FASHION BRANDS THAT NEED A REFRESH: J. CREW and UNIQLO

Fashion brands Uniqlo and J. Crew need a refresh because they are struggling to generate buzz/attention and are not adapting to US customer preferences. Uniqlo and J. Crew struggle with brand awareness and are not perceived as luxury brands. They are viewed as affordable, but not as stylish, trendy, hot pick, or edgy. Uniqlo has faced many challenges within the United States and in China. Despite being an international apparel brand, it failed to achieve success in the New York market. “One of the key drivers behind Uniqlo’s sustained success is its commitment to fabric innovation,” mentions how Uniqlo is focused on fabric technology (Hardcastle, 2024). “The Greater China region reported a decline in revenue and profit, driven by factors such as declining consumer appetite, unseasonal weather, and product lines that didn’t fully resonate with local customers” (Hardcastle, 2024) tells us an example of how Uniqlo is not changing their brand marketing to target customers outside of Japan. Uniqlo is unwilling to alter its clothing line, increase garment sizing, and shift marketing goals to target the demographic audience of different geographical locations. If Uniqlo focused on marketing its clothes to Americans, it would have achieved success faster in the global market. J. Crew went bankrupt a few years ago and has not risen to its former glory. J. Crew goes on sale often because it is not a popular choice among Gen-Z. J. Crew is identified with conservative clothing- grandma-core outfits, despite “their target demographic of women and men in their early 20s to 40s” (Petro, 2023). “For roughly a decade starting in the mid-2000s American classic was king. J. Crew and competitors such as Abercrombie and Fitch, The Gap, and Brooks Brothers defined the aspirational soul of American fashion with a kind of New Age uniform for young professionals” (Petro, 2023). J. Crew’s target demographic is aging, so they need to change the clothing styles to reflect today’s Millennials or Gen-Z, or target the retired community of shoppers. 

References 

Hardcastle, K. 2024, October 14. Uniqlo: a force of fabric in the fast fashion sector. Forbes. 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/katehardcastle/2024/10/14/uniqlo-a-force-of-fabric-in-the-fast-fashion-sector/

Petro, G. 2023, August 9. On its 40th birthday, J. Crew’s classic-loving demographic is aging out. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/gregpetro/2023/08/09/on-its-40th-birthday-j-crews-classic-loving-demographic-is-aging-out/