Uniqlo, the Japanese fashion retailer renowned for its value-oriented prices and innovative technical fabrics, concludes a round of U.S. openings on Friday with the launch of a 19,250-square-foot store on the site of the former Andy Warhol Factory.
Situated at 860 Broadway in Manhattan’s Union Square neighborhood, the Andy Warhol Factory was where the legendary artist produced his silkscreens and films. It also served as a hub for other artists as well as actors, musicians, designers and counterculture types.
The Union Square opening follows three others last month in prominent urban locations, including a 24,340-square-foot unit at 510 Fifth Avenue by Bryant Park; a 11,200-square-foot unit at 187 Kent Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the 29,600-square-foot store on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile at 600 North Michigan Avenue. In December, Uniqlo opened in Santa Monica, Calif., at the Third Street Promenade shopping center.
Uniqlo currently operates 82 stores in the U.S., but there are several more locations lined up.
Uniqlo opens in Boston’s Downtown Crossing on April 10; in the Oakbrook Mall outside Chicago on May 1, and this fall, in Westfield World Trade Center in lower Manhattan and on San Francisco’s Market Street.
Other upcoming openings will be in Miami — a new market for Uniqlo — in the Aventura Mall and at 530 Lincoln Road in Miami Beach; the Annapolis Mall in Maryland; Issaquah Commons in Seattle; The Houston Galleria, and Georgetown Park in Washington D.C.
Uniqlo’s new 510 Fifth Avenue location.
Twenty years ago, Uniqlo entered the U.S. Early on, the brand struggled and closed some locations because they lacked recognition among consumers. But in recent years, Uniqlo has emerged as among the most popular fashion specialty destinations and is back on the growth track in the States.
“We have been busy,” said Nicolas Cessot, head of marketing for Uniqlo North America, in an interview. “Uniqlo continues to grow thoughtfully across the U.S. We are committed to investing in key cities with our store expansion and will deliver the very best of Uniqlo Lifewear, our high-quality functional clothing designed for everyday life.”
Asked if the expansion could be characterized as aggressive, Cessot said, “Not necessarily. It’s strategic.”
The bestsellers include Uniqlo’s T-shirts, which are priced from $19.90 to $24.90; denim, priced from $49.90 to $59.90, and linen, priced $49.90, he said.
Uniqlo’s linen presentation.
Uniqlo is further raising its profile through collaborations with the New York Public Library, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which augment store openings with exclusive products and localized marketing campaigns.
With the New York Public Library, Uniqlo is supporting free cultural and youth-focused activities, including The Library After Hours program, which three times annually transforms the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building on Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street with entertainment, food and drinks and rare behind-the-scenes access to the library’s collections. In October, Uniqlo will support The Library After Hours: Teen Takeover program, which encourages skill-building, creativity and self-expression.
Then there’s Uniqlo’s “Made for All. Made for New York” campaign celebrating the brand’s growth in the city. The brand’s new NYC stores are each spotlighting people and neighborhoods that shape the city, and will display products created specifically for each location. Among those being spotlighted, India Bradley, the first Black soloist in the history of the New York City Ballet; Devon Turnbull, the audio engineer and sound expert; sculptor and ceramicist Simone Bodmer-Turner; lighting designers Aaron and Irisa Chan-Kawabi, and musician/producer John Roseboro.
Last month, Uniqlo signed an agreement with the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team renaming Dodger Stadium to “Uniqlo Field at Dodger Stadium.” The partnership lets Uniqlo display its name above the batter’s eye in center field, on the facade beneath the press box, and on the grass along the baselines. Japan has produced some of Major League Baseball’s greatest players, including Shohei Ohtani who plays on the Dodgers.
The retailer has also several store innovations to America.
The Re.Uniqlo Studio program operates inside the Fifth Avenue, Chicago and SoHo stores (and flagships around the world) enabling shoppers to repair items by adding embroidery, patches or alterations. And the Re.Uniqlo circularity program lets customers drop off gently used Uniqlo clothing that is then donated to local nonprofits.
Uniqlo has also been rolling out “UTme!” to new stores, a print-on-demand service for customizing T-shirts or tote bags with graphics that become “wearable art.” Shoppers bring in their own designs or pre-printed artwork from local artists, or art inspired by the New York Public Library, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Andy Warhol Foundation. Uniqlo Bryant Park has been offering exclusive NYPL Uniqlo UTme! T-shirts and tote bags with artwork paying homage to the iconic NYPL library card and created by Japanese-born graphic designer Kei Saito. At the Williamsburg store, Kaws, a contemporary artist and Brooklyn native, honors his neighborhood with exclusive designs.
There will also be exclusive UTme! designs and an in-store tribute honoring Andy Warhol at Uniqlo’s Union Square location. The collaboration reflects Warhol’s belief in “art for everyone,” translating his iconic Pop Art imagery into accessible, wearable essentials.
The Chicago store features UTme! designs created with local artists, cultural partners, and institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago.
Tracksuit, a company that tracks brand data, recently found that Uniqlo recorded “consistent, full-funnel growth across U.S. consumers in the clothing category” in 2024 and 2025. Tracksuit indicated that Uniqlo’s brand awareness has increased 7 percent, while the number of people who’ve considered purchasing from Uniqlo rose 5 percent, and those who looked into the brand increased 5 percent. Also, those who indicated Uniqlo as their preferred brand grew 2 percent. Thirty-four percent of people described the brand as innovative.
Currently, Uniqlo operates more than 2,500 stores globally, including in Japan, Asia, Europe and North America. Uniqlo is the largest brand within the portfolio of Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., the Japanese retail holding company based in Tokyo. Fast’s other brands are GU, Theory, PLST, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam, JBrand and Helmut Lang. For the year ended Aug. 31, Fast generated $23.16 billion in sales. The total number of stores across Fast Retailing’s brands exceeds 3,500.
Uniqlo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
