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Uniqlo Just Proved It Should Run Toyota’s Merch Department

Two Japanese institutions, one capsule collection. Four ways to show your respect to some of the most iconic cars of all time.

White T-shirt with black and red "Toyota Land Cruiser" text and a black graphic of a Land Cruiser on the back.Uniqlo
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By Ben Bowers

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Something interesting just landed on Uniqlo’s coming soon calendar — and if you’ve ever had a soft spot for the cars that shaped modern automotive history, it’s bound to hit differently.

The Japanese retailer’s UT graphic tee series has a long track record of turning cultural icons into wearable art, and this spring, it’s training its lens on one of Japan’s most famous brands and business innovators: Toyota.

The result is a four-piece t-shirt collection celebrating some of the automaker’s most beloved and consequential models — the kind of vehicles that car people geek out over and newcomers are quietly curious about.

Honor and influence

Four graphic T-shirts with vintage Toyota car illustrations and text, including Corolla, Hiace Delivery Van, and Land Cruiser.
The humble t-shirt collection highlighting four of the famous Japanese automakers’ most iconic and influential models feels nearly perfect in its cool yet simple execution. But excluding the Hilux and/or its American Tacoma counterpart also feels like a massive failure, at least to former Tacoma owner like me.
Uniqlo

Artist and frequent Uniqlo collaborator Kosuke Kawamura designed the graphics, rendering each model in his signature bold style.

The collection features four tees, each spotlighting a different chapter in Toyota’s storied lineup, complete with subtle nods and references that’ll make motorheads smile.

The collection features four tees, each spotlighting a different chapter in Toyota’s storied lineup

The Land Cruiser — Toyota’s legendary off-road workhorse, introduced in 1951 and still going — is likely the most recognizable icon and will probably go down as the best seller of the bunch.

Black oversized T-shirt with a small white graphic of a vintage car and text on the chest.
The Corolla shirt is the only black option in the line-up, which definitely vibes with the vehicle’s menacing reputation.
Uniqlo

The Corolla, which debuted in 1966 and went on to become one of the best-selling cars in history, is also captured on a black tee with a rear-view graphic of the original five-seat sedan.

The Toyota 2000GT, the rare and exquisite sports car from the late 1960s that put Japan on the map as a serious performance car manufacturer, appears on a gray tee with engineering-drawing-style artwork.

Sketch of the rear view of a Toyota 2000GT car with a red triangular logo above and descriptive text below on a white background.
The illustrations and word on the 2000GT shirt are the kind of graphical bait that’s guaranteed to make fellow car nerds squint and follow wearers a little too closely.
Uniqlo

And rounding out the set is the Hiace (or HiAce) — a hardworking van that became a global cultural institution in its own right, though it’s never reached America.

As nearly perfect as this small capsule is, on behalf of small truck fans and lovers of classic Top Gear everywhere, I’ll also say this: not including the unkillable Hilux, or at least its American Tacoma sibling, feels like a massive missed opportunity.

White T-shirt with black technical drawings and text "HIACE DELIVERY VAN 1967" on the back.
The HiAce or Hiace might be the least familiar vehicle in the group, at least to American buyers.
Uniqlo

That nitpick aside, as the saying goes, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and in Uniqlo’s case, the brand’s love for Toyota extends beyond these simple t-shirts.

I’ll also say this: not including the unkillable Hilux, or at least its American Tacoma sibling, feels like a massive missed opportunity.

The company is said to have studied and applied the automaker’s operational playbook as well.

Specifically, according to reporting by GLOBIS Europe and others, Uniqlo adapted Toyota’s Just-in-Time manufacturing principles to its own supply chain, analyzing weekly sales data to produce and deliver inventory precisely when and where it’s needed, slashing waste and keeping costs down in the process

Pricing and availability

White short-sleeve T-shirt with small black Toyota logo on the left chest.Uniqlo

The Toyota x Uniqlo UT collection drops online and in stores on April 13, available at mid-morning ET. Each tee is priced at $29.90 and runs from XXS through 3XL.

Four shirts, four icons, one very easy buy-in for any gearhead or automotive history buff who wants to wear their enthusiasm without making it a whole thing.

If that sounds like you, mark your calendar.

LEARN MORE: HERE
About the Author: Ben Bowers is the Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Gear Patrol. Throughout his tenure in media, Ben has written and reported on everything from consumer tech to whiskey, watches, cars, camping, and personal style. These days, he gets to write less than he’d like to.

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