Geek Chic: How Uniqlo brought otaku clothing to the masses
From being a fairly generic clothing store based around the concepts of simplicity and affordability (think GAP but cheaper) recently Uniqlo has evolved itself to the premiere choice of otaku clothing. Many of us first heard of their new direction when the release of Metal Gear Solid 4 coincided with t-shirts based on the game being sold in Uniqlo stores. However that was just one stage in a push towards bringing geek chic to the mainstream. Before Uniqlo’s initiative, the only places you could easily find anime or gaming themed t-shirts were in small, dedicated stores or in anime merchandise stores like animate. Fairly expensive and targeted squarely at a receptive audience, they could achieve only limited success. The largest company selling such clothing was COSPA, and they also specialized in cosplay costumes thus alienating the mainstream appeal of such merchandise.
With Uniqlo’s new emphasis on anime and gaming clothes, they finally burst into the mainstream and gave that brand a personality it had been lacking. The subjects for the t-shirts have been well chosen, with the more mainstream consumer being enticed with the nostalgic appeal of Dragonball, Fist of the North Star and Hajime no Ippo. It is somewhat akin to wearing a Hero Turtles or ThunderCats t-shirt in that even if you weren’t a fan, chances are everyone recognizes the series. On the other hand more obscure, otaku targeted t-shirts based on series like Love Hina, Gyakuten Saiban and Densha de Go! appeal strongly to fans that see them as a must purchase item. Combine that with an impulse buy price of 1500 yen and it is obvious why they have proved to be so popular.
The designs of the t-shirts themselves are also intelligently arranged, with some going for obvious depictions of the subject matter, but for those that want to be a little more subtle in their display of affection for a brand, there are more abstract designs too; a small Mega Man energy bar displayed on the chest is one such example.
Whilst Uniqlo should be applauded for their business acumen and expansion of geek chic, the problem remains that is true of all mass produced clothing. Someday, sometime you are certain to run into someone else wearing the same t-shirt as you.
