Uniqlo has been in a dedicated relationship with Jonathan Anderson since 2017, the yr they first rubbed shoulders. Quick ahead to as we speak, and this partnership has became an virtually annual ritual, a reunion with a modest price ticket. Between Anderson juggling Dior’s countless debuts and holding JW Anderson related, one factor is evident. Uniqlo have to be doing one thing very proper, or very persistent. Probably each.
This season, the Spring/Summer time 2026 assortment is given the very becoming title “Prep Meets Play,” which takes cues from British water sports activities and the sort of collegiate model that smells faintly of privilege. “This assortment provides a brand new interpretation to conventional British prep model, expressing its character with a spring-summer lightness and vibrant colours.” All of it is a 31-piece lineup, as a result of no collaboration is full with out branded socks and a backpack.
Nautical cues present up in henleys with rowing-club ancestry, shorts that may’t resolve whether or not they’re for land or water, and quarter-zips straight out of a really particular ’90s crusing fantasy. After all, there’s a complete rainbow of Dry Cotton Polos to select from, denim that swallows you complete, cropped boxy oxfords for anybody who enjoys somewhat construction, and parkas that like to shrug off water. Prepared for the plenty February 26.
It’s mainly the proper assortment for anybody at an Ivy League who daydreams about commuting by sailboat as a substitute of foot. Traditional Uniqlo, teetering on the sting of boring, with simply sufficient Anderson touches to make each bit sneak onto your wishlist, in the event you relate to the particular person daydreaming about grand entrances. And that’s coming from somebody who has spent a lifetime efficiently avoiding polo shirts, so take my opinion with a beneficiant pinch of salt. All I do know is that if I ever developed a smooth spot for these little buttons, Anderson at $30 would have me genuinely intrigued. Contemplating how these collaborations preserve rolling out below among the largest names in excessive vogue, it’s apparent that the Quick Retailing umbrella, mother or father to Uniqlo and GU, and now with Marni’s Francesco Risso just lately taking the reins as inventive director, is aware of precisely what it’s doing.
