Uniqlo, Edinburgh: what are the best selling fashion items so far? - Gaby Soutar

Clothes retailer Uniqlo started off in Japan, but now has shops all over the world

The store has been extremely busy since launch

The first Scottish branch of Uniqlo opened on April 25.

Since then, the Edinburgh 64 Princes Street store has been hoaching, with thousands of shoppers visiting daily and leaving with their familiar brown paper bags in tow. If you go in there, be prepared for a bun fight. There have been queues in every section, including in front of their upstairs Re:Uniqlo repairs studio, with customers waiting to get trousers taken up and and holes repaired in well-loved cashmere jumpers. Their cafe, Katsute 100, where they serve matcha lattes and brownies along with a view out to the National Gallery of Scotland on The Mound., has also been stowed out.

The store says sales have been great cross the board, including for their new collections from Scandinavian brand Marimekko and their JW Anderson diffusion line.

Uniqlo's Mini Round Bag

However, we asked the people at Uniqlo to tell us what the three best-sellers were thus far, and, let’s say, there were no surprises.

1 Core t-shirts for men and women. For summer, they’ve got the cool and breezy 100 per cent Linen Crew Neck Short-Sleeved T-Shirt (£24.90), in shades ranging from cobalt blue to orange, as well as others tees in Supima cotton (apparently it’s twice as strong as regular cotton) and the quick drying Airism fabric. However, it’s the simple and basic cotton numbers that have been selling well in the Capital. These include the essential Cotton Crew Neck T-Shirt (£14.90) in classic white, black, navy and a host of other mainly neutral hues.

2 Linen shirts. Their 100 per cent Premium Linen Shirt (£39.90) for men and women is already a firm favourite, and they say that it’s wrinkle resistant, so, if the Scottish sun is proving stubborn, you can shove it in your suitcase and take it on holiday. Apparently, before Uniqlo opened this store, they were told that Edinburgh customers loved linen and other natural fabrics, so they’ve been proved right.

3 The Round Mini Shoulder Bag (£14.95). It won’t be long before the entire population of Scotland owns one (or two) of these. They were a viral sensation back in 2022, when they racked up an incredible 60 million hits on TikTok, and in 2023, trend researcher Lyst Index described them as the hottest accessory of the year. They’ve never really stopped selling since then. For summer 2024, along with the rainbow selection of colours, and versions in soft corduroy, they have a seasonal crochet bag and one that features an abstract floral print by Scandinavian brand Marimekko. There’s also a larger size, should you need room for everything AND the kitchen sink.

Uniqlo's linen shirt

NB: As the Japanese brand, established in 1984, is currently celebrating their 40th anniversary, look out for their Arigato Festival, which involves various discounts and offers online and instore until June 2.

www.uniqlo.com