The UNIQLO x ANYA HINDMARCH Summer 2025 assortment has officially landed here in Malaysia! Dubbed the “T-SHIRT SHOP” collection, this partnership marks the latest collaboration between UNIQLO and Anya Hindmarch since the Fall/Winter 2024 release. True to the British designer’s design process, the ensemble comprises playful details — from the adorable eye motif to the stitches — that are sure to start conversations wherever you go.
Comfortable and contemporary, the UNIQLO X ANYA HINDMARCH Summer 2025 collection is created for daily wear — and comes in a variety of styles: four designs for women and one for kids. The Women’s collection includes T1BOXY, T2CLASSIC, T3SLEEVELESS and T4TANK (all in black, white and grey options) whereas the Kids collection consists of KT1EASY. The latter is a crewneck tee that’s offered in four hues, with each colour having a different whimsical element.
“I think a wardrobe of T-shirts, while often not spoken about, is actually really important to get right,” mentions Anya. She also shares that her inspiration for this collaboration with UNIQLO was “to really study T-shirts and try to come up with the perfect wardrobe that everyone needs” — adding her own unexpected features along the way.
In this new collection, UNIQLO and Anya Hindmarch have also unveiled accessories for the very first time. And that’s very exciting! “They’re these square, little pouches with zips and the eye motif that you can use to package your T-shirts or for your toiletries. I love travelling with them so much,” Anya expresses. The white machine-washable pouches are introduced in both Small and Large sizes.
In the Q&A below, the British fashion designer speaks about her latest collaboration with UNIQLO, the inspiration behind the designs, her favourite details, why she adds humour to her work and more.
What was your source of inspiration this season?
I’ve always been a massive UNIQLO fan. I genuinely live in UNIQLO, and my five children are often dressed head-to-toe in UNIQLO. So what I didn’t want to do was create something drastically different. I wanted to play with what UNIQLO does so well, because I think the customer trusts the brand.
So I decided to add on to what UNIQLO does so well. I wanted to play with deconstruction — adding details on the hem or the neck that make things interesting. They’re just fun little bits that sort of poke out if you’re wearing a jumper, or you might just see the eyes peeping inside a jacket or something. It was what we all love about UNIQLO, but with the challenge of adding something unexpected.
Tell us about your T-shirt obsession.
I think a wardrobe of T-shirts, while often not spoken about, is actually really important to get right.
The one that goes under a jacket is different from the one that you wear to the gym, or that you wear in bed, or that you wear stand-alone. You know, you need layering T-shirts, you need different weights of T-shirts. So I wanted to really study T-shirts and try to come up with the perfect wardrobe that everyone needs, because I think UNIQLO does all those basics so incredibly well. So that was really the inspiration.
Organised systems play a role in everything you touch. Was this a purposeful addition to the ANYA universe in that way?
Yes, I’m obsessed with organisation. We have an entire collection devoted to labelling. I think it comes out of the fact that I’m, you know, a busy working woman. I travel a lot. I have five kids. And so I find being organised just makes life easier. It makes me feel like I’m in control, especially when things get a little bit out of my control. It’s a nice feeling.
And what about this idea of systems? Where did that originate from, and why is it important here?
Why a system? Because you need different white T-shirts for different things. When I try and edit them down, I think I need that one, because that does the job of really good layering or this one because it’s slightly thicker material, or this one because I want to wear a high waist.
And I wanted to really study it and boil it down to the sort of four shapes that I felt that I needed in my wardrobe. I think without thinking about it, we all have a bit of a system that informs how we wear clothes and T-shirts — they’re fundamental building blocks in our wardrobe. I wanted to just study that and try and break it down. Hopefully, they’re quite useful for people and help them get their needs covered. I wanted people to trust UNIQLO to add a bit of fun and a bit of conversation to everyday dress.
Let’s talk about styling a little bit. How do you see people wearing each of these styles?
So the BOXY is what I would call the standalone T-shirt — you might be wearing it with a pair of jeans or a skirt. You can layer it with a jacket or a jumper, but it’s also great on its own. It’s not loose, but it doesn’t cling to the body. It’s sort of got a boyfriend fit and feel.
