The collaboration to watch has finally arrived in Australia. In line with the mercury dropping in the southern hemisphere, the Uniqlo x Anya Hindmarch collaboration has dropped online and in physical stores around the country and is set to infuse your winter wardrobe with a healthy dose of fun.
Uniqlo is well known for its designer collaborations, having previously teamed up with the likes of JW Anderson, Jil Sander, and Inès de La Fressange. Linking up with Anya Hindmarch—the British accessories label founded by the designer of the same name—for the first time, the Japanese retailer has released a line of playful knitwear and accessories, each featuring the label’s signature googly eyes motif.
In addition to its eccentric, quirky designs—highlights include cereal box bags and baked beans and Pringles totes—Anya Hindmarch is known for its commitment to sustainability and conscious production. The Uniqlo x Anya Hindmarch collaboration embodies these principles through a curated approach, with the collection spanning women’s and children’s designs and comprising lambswool and cashmere sweaters, beanies, scarves, socks, gloves, and packable tote bags. The women’s collection sees the lambswool crewneck sweaters and knitted accessories available in grey, green, navy, and orange, while the cashmere mock neck sweaters are available black, navy, or grey.
As Anya Hindmarch is best known for its handbags and accessories rather than ready-to-wear, the eponymous designer chose to iterate on Uniqlo’s iconic knitwear silhouettes as opposed to altering them.
“[Uniqlo is] so known for its iconic knitwear—with the perfect shapes and colours—that lasts so long,” said Anya Hindmarch, founder of her eponymous brand. “So, I decided not to mess with their brilliant silhouettes, but instead to play with them; deconstructing and then rebuilding them with different stitches and exposed seams – and in turn leaving all sort of little design details to make pulling on your knitwear the favourite part of your day.”
Indeed the collection fuses practicality with whimsy; each sweater is enlivened by the addition of googly eyes on the sleeve, neck, or chest pocket, while contrast stitching and tonal variations on the sleeves add visual interest.
“I believe the exceptional creativity and modern craftsmanship of Anya Hindmarch, along with its philosophy of valuing customers, fits well with the Uniqlo approach to clothes-making,” noted Yukihiro Katsuta of Uniqlo. “The infusion of its trademark humour into Uniqlo essential items creates an exciting new collection of LifeWear that we hope will warm the body and mind this holiday season.”
The Uniqlo x Anya Hindmarch collaboration is priced from $9.90AUD to $199.90AUD and available in Uniqlo physical stores around Australia as well as through the Uniqlo webstore.
Words by T. Angel
