Huge fan of Uniqlo, we're very lucky to have so many of them in London.
The clothes tend to be the right side of 'fashionable', ie the cuts are modern and flattering, the price is very comparable with and often better than the other UK high street rivals, and most importantly the quality for the most part far surpasses everything else in the price bracket. It's (generally) far better than buying from Zara or H&M, which feels very 'fast' in comparison.
The GAP comparison is probably apt, although one thing I really appreciate about Uniqlo (especially compared to GAP) is the lack of branding and logos. You can easily build a complete wardrobe (work/pub/play) - especially if you're buying base pieces. Which is probably the reason they get a lot of love on /r/malefashionadvice/.
My problem with Uniqlo is that they changes cuttings, Materials and some other minor details all while showing the same label. So they will look 95% the same, even material is pretty much the same.... but it is still "different". ( The Item code will be different ) Not to mention Uniqlo's quality depends on its country of origin or where they are sold. Uniqlo in Japan is really a bar higher than Uniqlo around the world. ( Which is pretty much the same with everything in Japan, domestic products tends to be of the highest quality compared to Export)
So if you are picky about these sort of things Uniqlo tends to offer inconsistency.
I have been wearing Uniqlo t-shirts most days for the last few years. The codes change regularly on those. I have a few from a version where the bottom hem is always curling up on itself. The rest of them just hang straight and flat...
I also have some Uniqlo underwear that changed code where the old ones fit well and the new ones didn't.
I'm still a happy customer, but it does mean that I have to be a little cautious about buying 5 more of something just because my previous experience with it was good.
Ahh, I never paid attention to the code, I guess they would "update" the design over the time?
In my country, Indonesia, I would guess the quality bar from Uniqlo would be pretty low since it's in SEA, but compared to local brands, I think the stuffs Uniqlo makes are really good, I loved shopping in Uniqlo.
I like that there are relatively few models and most of the variations are in colors. I hate shopping for clothes, the lack of choice is a feature for me. I had to buy some shorts the other day, Uniqlo had like three models and 5 colors, I spent less than 5 minutes in the store. And as other people point out in this thread, the quality is in general very decent for this price.
I read this comment and it's parent out to my spouse. She thought I had written both of them since I like Uniqlo for exactly these reasons. I have friends who work in tech who shop in Uniqlo because they feel the same. It's surprising how much of a monoculture we are.
I suggest checking out thread.com if you're in the UK. I've been using them or years and love them.
Each week they suggest "outfits" for you and you can buy them all, bits of them, or none of them (you can ignore the emails). They then send them to you, and you can try them on in your home, and sending them back is super-easy (put them in the box, drop at collect+). They pull from many different other shops and brands.
I promist I don't work for them, I just really love the service :) As someone who also hate clothes shopping it was a revelation.
Thanks. I just check it out and Really like the idea. Somehow those recommendation dont work for me. But at last it gave me a few useful tips to further look into.
Before the lockdown and WFH, I'd say about half my work-casual wardrobe ended up being Uniqlo. Very good quality, good design, and as you say, there's nothing obnoxious about their branding.
If they had a similar free delivery option as Asos Premium, would probably use them for pretty much everything.
Though I don't fully understand their ridiculously long trousers.
Edit: as per responses, make use of their alterations service!
> Though I don't fully understand their ridiculously long trousers
Too long can be fixed. Too short cannot.
I have a thin build and that translates to either baggy thighs or short leg lengths in many brands. Uniqlo long pants are great for me because they also offer alteration services[1] so I can always get a good fit.
>Though I don't fully understand their ridiculously long trousers.
As others have pointed out, they hem them for free. This is a clever bit of optimization for them, for two reasons:
(1) Fewer SKUs to stock. Each type of pant only varies in waist, not length.
(2) The pants become non-returnable after alternation. This reduces the number of items that can be returned substantially, since very few people fit the dimension of the pants.
Especially in central London! I went around on a Zone 1 Uniqlo tour with my friend before lockdown and it's surprising in that different outlets offer different clothing.
I also am a fan of the lack of branding - the simplicity helps to complement other pieces, however I do also buy some of their UT Graphic Tees, especially since the designs are so... well, unique.
The clothes tend to be the right side of 'fashionable', ie the cuts are modern and flattering, the price is very comparable with and often better than the other UK high street rivals, and most importantly the quality for the most part far surpasses everything else in the price bracket. It's (generally) far better than buying from Zara or H&M, which feels very 'fast' in comparison.
The GAP comparison is probably apt, although one thing I really appreciate about Uniqlo (especially compared to GAP) is the lack of branding and logos. You can easily build a complete wardrobe (work/pub/play) - especially if you're buying base pieces. Which is probably the reason they get a lot of love on /r/malefashionadvice/.