UNIQLO's Name Was Actually A Spelling Mistake Of 2 Words Combined. Now We Can't Unsee That

Subscribe to our Telegram channel for our latest stories and breaking news.

The Japanese casual wear retailer was founded in 1949 in Ube, Yamaguchi. And it now has over 1,000 stores globally, including in countries like the Netherlands, Philippines, Indonesia, Sweden, Spain, Italy, and of course, Malaysia.

Prior to UNIQLO's establishment, the company's predecessor was a men's tailoring business called Ogori Shoji.

After decades of growth, the owner's son and current UNIQLO founder, Tadashi Yanai, decided to diversify its product range into casual wear.

That's when UNIQLO was born.

The company originally called itself 'Unique Clothing Warehouse' to fit the business concept. By joining the first two words together, it became 'Uni-Clo'.

However, according to Culture Trip, a staff made a mistake in 1988.

It eventually stuck and the brand's name was changed to UNIQLO.

But that clearly didn't affect the store in any way, as they had opened 100 stores in Japan a decade after its launch.

So although the name was an accident, it still contributes to its unique branding and success that UNIQLO has today.

To date, UNIQLO's founder Yanai, who is also the chief operating officer of retail group Fast Retailing, is one of the richest men in Japan. According to Forbes, he has an estimated net worth of over USD30.7 billion (RM128.6 billion).