Uniqlo once had a branch on Speke Retail Park, but I don't think it exists anymore. Shame. When I lived in Japan there were Uniqlos everywhere, and they had really great things for very few yen. I didn't buy much though. Shame.
Anyway, now Uniqlo have had the best idea ever! They seem to have teamed up with German Jazz label ECM (who have the most beautiful range of CD covers) for a line of printed T-shirts - the perfect antidote for those who are getting tired of their HAVIN' ITs and ROONEYs. They are also a pinch, at £9.99, or £14.99 for 2. I'm literally excited by this.
(cover image from Keith Jarrat's 'The Melody at Night, With You')
The only problem is that they don't have any stores outside of London, and you can't buy them online (yet). Shame. I'm considering a trip to the capital just to get one though.
www.uniqlo.co.uk
Thomas, thank you for this. You are right, it possibly is the best thing ever. Often when I am made low by the ugliness of modern life, I turn to the ECM catalogue for comfort. It is a Bible of loveliness in its sensible grey and unfussy typeface. Hurrah for ECM.
Posted by: JRWB | June 19, 2006 at 06:34 PM
Give me a shopping list and i'll sort you out
Posted by: AJE | June 20, 2006 at 09:51 AM
Uniqlo's idea is inspired, but I can't help feeling that ECM lovers are very much a niche market. They've got a stock of some 60-100 of the T-shirts out here in Kingston on Thames -- I've bought the 'As Falls Wichita ...' shirt, which is very tasteful -- but I can't help feeling this stock will all be winging its way to Uniqlo's stores in central London at the end of the season.
The selection of images used underlines how fantastic ECM cover design was in the Barbara Wojirsch era. Now she has retired, ECM covers seem a very pale imitation.
Only around 10 album covers have been used, but if you go to Uniqlo's Japanese Website, you can see that one of the images is from the 1977 Terje Rypdal album 'After the Rain', a personal favourite.
Posted by: Gavin Wilson | July 02, 2006 at 08:37 AM
I particularly like the photo-less covers with bold sans serif lettering; for example the Keith Jarrett Trio's Inside Out album. Have they used any such covers for the t-shirts?
I wonder whether these will be one of those products about which, in twenty years time, youths will say "wow, you were around when Uniqlo released the ECM shirts - i've just bought one off e-bay for £600". I hope so. They might become collectors' items.
Posted by: tc | July 03, 2006 at 01:31 PM