Uniqlo will soon reopen its flagship store in Makati City next month and with the launch comes a souvenir, specially made for its Filipino customers.
The Japanese clothing brand announced on its local Facebook page yesterday that it will give away limited edition sensu fans with Manila-inspired graphic designs when its store in Glorietta 5 opens on Oct. 5, Saturday.
The store is said to be Uniqlo’s largest branch in Southeast Asia.
Customers get the freebie with any purchase they make from 10am – 12pm on opening day.
Here’s a closer look at the fans:
The designs were created by local design studio Plus63 and depict scenes from local Filipino life like the local children’s game patintero.
Apart from the fans, the illustrations were also used for the store’s walls.
“Manila is pulsating with a lot of creative energy, and I think it was the inspiration for the illustration[s],” Dan Matutina, the co-founder of Plus63, said in a video interview on the UNIQLO website.
One of the illustrations shown in the video interview features several spots in the metro that Manileños frequent during the weekends. Among them is the Saguijo Cafe + Bar, which is a house-turned-gig place popular in the indie music scene.
Photo: UNIQLO
Another spot featured is Cubao X, a hipster haven in Quezon City where vintage meets a modern. It has a bunch of chic vintage shops, thrift stores, cheap eats, art galleries, and bars scattered around the area.
“We wanted to use the shape of Manila as the heart in the composition [of the artwork],” Matutina said.
“[Manila is] the heart because its blood [is] pumping in and out of it. It’s kind of like people who’re in the city [that] go in, take [in] different ideas and possibilities and bring it back home.”
He shared that he hails from the countryside and that every time he goes to Manila, he learns something new.
“When I go back home, I bring new learnings or new ideas and apply it there,” he said.
The Uniqlo flagship store will carry the brand’s full lineup of LifeWear for men, women, kids, and babies.
