MUMBAI: On Wednesday, commerce minister Piyush Goyal, Japanese textile companies, including Uniqlo, are set to increase sourcing from India and invest more in the country to manufacture and export textiles globally.
Uniqlo is already on an expansion spree in India. The Japanese casual wear brand has grown to 20 stores in seven years and reported revenue of ₹1,192.9 crore in FY25, up 45% from a year earlier, according to market intelligence platform Tracxn.
It has also remained consistently profitable in India, unlike several global apparel retailers that have struggled to turn a profit in the market. So, what has worked for Uniqlo in India? Mint spoke to Nidhi Rastogi, chief marketing officer, Uniqlo India, on the sidelines of the launch of its 2026 Fall/Winter Collection in Mumbai. Edited excerpts:
You have grown alongside Uniqlo’s journey in India over the last seven years. How has it evolved?
We have always been a “lifewear” brand, but we did see that the initial perception was that we are a winterwear brand because we heat tech and puff tech were a lot more known. But seven years later, we feel that people have not just started considering Uniqlo for winter, but also for their everyday needs, which was our goal. Seven years ago, did anyone consider Uniqlo for linen? The answer would be no.
How does Uniqlo navigate the "price-conscious" mindset of Indian shoppers without relying on traditional clearance sales?
Indian customers are value-conscious, they are not price-conscious, which means that if they find value in something, they're willing to pay, which is what we see in our products. We do have our big sale during arigato, but it is not a clearance sale. Arigato is something that happens in the middle of the season. It happens in November, it happens during a peak time. The idea of arigato is not to clear inventory. It is a thank-you festival.
How does Uniqlo adapt its collaboration strategy to capture the interest of the Indian market?
We localized ourselves to Indian sensibilities. We are a global brand. But we took local endorsers like Jaspreet Bumrah and Kriti Sanon, who are rooted in our idea of authenticity. Besides obviously these big names, we've also worked a lot with macro and micro influencers. And by that I don't mean just fashion influencers, they've been chefs, moms, fitness enthusiasts, travel bloggers, college kids, because again we are trying to see how our product is a life wear product for anybody and everybody.
What drives Uniqlo's decision to avoid third-party marketplaces?
We feel customer experience should lie with us; we are very serious about how customers experience our brand, whether it's online or offline, and that's not something we want to compromise. Because if you lose trust, it's very difficult to gain it back. Right now, we get a lot of VOC (voice of customers). The top management sits down, reviews those VOCs, and sees how we can address them. I can't have that access if I go to the marketplace. About 15% of revenue in India comes from online sales through the company’s website.