A concession for the recession

I have finally found a piece on the internet discussing the upcoming Uniqlo menswear tailoring range – a concept which even devoid of detail has had me salivating for weeks.

If jackets, waistcoats, shirts and formal trousers “in a palette of both formal darks and ice-cream lights” do in fact appear at the “incredibly affordable” prices reported in the article, I predict all manner of stylish chaos will erupt at the new concession Uniqlo are opening soon in Selfridges to launch the range (said to on 23 February, but the Uniqlo site has it down as 21 February).

My hope is that this will signal a breakout for Uniqlo’s fantastic clothing to a wider audience – but it is also possible to detect in the launch a more fundamental retailing shift? Traditionally, Selfridges have prided themselves on stocking some of the most expensive fashion items known to man (the Topman concession being a rare exception), so it is at the very least unusual for them to be giving over so much space to such a resolutely inexpensive label.

Perhaps (and we can only hope) the downturn is beginning to prompt department stores into re-assessing where the bulk of their business lies and focusing more on providing quality products at affordable prices. I guess only time will tell…