Conversations of Style: UNIQLO CEO Larry Meyer Talks Fashion and Philly Expansion

This morning, UNIQLO officially opened its KOP doors in fabulous global fashion. Traditional Japanese taiko drummers took the stage at 5pm—lining up in front of the store and playing every hour until closing time (they’ll be there all weekend, too, starting at noon!). The brand’s U.S. CEO, Larry Meyer, came to town for the opening—and to check on the progress of the Chestnut Street store (more on that next week).

Shoppist spoke with him about the state of malls in general (“There is something to be said about community and socializing, even if you can buy things online. People still go to the movies even though you can watch everyone on TV. I’m not worried about it at this point”), where he gets his shoes (“I like the Italians”), and what sets UNIQLO apart from other inexpensive “fast-fashion” retailers (“constant innovation”).

But then we got down to the basics: What makes this major fashion executive tick? What inspires him and—most importantly—is his closet also organized like a UNIQLO store? It’s our first installment of Conversations of Style, in which we pose six questions to the most stylish people we know.