Mayhem at Uniqlo in Japan as customers fight to grab the Jil Sander collection

05:16 cherishe 0 Comments

Mannequins stripped, glass displays broken and website down as limited-edition range sends everyone into a frenzy. 

Time and time again, Uniqlo has proven they know what their customers want. In summer, the fashion retail chain had customers running to stores to buy out their Airism summer masks, and not long before that, their Pokémon UT T-shirt collection sold out across the country.

Now, on 13 November, the Uniqlo x Jil Sander “+J collection” was released, and this is how customers reacted.

The above video was taken just moments after Uniqlo’s Nagoya Gate Tower branch opened in Aichi Prefecture, with the person who filmed the video saying that some of the glass from the display broke and scattered on the ground during the tussle.

They also said the escalators were packed with people, and products were crushed and covered in dust due to the frenzy of customers.

▼ Another angle of the chaotic scene at the Nagoya Gate Tower store.

▼ Even the mannequins lost their dignity as they were stripped for their Jil Sander pieces.

Uniqlo says they failed to use a ticketed entry system at the Nagoya Gate Tower branch, which is the largest Uniqlo store in the Tokai region, as they weren’t expecting such demand for the +J range. Some called it an irresponsible oversight, particularly during a pandemic when more attention should be given to social distancing, but thankfully, nobody was hurt and the frenzy died down an hour or two after opening.

While the Nagoya branch was chaotic, it wasn’t the only store that was busy today, as long lines could be seen outside other locations ahead of opening.

At some big stores like the Shinjuku Station West Entrance branch, there was a ticketing system in place to limit the number of people shopping at any one time.

▼ However, this is what it was like inside the Shinjuku store….

The limited-edition collection — which includes trousers, shirts, coats, jackets, down coats, sweaters, scarves, and belts for men and women — was so sought after it couldn’t even be accessed on the Uniqlo website.

▼ Some highlights from the collection.

As always, not everyone who lined up and bought all the pieces were shopping for themselves, as resellers were quick to appear online, posting the items for sale at exorbitant prices.

The coat being resold here for upwards of 29,999 yen (US$285.39) retailed for 15,900 yen at Uniqlo.

Sadly, it looks the resellers made a big profit on the demand for the collection.

It’s not the first time Jil Sander has collaborated with Uniqlo, as the German-born fashion brand partnered with the retail chain for five seasons of limited-edition +J collections from 2009-2011, followed by a best-of re-release in 2014.

Given the overwhelming popularity of this year’s +J collection, it likely won’t be the last, but hopefully next time Uniqlo will implement a ticketing system at all stores, and put a limit on how many items customers can buy. Because when there’s demand for a product, you can bet those resellers are waiting to buy out everything, without any concern for others.

Source: Livedoor News
Featured image: Uniqlo Japan 
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