When I was in New York a couple weeks back, I made a point to visit UNIQLO. It's an amazing store, and if you have an opportunity, you must visit one of their stores. I hope they're all as done-up as the flagship at 546 Broadway in Manhattan.
Having worked in retail, I recognized immediately that this store is possibly one of the world's most difficult to maintain. To promote their modestly-priced cashmere and merino wool sweaters, they've lined the walls with wool-packed shelves up to their (very) high ceilings (according to Glenn O'Brien of men.style.com: 34 shelves at the highest point).
But the store is immaculate, everything is folded to perfection, and even on the busiest shopping days of the year (I went the Saturday after Thanksgiving), there's no mess and the lines move quickly. It's a paragon of retail management.
I believe a clothing brand's strongest marketing tool (other than the actual clothes it produces) can be its store. If managed appropriately and styled/designed to be a manifestation of the brand—that is, not merely an outlet or location where goods are sold—then a store can really be effective in this way. Abercrombie & Fitch does this effectively...they spend minimally on display advertising, and have chosen to make their stores into "party zones" where their brand advocates can hang out, see and be seen, and occasionally buy some heavily-branded fleece.
Anyhow, UNIQLO has done this exceedingly well. Their brand is about simplicity and integration, and no-fuss DIY fashion. According to their Fall/Winter product guide, which is a rather cubic little book measuring 11x11 CM, and is pictured above...
Clothing says a lot, but you can say it better.
Perfect.
So they're all about the customer. Someone who cares about their clothes, but cares more about how they look in their wardrobe. They like simplicity and the ability to make their ownstyle, rather than something mandated from on high.
And the inside of the store is set-up to promote this idea. Everything is easy-to-find, and grouped with similar items (not with items that "go" together). In the front of the shop are perhaps 25 spinning mannequins with different serving suggestions, but there's no unifying "UNIQLO Look" that a person has to follow in order to fit in with the brand. Nice.
And another thing: none of their pieces have a logo that's visible on the outside. The only thing that identifies my particular sweater as a UNIQLO item is a tiny red square on the inside of the neckline. So again, it's all about the wearer, not about being branded.
I copped a gray and a blue v-neck, as well as a pair of boxer briefs. As a side note, I highly recommend the boxer briefs. Extraordinarily comfortable and hold their shape over time.
On my way out, I picked up a copy of the UNIQLO Paper No. 1, titled, From Tokyo to New York. Inside are some interesting articles from Glenn O'Brien, Masaharu Morimoto and others. Actually a decent read. So pop on over to UNIQLO and discover this brand.