I RETAIL GETS A RUNWAY DO-OVER

As high street fashion brands appoint new creative directors, will this gamble towards attaining a refined identity pay off?

- PRATIKSHA ACHARYA

2024 might be far from over, but it has already proven to be a great one for high-street brands across the globe. From being at the forefront of the conversation as purveyors of fast fashion and their contributions to landfills to being in the news for making marked changes in their management and spinning the conversation around sustainability by realigning brands and making them more conscious about their approach to overconsumption, the tide is changing.

In early September, global apparel retail giant, Uniqlo, announced that Clare Waight Keller will be taking on the role of Creative Director for the conglomerate, a first for the brand. This is the same Keller who designed Meghan Markle's wedding gown and served as creative director at Chloé and artistic director at Givenchy.

With a career that spans luxury labels upon luxury labels, taking on a permanent role at a mass market brand is a far cry from what the high pedigree designer is used to. The decision to announce Keller as the driver of more artistic pursuits for the brand comes after her stint as the brains behind UNIQLO : C, a tangent of the brand that explores chic basics and layers for both womenswear and menswear.