Shoppers across China swarmed the aisles, dived under security barriers, ran the length of shopping malls, stripped mannequins and even traded blows over T-shirts on Monday as Japanese fashion brand Uniqlo released the latest line in its collaboration with American artist Kaws.
This was the third year of a partnership, with a line of 12 adult T-shirts, six for children, and three bags selling at 99 yuan per piece (US$14.32). Thanks to the artist’s huge popularity, Kaws garments are resold for as much as US$115 in online markets.
Inventory in Uniqlo’s online store sold out quickly after it went on sale at midnight on June 3, while the frenzy spread to the shoppers who had flocked to retail outlets.
Viral video showed shoppers – at least one of whom abandoned a mobile phone in the rush – racing into an unidentified Uniqlo store as the security shutters went up. Some went down on hands and knees to get in quickly.
Another video showed two men brawling as their store opened.
Once inside, shoppers rushed to the stands and racks of Kaws designs and some grabbed entire packs of clothes. One video clip showed a young man clasping a pack of T-shirts as other shoppers tried to snatch the garments from him.
Another shopper was seen climbing onto display stands to strip a T-shirt from a shop mannequin, leaving the model without arms after claiming his prize.
Kaws: Holiday arrives in Hong Kong and is fairly relaxed about it
Although shops asked customers to buy no more than two Kaws T-shirts or bags of the same colour and pattern at once, stock was snatched up within 10 minutes of opening time in some places.
“Many raced each other and crawled into the store. It was spectacular. I have seen big promotional days and this could be compared to that,” a shop assistant was quoted as saying.
One customer told Beijing Youth Daily that Kaws’ collaborations with other brands were so much more expensive than the 99-yuan Uniqlo T-shirt and that Monday was his best chance of owning a Kaws item.
“I was disappointed after I could not snatch one from when it was released on online on Monday midnight, so I went to the store instead to buy one,” the man was quoted as saying.
The report did not say if the man managed to buy a T-shirt, but it said stock at the store sold out within five minutes.
The hashtag #EverybodyKAWS was trending on Weibo, with 450 million hits by Tuesday and than more 83,000 comments across the network.
Some people did not understand the hype, and one said: “My social media was bombed by the T-shirt. I just do not get it, what’s so special about the T-shirt?”
Another wrote: “All I hear about today is the brand. The clothes look nice at first glance, but grabbing at them is just too ugly.”
