UNIQLO is a Japanese casual wear designer, manufacturer and retailer. The company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd. since November 2005 and has come a long way from its early days of operating as a suburban chain in Japan.

Over a span of two decades, the company has achieved monumental growth, sealing its status as a global fashion behemoth.

With over 1,400 stores in 16 markets across the world, Uniqlo has navigated its way through challenges such as Japan’s wavering economy and shrinking population, as well as unsuccessful forays into global markets.

As the fourth-largest fashion retailer in the world, the company currently ranks alongside other global retail giants such as Gap, H&M and Zara.

Uniqlo takes customer experience both in the real world and digital channels very seriously.

In planning and designing all aspects related to its in-store experiences, the company adopts the Japanese concept of kaizen, which translates to mean a continuous search for perfection and is now beefing up e-commerce operations by carefully repositioning itself to appeal to a wider, more multicultural set of consumers but without losing its ‘Japanese-ness’ – a quality that can be glimpsed as much in the technologically hip way it communicates with shoppers, as in the discipline of its clothing designs.

Uniqlo’s creative vision in the digital sphere first grabbed the world’s attention in 2007 when the company’s ‘Uniqlock‘ campaign took the advertising sector by storm.

The marketing project, designed to build brand awareness internationally, featured a clock with spliced clips of well- choreographed dancing and catchy lounge music all timed to match the ticking. It ran all year round, 24/7. In summer the girls dancing wore polo shirts; in winter, cashmere; and at midnight they slept. Click here to see Uniqlock in action.

Dentsu Aegis Isobar | UNIQLO – UMOOD from R3 on Vimeo.

UNIQLO and Dentsu Aegis Isobar agency in Australia launched Mood in 2015, a retail activation that helps consumers select from over 600 T-shirts by identifying their mood with neural technology at UNIQLO’s Pitt Street store in Sydney.

Customers take a seat in the UMood machine and watch a series of ten short videos and images, whilst the sensor tracks the customer’s brainwave reaction to that stimulus via a Neuro headset.

The brainwave responses are analysed and an algorithm recommends T-shirts that fit their mood. The unit was developed by Isobar and Dentsu Science Jam a Dentsu Aegis Network company.

This month, Dentsu Jayme Syfu in the Philippines launched the UNIQLO Travel Planner.

Traveling is incredibly fun but it involves a lot of preparation. Aside from plane tickets, accommodations, transportation etc., one major dilemma of many people is the wardrobe.

What does one wear for a particular trip? We want to be comfortable for all the walking and sightseeing but we also want to look great in our photos without bringing our entire wardrobe.

The UNIQLO Travel Planner recommends what to wear based on where you are going and when your trip will be. Just indicate whether you want to browse through their men, women, boys and girls collection; your travel destination and your trip dates.

The app will then start “building your wardrobe” and will show you the weather forecast during your vacation. Just scroll down and voila! The digital experience shows you the recommended wardrobe for the trip.

The great thing about Uniqlo pieces is that they’re well made, functional, simple and basic. This means that you can just add a scarf, a hat or an accessory to make it stand out. This also makes mixing and matching easy. With the Uniqlo Travel Planner, choosing what to wear is made simpler because it is your online travel wardrobe assistant.

Click here to start planning your wardrobe.