UNIQLO SG explains League of Legends line is for all despite 'Men' label

share on

twitter /
facebook /
linkedin /
- email
- telegram
- whatsapp
- wechat
- pinterest
- line
- snapchat
- reddit

UNIQLO Singapore has clarified that its League of Legends clothing line is unisex, despite the collection being labelled "Men" on its website. Marketing director Joyce Tan told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that its UT collection, including the League of Legends line, has been designed with a cut that is suitable for men and women.

"We are very pleased that the line has proven universally popular, and we offer sizes running from extra small to triple extra-large to cater to all fans," Tan added.

In addition to making its UT Collection unisex, Tan added that in partnership with the Singapore Cybersports and Online Gaming Association, it worked with female gamer Cherzinga and radio DJ/gamer Joakim Gomez to promote its new range of sports utility wear through its esports event. This was also showcased at its Orchard Central global flagship store.

"It is through these initiatives that we hope to give more visibility to eSports as a universal platform for people from all walks of life to partake and enjoy," Tan added.

According to her, UNIQLO recognises that opportunities exist to promote the UT Collection in a more neutral way, both in-store and on its website. It is constantly looking at how to improve this on a global level, including for other relevant lines and products.

"As a company that aims to make lives better, we are committed to making clothing for all and will continue to review our product lines and move towards that aim," she added.

The issue of labelling was first pointed out to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE by a reader who said that males are not the only ones who are interested in gaming, women are too. The esports industry has often struggled with issues around representation. According to Reach3 Insights which interviewed 900 women gamers in the US, China and Germany in partnership with Lenovo, 77% of women said they experienced gender-based discrimination, and 59% of women mask their gender. To change perceptions, in 2019, the British Esports Association’s "Women in esports" campaign was launched to celebrate women in the industry and raise awareness and inclusivity in the esports industry.

uniqlo sg leagueoflegends

In recent times, UNIQLO has also inked several interesting partnerships. The League of Legends clothing line was done in collaboration with Riot Games and launched globally last month. Besides League of Legends, UNIQLO also rolled out an Animal Crossing: New Horizons t-shirt collection to draw shoppers who are interested in gaming content, and supporters of previous crowd-favourite gaming/character t-shirt collections such as Super Mario, Minecraft, and Pokémon.

In line with this, it also created a UNIQLO Island on the game to allow players to enter a realistic UNIQLO Store. The cross-platform strategy also saw UNIQLO releasing special content for Animal Crossing players to fully enjoy the collection in-game. The island featured 21 t-shirt designs linked to its new t-shirt collection in real life.

Separately, the apparel brand also named Doraemon its global sustainability ambassador, making the iconic character don a green colour. As the ambassador, Doraemon is known as "Doraemon Sustainability Mode" and is accompanied by a UNIQLO logo rendered in green. UNIQLO explained that turning Doraemon and its logo green highlights its determination to accelerate its sustainability efforts.

Doraemon is responsible for conveying the ways in which UNIQLO materialises its sustainability message of "changing our future through the power of clothing". Doraemon Sustainability Mode is featured in UNIQLO stores worldwide, the brand's websites, and other channels.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE’s Adland's Diversity & Inclusion Index recognises Asia's change-makers who are pushing the boundaries and cultivating a culture for tomorrow. Nominate case studies of your D&I initiatives for workforce in Asia today!

share on