Global apparel retailer UNIQLO will roll out a new collection with contemporary artist KAWS starting September 14, expanding what the brand calls the “KAWS UNIVERSE” with a fresh set of characters alongside the artist’s signature COMPANION figure.
The collection, built around the theme “We are better together,” introduces characters KAWS designed after drawing on the Earth, Moon and Sun as universal symbols. According to UNIQLO, the new figures are meant to convey hope, warmth and connection, and to resonate with people “across borders, cultures, and generations.”
Commenting on the collection, KAWS said, “I’m excited to launch my next collection with UNIQLO, featuring new characters inspired by universal symbols like the Earth, Moon, and Sun—things we all live under and share—celebrating what brings us together.”
The line includes T-shirts and sweatshirts carrying graphics of COMPANION and the new characters, along with KAWS’s recognizable “XX” motif worked into embroidery and detailing. Sizes span both adult and kids’ ranges. For the first time in the label’s collaboration with KAWS, the collection also features plush charms — a new product category meant to let wearers carry the “KAWS UNIVERSE” with them.
In India, adult T-shirts will come in four designs priced at INR 1,490, with sweatshirts in three designs at INR 2,990. The kids’ range includes three T-shirt designs at INR 990 and three sweatshirt designs at INR 1,990. The collection launches September 14 in UNIQLO stores across India and on the brand’s online store, with further details available on UNIQLO’s website.
KAWS, who has worked with UNIQLO since 2016, holds the position of the brand’s first Artist in Residence — a role created to bring in new collaborators and creative concepts while supporting UNIQLO’s “Art for All” philosophy through museum partnerships and flagship store events worldwide.
UNIQLO is part of Fast Retailing Co., Ltd., the Japanese retail group that also owns GU, Theory, PLST, Comptoir des Cotonniers, Princesse tam.tam, J Brand and Helmut Lang. The company posted global sales of roughly 3.4 trillion yen (about $23.16 billion) for the fiscal year ended August 2025, and operates more than 2,500 UNIQLO stores worldwide.
