Covering the latest batch of Uniqlo U — if you don’t know the Japanese retailer’s long-standing premium sub-label by now, who’s bi-annual drops are filled with the most stylish options the brand has to offer, I don’t know that I can help you — has become a seasonal tradition. Sort of like Christmas, if Christmas involved dozens of elite menswear items designed by a French workwear legend.
Much of the hype around Uniqlo U can be credited to its design team, namely Christophe Lemaire and Sarah-Linh Tran, who also helm the eponymous label Lemaire. (The rest can be attributed to the astronomically low prices.) Imbuing the apparel with the same thoughtfulness and functionality as their mainline projects, the sub-label has become synonymous with a certain brand of minimalist elegance and, in general, menswear’s go-to for sensible, utilitarian basics over the past decade.
You know the saying: All great things must come to an end. After a 10 years of partnership, the less-than-odd couple are officially winding down the project. In conjunction with the latest batch of U, Uniqlo announced that Fall/Winter 2026 will be the last capsule to be designed by Lemaire and company.
While the news is bittersweet for longtime fans of the collaboration, you know the other saying: Save the best for last. Lemaire and Tran pulled out all the stops for the last installment. The capsule is a vision of timeless cool, with dozens of versatile styles — wide-leg trousers, drapey shirting, rugged utility jackets, even some hyper-modern totes — buoyed by a tonal color story of chocolate, crimson and khaki, primed to reinvent your autumnal style without sending you spiraling into credit card debt, one last time.
In particular, Uniqlo U’s ultimate outerwear offering is the perfect parting gift. From long-line fishtail parkas to boxy workwear hoodies to retro-inspired brushed blousons, there’s a style for every type of dresser, all priced to move at $150 or less and primed to assume its rightful role as your primary lightweight layer this fall. (The wool-blend short coat is about to become my entire sartorial personality.)
The Uniqlo U Fall/Winter 2026 collection is available to shop now at Uniqlo’s webstore. Remember: don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. Oh, and cop the capsule before it disappears forever.
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