Summer romance is coming your way via a hookup between the Japanese clothing giant Uniqlo and Denmark’s spinner of fashion fairy tales Cecilie Bahnsen. The new project developed from a chance meeting of the designer and Yukihiro Katsuta, the retailer’s head of R&D, at the opening of a new store in Copenhagen. “When they suggested we should collaborate, I thought it would be a great way of telling our story,” Bahnsen said, explaining that she sees a connection between Uniqlo’s focus on everyday wear and her own “everyday couture” approach to design. This one-off collectsion, organized around the theme “Shapes of Poetry,” is designed specifically for moving prettily, and easily, through sunny spring and summer days. The vibes are definitely of the blue sky variety.
There are eight women’s styles and five for girls in this Uniqlo LifeWear offering of tops, skirts, skorts, and dresses. Jersey is the main material used, and Bahnsen discovered that it enabled “a much softer romanticism” than her usual organzas, poplins, and tulles. The palette of red and pink, with touches of sweatshirt gray, black, and white is signature Bahnsen, as are the ruffles, flowers, and smocking details. There are two main silhouettes: one that is voluminous and frilled, and another that is smocked and more fitted. “It’s been this constant balance between romance and minimalism, and kind of peeling back to the essence of these jersey dresses,” said Bahnsen, who emphasized that the pieces can be worn as total looks or in mix-and-match style.
Sisterhood is a theme the designer returns to again and again in her own work, and it’s present in the campaign for the collaboration, which was photographed in Japan by the sisters Louise and Maria Thornfeldt, who have long been part of Bahnsen’s work family. On the personal front, the designer looks forward to “eating and dressing like strawberries” this summer with her two young nieces in the Danish countryside.
The Uniqlo and Cecilie Bahnsen spring 2026 collectsion will be available in all Uniqlo stores in the United States and Canada on May 21 and globally on May 22nd.
