How everyday clothing is becoming more luxurious

Influential designer and creative director Clare Waight Keller talks about her move from Givenchy to Uniqlo, “redefining what luxury means today” and how Seoul’s street style is shaping the way we dress. Tell me what you predict.

Last week, Clare Waight Keller flew from London to Tokyo to pick up some fabric swatches and decide what millions of people will wear in September 2025. “I don’t have a time machine,” says the 54-year-old designer. Currently, he is the creative director of Uniqlo, a global fashion chain. “But at the moment I’m fine-tuning my fashion sense to live in the future,” she told the BBC from her home in Cornwall. “My job is to figure out what’s going to happen before it happens.”

If that sounds far-fetched, think of Keller’s track record as a kind of fashion intuition. She started her career at Calvin Klein in the early 1990s, during the heyday of Kate Moss, before joining Tom Ford’s team at Gucci around 2000. As Chloé’s creative director in 2011, Keller helped develop the pale blush color. Fashion theorist Veronique Hyland – first seen in a flowy chiffon dress and corresponding Chloé perfume box, echoed the period’s more subdued “girly” style, a broader, more subtle spectrum of female power. I have defined something that includes. In 2017, Keller took a hiatus for Givenchy, where she wore a long-sleeved wedding dress. Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex It spawned thousands of copycats in just a few days after its debut in 2018. Six years later, the boatneck silhouette still resonates everywhere from luxury brands like Lowe to high street brands like Bebe.

“You can’t underestimate the design of young women’s dresses,” says Chloe Lee, 25, founder of Consumer Trends Newsletter celebritytracks what Gen Z consumers are buying. “We were all in high school or college when we saw this. For us, it was teeth The idea of ​​a princess bride, at least the starting point. ”

Keller takes pride in his work with each label and admits that he is “constantly” searching for old designs on resale platforms like eBay and eBay. Vestiere Collective. But in 2020, she knew it was time for a new change.

“Post-COVID was a watershed moment for me in terms of, ‘Okay, what is style going to look like in the next 10 years? And how can I be a part of the future of fashion?'” she says. “I don’t think it’s possible to do that now without redefining what luxury is today.”

But Givenchy, Chloe and Gucci are not Uniqlo, a brand that sells $49 (about £38) trousers in 25 countries around the world. Keller says that’s the key point. “Through resale platforms, anyone can acquire designer work at an affordable price.” She’s right. At Uniqlo’s competitor JCrew, cashmere sweaters cost around $150 (about £116). On resale platform The RealReal, nearly new pieces from Fendi, Jil Sander and Keller’s old favorite Chloé were on sale for the same price. Keller said the flattening of prices won’t discourage shoppers from mid-priced stores. intention Force labels to better prove their worth.

“Cost is not luxury. Quality, innovation, excitement – that‘s “How can we use fabric technology to make our clothes last longer, look better, and be more versatile in their fit?” That’s luxury, isn’t it? I’m a yarn geek,” she laughs. “I went to Uniqlo because they have the tools to build a better fashion system. The yarn, the fabric technology is incredibly sophisticated.”

Uniqlo’s sustainability claims come as a surprise to environmental critics who rightly claim that Uniqlo’s synthetic fibers do not biodegrade and can leach microplastics into the soil if they end up in landfills. is a sore spot. In response, the brand added: “Repair workshop” At the global flagship fix things So are torn hems and “adopting” clean, unwanted clothing for charity redistribution.

Shoppers support Uniqlo’s vision. It seems sothe brand is growing. The title is “How Uniqlo can become the Gap it used to be.” Forbes article In this article, we investigated how Uniqlo’s parent company is expanding its store count in North America.

“Their T-shirts are always great and hold their shape really well, but their recent pants have been really great,” says the Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar stylist and founder of the popular newsletter Substack. Laurel Pantin says. R Rfocuses on achievable fashion hacks. “You can tell there’s a lot of intention behind the design.”

In September, Uniqlo introduced a new line of “wide-leg straight jeans” at Keller’s direction. “The easiest way to know what pants to wear next year is to look at what 18-year-old girls are wearing.” this “You might not like it right away!” says Keller. It’s a new silhouette…but your eyes will soon get used to it. ‘Soon’ means right now: jeans are sold out at Uniqlo, according to shoppers. And next fall, she predicts we’ll be seeing a ton of fluffy, furry coats – basically hugs you can buy and wear around town.

Keller’s carefully hand-sewn haute couture dresses may have been worn by Rihanna and Cate Blanchett, but the designer is not anti-technology. She says it is “inevitable” that artificial intelligence will be used as part of the process. “You know those flocks of birds that suddenly flock together and move somewhere else? That’s how trends in AI are framed. These little bits of data that show how people are shopping. The points appear, and then something changes. All the points move.”

Keller thinks of each of these points as a consumer purchase, and tracking their movements is a key part of her job. “We have these datasets that show us how people shop. Once we know that, how can we design better for them? I’m obsessed with it! But , I have to tell you something important.” She leans over the Zoom camera as if someone in her living room is eavesdropping. new thing? That’s what I need to make sure I’m always tracking. ”

Keller says her twin daughter and son, all Gen Z, are essential to the search. “Without them, I don’t know if I would have completed my Reformation collection” 14-piece capsule line jewelry Hammered silver cuffs and chunky link earrings. “My daughters are thrilled. They are in their early 20s and have access to everything on their phones and are still obsessed with this L.A. brand because they walk around, get lost, walk into a store and Because the machine won’t tell you.” It will happen. ”

Keller isn’t just focusing on Gen Z kids and their British friends. In between her work at Uniqlo’s Tokyo headquarters, she also stops by Seoul, South Korea. “There’s a huge cafe society going on there,” she says. “K-POP and K-Beauty They’re driving this very hipster moment in Korea, which is driving the rest of the world, or will be. ”

Does this include major European haute couture houses? “Of course,” says Keller, who recommends taking a look at Ader Error, a Seoul-based label run by an anonymous collective of Korean designers. “They’re one of the coolest brands in Seoul right now,” she says, pointing out that their slouchy kilts and denim bomber jackets are examples of Korea’s new youth style. “In five to 10 years, these fashion designers will [European] It’s true that we design houses. ”

Has Keller ever considered coming back as creative director for an even bigger luxury house after going through the same design house? She shrugged. ”time “They named me the world’s most influential designer in 2019,” she says, “at the time I thought it was the biggest honor for me. But I’m very grateful, but what do you think? Now, when I walk outside in Paris, London, or Japan, I see three random men wearing coats made for Uniqlo. I want to wear the coat and go about my daily life.It gives me a great sense of accomplishment.”