When UNIQLO, the much-loved Japanese fast-fashion company, opened its first Vietnam location on Dong Khoi Street in December, an estimated 2,000 people waited in line to get their hands on their favorite clothing items.
For several weeks after the opening, lines were regularly out the door, and staff even had to manage how many people could enter the store at one time. This was a clear illustration of just how popular UNIQLO is in Vietnam, and the brand has quickly expanded.
Hanoi’s first store recently opened, as did Saigon’s second location, in District 7’s VivoCity mall.
Now, the city’s third outlet is opening inside the country’s tallest building, Landmark 81. It replaces the space where Bentley and Lamborghini supercars were once displayed, and is vastly more functional.
This instantly iconic two-floor store will offer patrons a number of exciting options, including the full LifeWear 2020 Spring/Summer collection, exclusive limited offers through its first week, and the limited edition UNIQLO x Hana Tajima Collection for 2020 Spring/Summer.
Hana Tajima, a UK-born designer and visual artist who has been featured in the likes of Address Magazine and Harper’s Bazaar, first collaborated on womenswear with UNIQLO in July 2015.
Of her latest collection, called ‘Changing Bodies,’ Tajima said: “Our bodies are not static; they grow, change and move. I want to design clothing that embraces these changes. To bring life and joy back into the way we dress.”
The vibrant floral prints in botanical motifs drawn by Tajima will become a unique selling point of this location, conveniently located near favorite expat neighborhoods such as Pham Viet Chanh and Thao Dien.
The collection, located in a corner of the store's ground floor, features solid colors in styles perfect for the warmth of Saigon. They would also surely fit in perfectly around the sunny confines of Phu Quoc or Quy Nhon, now that domestic travel is back in action.
Osamu Ikeoe, general director and COO of UNIQLO Vietnam, said of the opening – the brand’s fourth in Vietnam: “We are excited to offer another beautiful store in a prime shopping location…we aim to bring the best experience to our customers by offering not only creative visual merchandising, with the store design varying by floor, but also an original art installation outside by Vietnam’s famous architect, Vo Trong Nghia.”
The Landmark 81 outlet spans nearly 2,000 square meters and features an area where visitors can learn about UNIQLO’s sustainability initiatives, as well as a number of other exciting features.
Parents and kids, for example, will find plenty to choose from in the Mickey collection, which pays homage to one of Disney's most iconic characters in colorful ways.
Elsewhere the Billie Eilish x Takashi Murakami collection will attract youths and the painfully cool, along with the rest of UNIQLO's UT line.
In terms of aesthetics, the Landmark 81 outlet feels more spacious than Saigon's other outlets, largely thanks to the wide entrances into the rest of the mall. Here, you won't feel cramped or crowded, making for a more relaxed shopping experience.
During this opening week, customers can also take advantage of reduced ticket fees for the skyscraper's viewing deck, where Saigoneers can take in the most incredible urban views available in the country after scratching their shopping itch.
While the city's first UNIQLO may have opened six months ago, fans of the brand should be excited all over again thanks to their latest, and arguably greatest, debut.
Uniqlo Landmark 81|208 Nguyen Huu Canh, Binh Thanh, HCMC
