーと1,900円という値段で、評判となりました。2007年にはヒートテックが大成功を収めます。ヒートテックは「従来の綿素材に代わる、機能性の高いインナーが欲しい」という声に応えて開発されました。
これまでにないしなやかさや薄さは「まるで着ていないような気持ちよさ」として話題になりました。そのため、2007年の秋冬は生産が追いつかず、品切れ店が続出。夏に活躍するインナーでは、汗を吸ってもすぐに乾くエアリズムが注目されています。
ユニクロは高い品質と手ごろな価格の商品を世界に提供する製造小売業(SPA)として知られています。SPAとは商品の企画から生産、物流、販売まですべて自分の会社で行うビジネスモデルです。他社が真似できないユニクロ商品の数々はこの仕組みがあったからこそ生まれたものです。
ユニクロはファッションを通じて世界とつながることを目指しています。代表の柳井正さんは「世界中のあらゆる人々に、良い服を着る喜びや幸せ、満足を提供します」と会社の考えを説明。実際、ユニクロは素材の調達や生産、販売などで海外との関係を深めています。服作りだけでなくビジネスモデルとしてもユニークな会社といえるでしょう。
株式会社ユニクロ
文:伊藤公一[:en][From August Issue 2015]
UNIQLO
For the first time in his career, pro tennis player NISHIKORI Kei made it to the quarterfinals of this year’s French Open. During the tournament he wore the logo of the casual fashion brand “Uniqlo” affixed to his tennis wear. This is because Uniqlo began sponsoring him in 2011.
The brand name “Uniqlo” is an abbreviation of “Unique Clothing Warehouse.” The parent company is Fast Retailing (FR). Formerly it was “Men’s Shop Ogoori Shoji” – a company founded in 1949 in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. As of the end of February 2015, the FR group had a total of 2,872 shops around the world. FR’s core business Uniqlo accounted for 1,558 of these stores; more than half.
Uniqlo was an overnight sensation when it started selling fleece jackets in 1998. It established its reputation because of the range of colors on offer and the low price of 1,900 yen. In 2007, Heattech became a huge success. Heattech was developed in answer to a demand to “replace cotton thermal underwear with garments made from another material.”
Heattech’s unparalleled snug fitting lightweight fabric that “feels as if you’re not wearing anything,” was much discussed. As a result, in the fall-winter season of 2007 (to 2008), production failed to keep up with demand and Heattech products sold out in one shop after the other. Now Airism – suitable wear for summer that absorbs sweat and is quick to dry – is in the spotlight.
Uniqlo is known as an SPA (specialty store retailer of private label apparel) and offers good quality reasonably priced products to the world. SPA is a business model in which everything is done in-house; from product planning, to production, to distribution, to sales. It’s thanks to the SPA system that Uniqlo was able to create so many unique products.
One of Uniqlo’s aims is to unite the world through fashion. President YANAI Tadashi explains the company’s philosophy: “We allow people the world over to attain the joy, happiness, and satisfaction that comes from wearing quality clothing.” In fact, Uniqlo is strengthening its ties with other countries through the procurement of materials, manufacturing, and sales. It’s fair to say that Uniqlo is an unusual company not only because it manufactures clothing, but also because of its business model.
Uniqlo Co., Ltd.
Text: ITO Koichi[:]
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