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SINGAPORE – Uniqlo’s launch of its latest clothing collection designed with German fashion designer Jil Sander drew long lines at its flagship store in Orchard Central on Friday (November 20).
Some 160 people were seen queuing around 10.30am before the store opened at 11am.
The + J Fall / Winter 2020 collection marks the second time that Uniqlo has collaborated with Ms Sander since 2009.
Calvin Ong, who was the 25th person to join the line when he arrived around 9:30 am, said: “I have waited about a decade for the return of this collaboration, his clothes are usually very expensive.”
The fashion consultant in his 40s, who bought three shirts and two belts, chose to visit the store because it was easier to measure clothing size in person.
Each customer was limited to purchasing five items.
A 26-year-old engineer who wanted to be known as Ms. Feng said goodbye to queue for the launch, which she had been anticipating since it sold out on Chinese online shopping portal Taobao on November 3.
“My roommate started queuing around 8 am with her boyfriend. I ‘replaced’ her boyfriend when I joined around 10:30 am and got her 12th queue,” Ms. Feng said.
The Uniqlo fan of five years was unable to shop for clothes online when she tried to do so between 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m.
Uniqlo had announced on social media that the collection would be online for purchase at 9 a.m.
“Many of the smaller sizes sold out very quickly. I’ve always been stuck with paying online, ”added Ms. Feng.
Responding to inquiries from the Straits Times, Uniqlo said that high volume of online traffic and server refresh time caused its shopping page to go live after 9 a.m. for some customers. It said it had improved its server capacity, and in an update at 8pm, the brand’s spokesperson said traffic was stable.
Around 12 p.m., about 180 people were seen queuing to buy clothes.
The queue was still present at 4pm.
To ensure safe distancing, queue numbers and entry tickets were issued and a maximum of 20 customers were allowed in the + J business area at any one time, the spokesperson said.
Some items are also available in select stores but, in anticipation of increased demand, stocks in smaller stores are being consolidated and placed in the flagship store to ensure availability, he added.
Accessories like belts were mostly sold out after 8 p.m., and oversized Supima cotton shirts for men and women flew off the shelves.
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