Uniqlo — A Unique Approach to Clothing
High-end fashion labels suffered during the recent downturn. However, some clothing companies not only weathered the storm but came up smelling of roses. The Japanese retail chain Uniqlo is a case in point. Sales for Japan's top brand were up by nearly 17 percent for the last fiscal year, and Uniqlo's owner, the Fast Retailing Co., posted a 23 percent profit for the same period.
It shouldn't come as a surprise. During Japan's recession-plagued 1990s, Uniqlo succeeded where others fell by the wayside, making its name by combining quality with affordable prices. It's all down to founder Tadashi Yanai's groundbreaking approach. Yanai's fortunes have mirrored those of his brand. With an estimated wealth of US$6 billion, he has been ranked Japan's richest person for 2009 and 2010. How did he achieve such remarkable success?
Having graduated from Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University, Yanai had a head start in the apparel industry, taking over his father's small clothing business in the 1970s. In the same city — Hiroshima — he established the Unique Clothing Warehouse in 1984. Shortening the name to Uniqlo, he quickly began to make strides.
Yanai puts his success down to his “One Win, Nine Losses” motto, which was also the name of his 2003 autobiography. “I might look successful but I've had many failures,” Yanai explains. “People take failure too seriously. You have to be positive and believe you will find success next time.”
優衣庫——宣告張揚個性時代來臨
近來經濟的不景氣對高檔時裝品牌打擊不小。然而，有些服飾公司不僅安然度過危機且更上一層樓。日本連鎖零售商優衣庫即是明證。這個日本第一品牌在上個會計年度銷售成長17%，而優衣庫的營運主迅銷公司也公布同期有23% 的獲利。
這並不令人意外。一九九○年代日本經濟衰退期間，當其他公司都半途而廢時，優衣庫卻成功了，以品質結合平實的價格打響了品牌名號。這都拜創辦人柳井正開創性的做法之賜。柳井的財富和其品牌價值相得益彰。擁有約六十億美元的身家，柳井名列二○○九和二○一○年的日本首富。他是如何達到這般可觀的成就？
柳井畢業於東京頗負盛名的早稻田大學，一九七○年代時接手父親小小的成衣事業，讓他在初入行之際就佔有優勢。一九八四年時，柳井在同一座城市廣島創立了「獨一無二的服裝倉庫」。將公司名稱縮短為「優衣庫」之後，他很快就讓公司取得了進展。
柳井把他的成功歸因於「一勝九敗」這句箴言，這也正是其二○○三年自傳的書名。「我看來也許是成功的，但我其實經歷過許多失敗，」柳井解釋道。「大家都把失敗看得太重了。你得保持樂觀並相信下一次會成功。」
資料來源：biz 互動英語
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