The Natick Mall Uniqlo storefront, image via Uniqlo

After much buzz, the Japanese retail behemoth, Uniqlo, has opened the doors of their first full stores in the Boston area. Today, August 29, both locations at the Natick Mall and the Mall at Chesnut Hill welcomed customers to shop their collections of affordable jeans, sweaters, T-shirts and more.

In Natick, the opening was celebrated with a Taiko drumming performance, an introduction from Uniqlo CEO Larry Meyer, and a ribbon cutting. Along with Meyer, Natick Board of Selectmen Chair Joshua Meyer, Natick Town Administrator Martha White and local celebrity chef Kristin Kish (who’s part of Uniqlo’s Face of the People Campaign) arrived to help welcome customers to the new store. 

After the introductions and ceremony, nearly 100 customers who had lined up for the opening shopped the store and were greeted by the Uniqlo staff along with Red Sox mascot Wally the Green Monster. The retailer has formed a brand sponsorship with the MLB team to cement their presence in the local community. 

While customers explored the new store, Meyer spoke to the introduction of Uniqlo to the Boston area after months of buildup: “We are very excited. I think our clothing, both styling and functionally, meet the needs of the people in the greater Boston area,” said Meyer.

The CEO added that we can expect to find Uniqlo stores in downtown Boston as early as next spring, and no later than next fall. The brand announced plans to open a location on

Kristen Kish’s Uniqlo campaign 

Newbury Street, as well as a permanent store in Faneuil Hall. A Uniqlo pop-up store arrived in Faneuil Hall this summer, giving customers a taste of what the retailer is all about.

For those who found that pop-up store lacking, the Natick Mall Uniqlo will certainly meet your needs. The store, which houses men’s, women’s, kids and baby sections, as well as undergarments, is stocked with Uniqlo’s signature basics. Fleeces, ultra light down coats and vests, jeans, pants, sweatshirts and cashmere lined the displays, and grand opening promotions knocked the already-affordable prices down.

Kristen Kish, the local ‘Top Chef’ contestant, who earlier this year, joined Runkeeper CEO Jason Jacobs for the latest Uniqlo campaign, was wearing an ultra light down vest over a Uniqlo button up and jeans during the opening ceremony. When asked about the brand and her sponsorship, Kish said:

Ya know, I cook, so this is all very crazy to me. But when they asked me to participate, they allowed me to be myself. They let me wear what I felt good in, and they didn’t try to make me anything I wasn’t. And that, I appreciate, because so much now, they try to transform your image a little bit, but this is who I am and it fit.

Get a look inside the Natick Mall Uniqlo store in the slideshow below, and learn more about what the retailer brings to the Boston community here. With the Natick Mall and the Mall at Chestnut Hill locations now open, we can expect to find more Uniqlos at the Northshore Mall, Faneuil Hall and Newbury Street. 

All slideshow images via author