‘Purely coincidental’: No, Uniqlo’s new Military Jacket not inspired by Chairman Mao, says company
- The US$63 Military Jacket is utterly nondescript, apart from four very large pockets on the hip and the chest
- Amused online commentators have been quick to point out the similarities of the design with the man-of-the-proletariat look that Communist dictators have long favoured
The Military Jacket – made of light cotton and available in khaki, navy or black – is utterly nondescript, apart from four very large pockets on the hip and the chest.
It is retailing for 6,990 yen (US$63) on Uniqlo Japan’s website, where it is being advertised as an ensemble with similarly simple, loose-fitting trousers for the spring season.
The company says the jacket was designed by Christope LeMare at its studio in Paris and that it offers “silhouettes full of relaxation”.
Amused online commentators have been quick to point out the similarities of the design with the man-of-the-proletariat look that Asian dictators have long favoured – but Uniqlo has played down any suggestion that Chairman Mao or Kim Jong-il had served as the inspiration for the jacket.
“Any resemblance that customers or people on the web have commented on is purely coincidental,” Aldo Liguori, director of global public relations for the company, told the South China Morning Post. “That was never in our minds when we designed the item.”
Several customers have offered their takes on the trend, with one advising anyone looking to follow in Kim’s sartorial footsteps to “purchase soon, before they sell out”.