Global apparel retailer Uniqlo opened its first store in Luxembourg yesterday. The store is located in the heart of Luxembourg City on Grand Rue 22. The opening marks the next phase of Uniqlo’s growth across Benelux and becomes the brand’s sixth store in the region.

For the opening of its Uniqlo Grand-Rue store, the brand has partnered with local creatives and institutions to showcase their work and to connect with the local community.

As with partnerships between Uniqlo and major world institutions that make art accessible to everybody (MOMA-New York, Tate Modern-London, Louvre-Paris), Uniqlo Grand-Rue will also collaborate with Musée d’art moderne Grand-Duc Jean (Mudam), whose mission is to collect and conserve the contemporary art and make it accessible to all. Through this collaboration, Uniqlo customers will discover an exclusive, Mudam-curated reading area at the heart of the new store. Curated from the opening by Mudam director, Bettina Steinbrügge, the reading area will be regularly updated with selections from Luxembourg artists and designers going forward, the company said in a media release.

Another notable collaboration featured in the store is with furniture designer Julie Conrad. For the Uniqlo Grand-Rue store, she designed the reading area and also a collection Loom Chairs located in the store. The Loom Chairs have a simple wooden frame and textile seat, developed in collaboration with local carpenter Norbert Brakonier. Each seat is woven from recycled clothing brought in by customers under the Re. Uniqlo initiative.

Uniqlo Grand Rue will open with Re. Uniqlo Studio, a dedicated space for pursuing a new future for clothes. The Re. Uniqlo Studio will offer services for customers to recycle, repair, and remake their Uniqlo LifeWear items.

To date, Uniqlo has opened Re. Uniqlo Studios across many markets in Europe, including the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark. Re. Uniqlo Studios are also found in Uniqlo stores around the globe including the United States, Japan, and Singapore.

"We are delighted to open our first Uniqlo store in Luxembourg, in the Ville-Haute quarter of Luxembourg City. We look forward to bringing our LifeWear concept to customers here, created from our Japanese values of simplicity, quality, and longevity, and designed to make people’s lives better. We look forward to welcoming ‘frontaliers’, local residents, and the many visitors to this dynamic and cosmopolitan city," said Kaman Leung, chief operating officer of Uniqlo Benelux.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)