UNIQLO – UT Project

UT is short for UNIQLO T-shirt.  I hadn’t heard of UNIQLO until one my Japanese friends mentioned it to me over dinner.  Apparently it has been around Japan since the early 80′s and has even gained popularity overseas.  Launched in Harajuku, the UT Project refers to UNIQLO’s new futuristic concept of selling t-shirts.  These are also limited edition tees designed by well-known artists, musicians, and photographers.

The t-shirts are enclosed in plastic containers.  Just like the ones that house tennis balls.  Those containers are placed in steel display cases which resemble vending machines.

Each container is labeled with a unique electronic id to match the t-shirt designs on the open racks for easy finding.

A comic book spread makes up the ground design for the first floor.

Second floor is dedicated to women.  Besides t-shirts, other garments such as jeans, jackets, and vests can be bought.

Some artwork on the walls.

Looking down from the second floor.

I bought one t-shirt and have been pretty satisfied with the purchase.  The quality is great and it’s good knowing not many people will be seen wearing it.  If you hope to check out UNIQLO the store is located south of Omotesando on Meiji Dori.  Refer to the the map from the Harajuku ’08 post for a better visual.