I wrote a little while back about Uniqlo’s foray into the US. I mentioned that one of the main selling points for the temporary Soho store in NYC was the concept of “Premium Japanese Denim.”

I found this very interesting post on the superb blog Millionaire Socialite regarding the future of denim in the US (yes, there are some of us who actually worry about these things). After an intense analysis on the nature of advertising and the creation of a fashion “trend,” Millionaire Socialite says:

Which brings us back to denim. The removal of overt branding allows peer-to-peer marketing to take center stage, since brands in this sector have to match increasing customer sophistication with better products (savvy customers need more subtle means of signaling) . . .

Projecting even further into the future, Millionaire Socialite makes the following point:

With the success of American Apparel and the emergence of similar labels like Base Station, other fashionable apparel is going in the same direction. I believe that this is a sign that, finally, the fashion industry is becoming driven by customer demand rather than in grand trends that the fashion mafia pushes onto the market.

Now the whole “Premium Japanese Denim” and “No logo” marketing push from the Uniqlo management makes a lot more sense to me. Time will tell if Uniqlo is able to get aboard the trend, while still differentiating themselves. Certainly the hunger is there for cool things from Japan. Now, if Uniqlo could just be a little bit cooler.