The thirst for anything KAWS at Uniqlo simply cannot be quenched. And Uniqlo knows it
We weren't keen enough to join the expected queue. So we took our time. When we arrived at the ION Orchard Uniqlo store past noon, the T-shirts that we were curious to see were available only in XS. The latest collection of KAWS X UT is clearly successful for Uniqlo, as it was previously. Earlier, a friend told us that she was in a snaking queue for over an hour at the JEM store to get the merchandise she wanted. It was the same at most of the other stores, we were told. At ION, the queue was contained within their own premises, which made the UT section of the store, right at the entrance, look unusually packed. They were still keen, but mostly disappointed shoppers, seemingly forcing themselves to buy one of the less-preferred pullovers (all sizes, aplenty). You could see the reluctance.
Later in the day, when we happened to be at Vivocity, we tried our luck at the Uniqlo store there. The stock levels for the T-shirts, like elsewhere, were reduced to only those in XS. A staffer told us that "all the Ms, Ls, and XLs were sold out." We walked away and then realised that we hadn't seen the tote. We returned to that woman, now folding the clothes and trying to neaten the shelves, and asked her about the tote. She said exasperatingly, "we check the system already, all sold out!" But we did not ask her if she had checked the system. She repeated herself, sounding even more annoyed. At that point, we did not know that the tote was sold together with the book. And that the book, surprisingly, was the first to sell out. At around four, Uniqlo announced on Instagram that the paperback publication was sold out.
That KAWS is this popular is largely due to the art's perceived value and coolness among admirers and collectors. The large-scale sculptures (such as the six-metre giant at the newly opened Mondrian Hotel) is considered a new kind of public art, in the same vein as, say, the Henri Moore—Large Reclining Figure—outside OCBC Bank at Raffles Place is masterful. This is compounded by the characters' cuteness, so easily transmitted to a T-shirt, which Uniqlo has done with little effort through UT. There is nothing terribly creative in the placements of the KAWS images or characters. Perhaps, that is not even necessary when the products are associated with a family of ethnically- and culturally-neutral figurines of the cartoon-sphere and one of the most hyped artists in the world. KAWS X UT elicits the same frenzied reaction wherever they are available.
The craze that accompanied the second round of the KAWS X Uniqlo collaboration is not unforseen. But perhaps, less anticipated was how potentially unpleasant shopping for the merchandise could be. Apart from the need to get in line (and wait), the state of wild excitement and the fear of missing out meant shoppers were at their worst when confronting the merchandise, rummaging as if sifting for gold. Staffers, frustrated from the unrelenting need to keep the shelves tidy, did not avail themselves as helpful salespeople. We asked a friendly-looking chap waiting at the ION store if he bought anything in the first KAWS X UT release. He said he did not. Did he like the present pieces? "Not very impressive." Why did he think people are so crazy about it then? "A lot of hype, lor." Why was he in the queue? "Because I couldn't afford the collaboration with Comme des Garçons."
Photos: Zhao Xiangji
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