The Cutest Uniqlo Lines You Never Knew Existed

Uniqlo has been working with Studio Ghibli, Miffy and mofusand to create some adorable designs

Last year in 2023, Uniqlo announced their collaboration with Studio Ghibli, producing a fashion line that celebrates beloved films such as Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, My Neighbour Totoro, Castle in the Sky, and finally, the critically acclaimed Spirited Away. The Uniqlo line came after designer LOEWE’s own collaboration with Studio Ghibli, which produced high end pieces inspired by the 2004 classic, Howl’s Moving Castle. The 2023 collaborations from both brands came as a result of the studio’s efforts to promote their most recent film, The Boy and the Heron, directed by Hayao Miyazaki and released December of that year. Although the Ghibli x LOEWE line managed to fully capture the whimsy of Ghibli’s aesthetic through high quality products, Uniqlo brings the magic of Miyazaki’s films to a wider audience by creating a more accessible fashion line, which features t-shirts, bags, socks, and even baby clothes.

With these collaborations in mind, it’s time to take a look at some of the other lines Uniqlo has created inspired by pop culture.

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First up is Uniqlo’s PEACE FOR ALL line, which is a collaboration with different designers and world leaders in art, science, literature and sport in an attempt to raise money for global charities who aim to help those facing poverty, discrimination, natural disasters, violence and conflict. Since 100% of Uniqlo’s profits from the collection go to these organisations, the collaboration is an amazing way to help those in need internationally. In this line the designs feature work from artists such as Keith Haring, famous for his graffiti inspired pop art, as well as illustrations from Dutch artist Dick Bruna, which displays his widely loved, yet iconic, Miffy character, stood on the earth against a baby blue background. Beyond Miffy, the line also features charming animated characters such as Moomin, offering a sense of childhood nostalgia to Uniqlo’s audience.

Celebrating 25 years of the TV anime One Piece, this year Uniqlo has also released a collaboration with the series to commemorate the show, which first aired October 1999. Fans are now able to purchase t-shirts with graphics of their favourite One Piece characters, which come in a huge variety of colours and unique designs. The line even has a children’s range, which offer a different set of visually stunning graphics to the adult line. However, like the Studio Ghibli collection, it would’ve been great to see other products offered beyond t-shirts, such as headgear inspired by the series’ main straw-hat-wearing character, Luffy.

Besides One Piece, Uniqlo have also released a collaboration with a newer anime, Oshi no Ko, whose first anime season was released last year in 2023 after being adapted from its manga predecessor. Like One Piece, the line has both an adult and kids range, but only has a limited set of designs. The graphics attempt to replicate the same aesthetic of the show – cuteness with a dark edge – but fall slightly short of creating a big visual impact. The line was created in anticipation for the second season of the anime, which is currently being released weekly.

Finally is Uniqlo’s collection with mofusand, the illustrated series of adorable cats dressed in various fruit and sea themed outfits. Visually, this might be my favourite collaboration from the brand, which features mofusand characters in bright appealing colours. However, I was disappointed to see that although online Uniqlo does advertise a women’s section, I could only find children’s sizes on the UK website. Captivated by the charming graphics, I ordered one of the t-shirts in the biggest size on a whim, hoping it would fit. When it finally came I was pleasantly surprised to find the shirt fit like a long baby tee (I’m a UK size 6/8 for reference). However, this does not excuse that Uniqlo definitely need to expand the mofusand range to adult women sizes for better inclusivity.

With Uniqlo creating collections inspired by artists, designers, animation studios and even games, as seen with their The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom line, it is exciting to speculate who the brand will collaborate with next. Their interest in pop culture, and in particular, Japanese pop culture, allows fans an accessible way to celebrate their interests without breaking their bank accounts. Specifically, their PEACE FOR ALL line allows Miffy lovers like myself to indulge in the infamous character whilst supporting a great cause, something that I hope Uniqlo will continue to do in the future.