United Arrows

UNITED ARROWS is a publicly-listed Japanese contemporary fashion label and select shop chain, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan founded by Osamu Shigematsu in 1989.Currently, UNITED ARROWS is one of the top performing Japanese fashion companies, selling a plethora of international and domestic brands alongside its main UNITED ARROWS and subsidiary label that are designed, produced and sold in-house. On October 2nd 1989, with the backing of the World Co., Ltd. apparel manufacturer, Osamu Shigematsu, then a buyer for BEAMS since its founding, resigned from BEAMS simultaneously with 30 other notable employees, leaving to found direct competitor UNITED ARROWS. The new brand opened its first store in Tokyo’s Shibuya district in 1990, and its Harajuku flagship store opening in 1992. The brand’s name is derived from a Japanese fable about the 16th century warlord Mori Motonari, who demonstrated the ease of snapping one arrow as opposed to the difficulty of snapping three. Throughout the ‘90s and ‘00s, UNITED ARROWS experienced steady growth, with the company’s stores opening in prominent malls, railway stations and outlet malls, as well as standalone stores. In March 2003, UNITED ARROWS listed its shares on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company’s UA LABO brand was opened in 1996, followed by the Green Label in 1998 and CYT in 1999. Reaching a record ¥100 billion JPY in consolidated net sales in March 2012 with a 12.7 percent rise year-on-year, the company launched a Taiwanese subsidiary and directly-operated store in Taipei as its first international venture. As of 2014, UNITED ARROWS carries 15 distinct private label brands in 232 stores in Japan.