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Here’s something you probably didn’t know. Tomas Maier—Bottega Veneta’s creative director and founder of a 20-year-old eponymous label—is a Uniqlo shopper. Yes, the man who installed a rare white John Chamberlain sculpture in the American Stock Exchange for BV’s Fall 2018 show last month buys T-shirts, sweats, and denim from the Japanese mega-retailer. “I know the product well because I’ve experienced it personally,” Maier told Vogue. “It’s not only a great price point, nicely made, and well designed. It’s also holding up to use. I really appreciate that.” And so, when Uniqlo approached Maier to collaborate, “it all came very naturally.”
The new women’s and men’s collections, slated for a mid-May release, are the latest in an impressive roster of designer collaborations for Uniqlo, following Jil Sander, Lemaire, and J.W.Anderson. Maier has put his unique stamp on the company’s LifeWear offering by focusing on casualwear—or clothes for time off, which are the focus of his TM brand. “The idea of escape—Uniqlo doesn’t really have it in its own line,” Maier said. “Bringing that to them was important for the company and fun for me.” In a first for Uniqlo, he’s designed swimwear—from bikinis to rash guard–style one-pieces—and destination-wear like cotton shirting and cashmere sweats that will work well beyond the beach. As for the great price point, Maier was almost giddy when he revealed that the most expensive item in the line is the cashmere sweatshirt—“good proportions, beautiful colors; we dyed all the yarn,” he enthused—which will ring up at $80.
Maier is in Tokyo at Uniqlo headquarters this week to unveil the collection to the press, but he agreed to give Vogue a sneak preview of the women’s pieces. You can shop the offering starting in May at Uniqlo.com and Uniqlo stores around the world.