For Uniqlo’s founder, conquering America is personal

Tadashi Yanai, who grew up steeped in US culture, eyes growth amid Trump’s policies

- River Akira Davis

For Mr Tadashi Yanai, the founder and president of Uniqlo's parent company Fast Retailing, the United States has become a source of both immense optimism and concern.

In recent years, Uniqlo’s affordable, well-made basic clothes have struck a chord, especially with younger American shoppers, fuelling a rapid business expansion.

The US is now a pillar of the growth strategy of Japan's Fast Retailing.

Mr Yanai, 76, came of age in postwar Japan, steeped in American culture.

He wore Converse and drew inspiration for Uniqlo from casual-wear brands like Gap.

Conquering the US market is also a matter of personal legacy for Mr Yanai, whose Uniqlo empire today comprises more than 2,500 stores globally.

“I want to succeed in America,” Mr Yanai said in an interview in a sunlit office in New York’s Meatpacking district.

It was the preppy youth styles of the East Coast that opened his eyes to clothing in the 1960s and 1970s, he said. So, he said of the market: “I feel the most attachment to it.”

After opening its first store in New Jersey in 2005, Uniqlo’s North American business did not turn profitable until 2022.

The market’s expansion since then helped Fast Retailing report a record annual net profit of US$2.8 billion (S$3.6 billion) recently.

In the US, “finally, we got to the entrance point”, Mr Yanai said.

Yet his optimism is shadowed by his growing alarm over the political and economic direction of the country that played a foundational role in Uniqlo’s identity.

US President Donald Trump's protectionist policies and extraordinarily high tariffs threaten to throw a wrench into Uniqlo’s global supply chain.

The firm relies on a meticulously managed network of factories in China and Southeast Asia, regions targeted by double-digit tariffs.