Grand Indonesia’s Uniqlo offers looks already several years old and incongruous with Jakarta’s climate. (JG Photo/Sylviana Hamdani)
There’s a new addition to the already vibrant shopping scene in the capital.
Last Friday, Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo opened its sixth store in the country at Grand Indonesia Shopping Town in Central Jakarta.
A long line of patrons snaked out the entrance of the upmarket shopping mall’s East Mall lower-ground floor beginning in the early morning hours. When the store opened its doors at 10 a.m., eager shoppers thronged inside.
About 1,000 people attended the store’s Friday opening, enjoying various discounts and special opening day gifts.
Grand Indonesia was chosen for Uniqlo’s sixth store in the country due to its central location.
“We’ve been looking for a more central area that everybody knows,” said Yasuhiro Hayashi, president director of Fast Retailing Indonesia, which owns and operates Uniqlo stores in Indonesia.
“And if you say Grand Indonesia, everyone [in Jakarta] knows where it is.”
The store looks small from its main entrance. However, the new store is Uniqlo’s second largest in Indonesia. The largest is at Lotte Shopping Avenue in Kuningan, South Jakarta.
At about 2,050 square meters, a kid’s section is notably absent from the sprawling floor space.
Instead, a special section has been set aside for Uniqlo’s collaboration collection with German fashion designer, Jil Sander, titled +J.
“It’s a tough decision,” Hayashi said. “Should we have the special collection or the kid’s collection? But then we thought it’s better to have the special collection, because it makes [our store in] Grand Indonesia more special.”
Grand Indonesia’s Uniqlo offers looks already several years old and incongruous with Jakarta’s climate. (JG Photo/Sylviana Hamdani)
The special collaboration collection, +J, was originally launched in Fall/Winter 2009.
The collaboration lasted for five seasons until Spring/Summer 2012.
This means that even +J’s newest items were designed no earlier than the first quarter of 2011.
“Because there is so much demand, we’ve decided to revive the +J collection,” Hayashi said.
“So, we’ve chosen the best items from [past] +J collections and bring them here.”
The special collaboration collection is now being displayed at the heart of the store.
The +J collection consists of 20 styles for women and 15 for men.
The collection mainly consists of tailored suits and pants, and of course, the famous +J white shirts.
“Jil Sander always wears white shirts,” Hayashi said. “So, if you want to sample the +J collection, the white shirt is the must-have.”
The white shirts have a crisp, soft feel.
“The fabric is very special and high-end,” Hayashi said.
The +J shirts are made of extra fine cotton and come in blue and gray, as well as classic white.
The +J collection’s suits and pants are mainly made of flannel and wool — a seemingly incongruous choice for Jakarta’s climate.
Tailored with a streamlined silhouette, these items present a sleek, sophisticated look — even if, perhaps, a bit of a throwback.
“Uniqlo and Jil Sander share the same vision: simplicity is beauty,” Hayashi said.
The +J products are priced between Rp 499,000 and Rp 2,290,000 ($41-$189).
“But [with these prices], you can feel the luxury that Jil Sander has created, the [premium] fabrics and the cut,” he said.
Indonesian actor Arifin Putra, who was among the first visitors of the store, adored the +J collection.
“At first, I fell in love with Uniqlo because of their chic, casual items,” the 27-year-old actor said.
“But it turns out their semi-formal [+J] collection is quite nice too. I can wear them to dinners or movie premieres. As you can see, they fit me really well, too.”
The +J collection will only be available at the Uniqlo store in Grand Indonesia.
“I think customers of GIST [Grand Indonesia Shopping Town] can really appreciate the +J products,” Hayashi said.
“The customers here, they know what’s good. They will know that these materials at these prices [are worth it]. They will start buying.”
Besides +J, the Uniqlo store at Grand Indonesia also offers their special collaboration collection with French designer, Ines de la Fressange.
The collection, mainly consists of light sweaters, dresses and floral shirts, are only available in four Uniqlo stores around the world, which are Paris, Tokyo’s Ginza District, and Lotte Shopping Avenue and Grand Indonesia, both in Jakarta.
These items are priced between Rp 250,000 and Rp 1,500,000.
There is also a special section in the store for Uniqlo’s collaboration collection with Russian-born designer, Alexandre Plokhov, “Urban Sweats.”
Alexandre Plokhov is the menswear designer for the New-York-based fashion brand, Helmut Lang.
“With the Urban Sweats collection, Alexandre has brought the street style of New York to Jakarta,” Hayashi said.
The collection, which is mainly made of sweaters, jackets and sweatpants for men and women, has an edgy, urban feel, priced between Rp 499,000 and Rp 599,000.
“This collection has been selling very well in New York, Paris and Tokyo,” Hayashi said.
Fast Retailing Indonesia’s president director believes that the collection will also sell well in Jakarta, despite the persistent differences in temperature.
Besides these special collaboration collections, the new Uniqlo store also dedicates a large front section for their fleece jacket collection.
“It’s the 20th anniversary of the fleece collection at Uniqlo,” Hayashi said.
“It’s among the best signature product for Uniqlo since we’re born. We’ve sold over 300 million units worldwide.”
The fleece jackets are available in basic colors as well as animal prints.
The store also offers a wide collection of Heattech.
The Heattech collection, which is made of T-shirts, camisoles and pants, is made of a special heat-insulating, yet thin material developed jointly with the global textile maker, Toray.
“[Heattech] keeps you warm,” said Hayashi. “Somehow, this is the best-seller of all in Indonesia.”
The Uniqlo at Grand Indonesia is offering opening discounts of between 15 percent and 30 percent on some collections in the store, including their jeans, fleece jackets and +J, for about two weeks.
Two or three more stores are planned for Jakarta next year.
“We’re still negotiating,” Hayashi said.
Uniqlo
LG Floor, East Mall
Grand Indonesia Shopping Town
Jl. MH Thamrin
Central Jakarta
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