Next, we have the CLASSIC, which is a slightly thinner and lighter weight, but not transparent. It’s cotton, but it’s extremely soft, and it has slightly shorter sleeves. It doesn’t cling, and it’s really great for layering. Perhaps it’s a bit more bodycon, in a way. It’s also got a slightly lower neckline, so you see a bit more collarbone. It’s the perfect tee to wear in bed, at the gym, and it’s super easy.
Then you’ve got the SLEEVELESS. It’s not a fitted T-shirt, but it’s just more of a normal fit, not dissimilar to the BOXY. It’s just a really great T-shirt, especially if you’re wearing a jacket and you don’t want the sleeves to bunch. It’s also quite nice to wear on its own, with a pair of high-waisted pants on a hot day.
And then finally there’s the TANK, which is a ribbed T-shirt. This one is more fitted and it has a slight racerback and a really nice neckline. It’s not too low, not too high; a bit like an old-fashioned men’s vest, which is quite cool. It looks great tucked into jeans, worn alone or layered.
So they all play very different roles. And then obviously we have the kids’ T-shirt as well, which is just a really great classic cut, not too tight. Great for any gender.
You talked about deconstruction a bit. This is a theme in all of your collections. Can you talk about what that means to you and why it’s important?
When I think of when I was starting to work on a collaboration with UNIQLO, which is so overtly and brilliantly Japanese, I spent a lot of time in Japan. I absolutely love Japan and the Japanese. And I often think about deconstruction as being a theme in Japan — the way they study things in quite an academic way, and pull things apart and put them back together again. So I think that was sort of where I started with that. When you have something very simple, but the construction is quite considered, that’s interesting to me.
Where do you find inspiration lately outside of fashion? Especially with the world in the state that it’s in.
I often find my inspiration outside of fashion, actually. I find it often in experience and travel and art, and craft. It’s often the things that I’m doing for pleasure that somehow get logged in my brain. I’m a trustee at the Tate. And that’s always fascinating, because it means I go to every exhibition. So you really get deep into seeing amazing things. But I’ve worked with lots of arts organisations in London. I mean, London’s a very inspiring city because there’s so much history here, combined with cutting-edge and raw arts and crafts. Plus, I travel loads. Japan is the most inspiring country in the world, I think, just for the sense of quality and beauty. So I find travelling, particularly to Japan, really inspiring.
But wherever I go, I often find that just having an empty head, being on a plane for ten hours, for instance, can make you more creative. I think so often our heads are full of emails and tasks, so having a bit of a pause and taking a break sometimes is really important for creativity. I try to do all those things, and I try to log ideas as I have them, even if they’re not relevant, or if I don’t even quite understand at the moment. But often, if you chew back over them later, sometimes with a glass of wine, that can help. But I also find you need to sort of daydream with ideas. You need to have an idea and just let your brain go into that sort of fog.
Do you have a specific memory of when the eye motif came to you, or if this was more of an idea that came to you gradually?
It kind of came out of my mad design studio team. We ended up having a tea party at someone’s birthday, I think, and someone put eyes on the pot. And then someone moved the eyes onto a chair, and then they moved to the back of a biscuit container. And the eyes just started animating everything in the studio. It stuck.
This is the first season that you’ve introduced any sort of accessory?
Yes! So we’ve got these packing cubes — the whole collection is slightly inspired by the square. So they’re these square, little pouches with zips and the eye motif that you can use to package your T-shirts or for your toiletries. I love travelling with them so much. And, you know, as per my earlier conversation about organisation, I love it when I arrive at a hotel or back home and things are organised. And it also helps prompt me when I’m packing, actually. And we made them in two sizes: a bigger one and a smaller one. The smaller one’s just quite cute for socks, accessories, and make-up. But I think they’re just really useful. It’s another basic piece that’s just super useful when you’re travelling. Basic is beautiful, after all!
Can you take us through some of your favourite details this season?
