UNIQLO Global Expansion
Made for All. Made for America.
New Store Opening Campaign Series, 2024-2026
BRAND
UNIQLO Global Creative Lab
PARTNER
Uniqlo USA
DISCIPLINE
New Market Strategy
Creative Direction
Objective
As UNIQLO accelerates its U.S. retail expansion—opening doors in New York, Chicago, Boston, Dallas, and Houston, with additional markets planned for fall—the Global Creative Lab needed a campaign framework that could scale across cities without losing what makes each one irreplaceable. The challenge was not simply to announce new stores. It was to earn genuine belonging in communities we were entering for the first time.
Approach
Most retail campaigns treat local culture as a backdrop. We treated it as the brief. For each market, GCL invested months in deep research and on-the-ground networking before a single frame was shot. We studied the cultural climate, neighborhood dynamics, and the independent voices that give each city its character, drawing on GCL's global network for real insight.
The belief that UNIQLO is a brand made for all demanded more than a tagline: when we show up in a new city, the people there should see themselves, not a brand's idea of who they are. So we made a deliberate decision from the start: no celebrities, no global models, no imported faces. Every cast member was a community builder, creative, or small business owner—someone whose neighbors will recognize as one of them. Authentic local casting isn't just a creative choice. It drives authentic local response in press, social, and foot traffic.
Bringing that cast to life required photographers fluent in capturing real people without losing the craft of the image. Photographers Katie McCurdy (Dallas, Houston) and Joe Perri (New York, Boston, Chicago) share a rare ability to put subjects at ease while making the clothing sing, compelling portraits precisely because the person wearing them feels human.
Made for All. Made for New York.
When UNIQLO opened its Bryant Park location on March 6, 2026, it wasn't just adding a store to Midtown Manhattan. It was planting a flag in one of New York's most contested retail corridors, steps from Fifth Avenue, in a building that demanded to be noticed and a community strategy designed to make the city feel like it was already home.
“Made for All. Made for New York.” Campaign Results
The Bryant Park opening set the benchmark for UNIQLO's U.S. expansion. It was proof that a research-first, community-rooted model doesn't just build brand equity, it drives commercial results. The VIP pre-launch event and grand opening generated outsized earned media and social coverage, with discovery led overwhelmingly by PR and influencer channels over paid assets. The same framework, applied across Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and Boston, consistently delivered strong attendance, local press, and opening-day foot traffic. As additional markets open in fall 2026, the model scales.
600+
Customers in line before doors opened
151
VIP event attendees, including editors from Vogue, ELLE, Glamour, Harper's Bazaar, GQ,
Bryant Park opening numbers at -a-glance
30.5M
Combined social following among attendees
32M
Total potential impressions
30%
of opening-day customers discovered the store through earned media
$164
Average spend per customer on opening week.
Made for All. Made for Texas.
In Fall of 2024, UNIQLO made a bold entry into Texas with five new stores in Dallas and Houston, embracing the state’s unique spirit and individuality. Knowing that Texas is like no other place, we aimed to connect authentically with its people, celebrating the diversity, fierce independence, and community pride that define modern day Texas.
“You would have thought Taylor Swift or Beyoncé tickets were on sale instead of T-shirts and puffer jackets, but such is the passion for this particular brand.”
“Made for All. Made for Texas.” Campaign Results
UNIQLO entered Texas for the first time in fall 2024 — its third-largest e-commerce market behind New York and California — opening 5 stores across Dallas and Houston with grand opening parties, community ribbon cuttings, a VIP dinner, local pop-ups, UTme! artist collaborations, and the Texas People campaign launch.
550+
Customers in line at Galleria Dallas on opening day
304.5M
Unique media visits a month
Dallas/Houston opening numbers at a glance
5
Store opened across Dallas and Houston (Sept–Oct 2024)
2.7M
Total potential impressions
33.7M
Earned social impressions
$175
Average spend per customer on opening week.
Made for All. Made for New York. Credits:
Creative Director: Joe Encarnacion
Senior Art Director: Ashley Law
Photographer: Joe Perri
Director: ICA
Styling/Wardrobe: Anna Su
Copy: Sunny Lee, Nora Deligter
Design: Ian Thomas, Nayo Kim
Strategy: Brian Jang, Charles Steadman
UNIQLO Head of N. America Marketing: Nicolas Cessot
Production: Honcho Production
Made for All. Made for Texas Credits:
Creative Director: Joe Encarnacion
Senior Art Director: Hannah Yassky
Photographer: Katie McCurdy
Director: Erynn Patrick Lamont
Casting: Lilac Perez
Styling/Wardrobe: Rachel Wang
Copy: Emily Chang, Nora Deligter
Design: Joel Fear, Nic Sinclair
Strategy: Brian Jang, Charles Steadman, Emi Park-Cummings
UNIQLO Head of N. America Marketing: Nicolas Cessot
UNIQLO Director of N. America Retail Marketing: Sarah Jun
UNIQLO Retail Marketing: Corey Spotswood, Angie Decker
Production: Rosco Production