Yes! So there’s obviously the cut and the fit, as I’ve explained. And then there’s also the darning stitches, where we’ve kind of reconstructed the T-shirts. And there’s a little eye motif which is embroidered, and they stick out in sort of fun ways. On one of the shirts, it’s around the neckline. So, imagine you had a slightly lower jumper, the eyes would just sort of peep out. And again, I think it’s quite fun if you’re just wearing a simple navy skirt and you’ve got a little white T-shirt – it’s just that little bit of humour, that sort of conversation point that I love. The eyes are on the back of the tank top. It’s sweet to think of being at the gym, and you’ve got your hair tied up, and there are the little eyes! It’s a fun little touch. And then with the CLASSIC, I think they’re where the breast pocket might be. Which is quite cute if you’re wearing a jacket and it’s just open. The nice thing is they’re little secret details which kind of start conversations and just add a bit of a smile, a bit of attitude.
Love the commands on the tag. How did you have that idea? And also, who wrote those?
We wrote them here. We were just having a laugh one day. But it’s playing off the idea of the laundry tag, which is quite instructive. I think it just adds a smile and a bit of personality. So these are real easy basics, but there’s just a little bit of extra detail that doesn’t make them difficult to wear, but just adds a bit of character.
Humour is a theme throughout your work. When did this become something that you returned to, and why is it so important to you?
I just think that fashion is important, but it doesn’t save lives. I think it’s kind of fun, getting a smile from something that you own every day. I find if it’s achingly silly, that doesn’t work. But just that little nod, that little thing, it can animate a garment. You know, some of the ways that we worked with the knitwear were we placed a thumb hole in the sleeve so that you can animate it into a little puppet. And in the same way, I think you can animate the way you wear a T-shirt, or you can start a conversation. I think life can be too serious. And we need to spread a little joy.
Has it always been a part of your designs?
I think I find achingly cool fashion a bit too dry sometimes. I love beautiful things and craftsmanship that stands alone, but I think it’s always nice just to add something a bit unexpected.
Who do you envision wearing this collection? Who is this for?
It’s literally for everyone. Just like the knitwear was, which I think is a lovely thing. It’s maybe geared toward women, I would say, but I suspect a lot of men will buy them too. And the way we’re launching the collection is just talking about the absolute basics. It’s the mechanics of your wardrobe — it’s like the things you have to have in your fridge, but for your wardrobe. I certainly would be buying them in multiples because you kind of just need a box of fresh white T-shirts, and once they start getting a little bit tired, you need to refresh them. I always think that if you find a great shape and fit, you want to buy it forever.
Does this collection feel like a departure for you in any way?
Not at all. It feels really natural, actually, because working with UNIQLO feels very natural to me. I think this is because I’m their customer and I wear their clothes. You know, I wear designer labels in the world I work in, but I love mixing them with UNIQLO. And I think that’s what UNIQLO does so well. It is part of everyone’s wardrobe, whether they’re in high fashion or not. They do certain things so incredibly well. So I’m a natural customer for it.
Speaking of your collaboration, how’s it feeling? This is your third collection with UNIQLO?
Yeah, it’s so exciting. I’ve learned so much. It’s fascinating working with a company of this scale, and with this incredible skill set in the way that they work on product development and the ability to source what you have in your head. It can happen. And it’s so global. It’s incredibly interesting thinking about all the different seasons all over the world as I do my normal work as well. I really love the people I work with at UNIQLO, it’s an amazing team. We’re all really, really passionate about what we’re doing, and really care about getting it right from product all the way through to the activations and the copy and the art direction. We’re so invested, and it’s a real honour, I should say.
Do you find it challenging to work on a scale like this?
I actually find it in some ways less challenging. I think it’s always more challenging when you’re working at a small scale, because there are limitations. When you’re working at a bigger scale, you don’t have those same limitations. You can often have exactly what you want because you can reach all the minimums. So in many ways, it’s actually quite liberating. Because you have a team of complete, consummate professionals around you who can make things happen.
The UNIQLO x ANYA HINDMARCH Summer 2025 collection launches on 30 May 2025 — available in all UNIQLO stores throughout Malaysia and online. Learn more HERE.
(All photos by UNIQLO)
