Holiday 2024 Gift Guide: UNIQLO x ANYA HINDMARCH
Soundbites from the English designer on her creative process, her joyful collaboration with Uniqlo, and her favourite knitwear pieces for every wish list.
The holiday season is just around the corner, and with it comes the joy of finding the perfect gifts for your loved ones. Here’s a quick tip: You can never go wrong with stylish essentials.
And who would understand statement gifting better than Anya Hindmarch? A household name by the tender age of 19, the founder and CEO first launched her namesake label in 1987, breathing new life into the fashion industry with her playful spin on luxury accessories.
This festive season, consider Hindmarch’s second collaboration with Japan’s UNIQLO – a covetable celebration of the designer’s distinct creativity and Japanese sensibility. Whether you're shopping for family, friends, or that one person who’s notoriously hard to please, we’ve got you covered.
For the BFF: PUFFTECH Shirt Jacket, RM349.90
Designed to flatter, this jacket features high-performance padding that traps air for extra warmth. Look for the cute patch pocket with an embroidered eye on the left sleeve that’s great for holding keys or any small items the next time you two are out and about.
“I wanted to play with what UNIQLO does so well – the materials, the silhouettes, and shapes – in terms of how an item is worn, how it washes, all those things,” says Hindmarch. “So I wanted to preserve those things but also sort of dissect, deconstruct, and play – add some interesting details to say we’ve been here, we’ve played here.”
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For Mum: Merino Crew Neck Sweater, RM149.90
Made of extra fine Merino wool, this sweater showcases stitching on the right armhole and left cuff for a handcrafted look. Outside seams at the armholes, right side, and under the sleeves add a distinctive accent, while the back uses a different knitting pattern so the lining can be seen on the outside – as clear and cherished as Mum’s love for you.
“When I think about when I put on my UNIQLO jumper, it’s a moment of downtime that I value. It signals time off, cosiness, and comfort,” she muses. “We wanted to play with the idea of taking the jumper off and putting it on and celebrate that small joy. Just the abstract joy of movement and how beautiful that is. The pieces are not restrictive. They’re free and easy.”
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For Big Sis: Merino Oversized V Neck Cardigan, RM179.90
With its oversized cut, this cosy cardigan feels like a warm sisterly hug. Its partial front placket and different thread colour of the third button lend an upcycled look to the design. As with the crew neck sweater, the stitching provides a handcrafted feel, as do the accented outside seams.
“There's some joy to the darning and a sense of your favourite item that’s been nibbled and you’re putting it back together again,” says Hindmarch of the whimsical stitching and design. “Again, it’s all about play. I hope that you want to shrug these items on and wear them so much that they become like your best friend.”
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For Little Sis: HEATTECH Knitted Mitten, RM79.90
Practical and perfect for the young at heart, the right hand of this knitted mitten is embroidered with a round eye and a small hat on the thumb. All your fingers can be uncovered for touchscreen time, and when the fingers are out, the cover part folds up neatly for a good fit.
“I find it difficult to take myself too seriously. I find it difficult to take fashion too seriously,” she says of her cheeky pieces. “Irony is perhaps a bit of a British trait in a way. It’s also slightly Japanese. The British and the Japanese have a very similar approach in that way. I think that sort of self-deprecation and playfulness is more interesting really.”
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For Office Bestie: HEATTECH Beanie, RM79.90
Keep your desk buddy warm at work with this chunky knit beanie, topped off with an adorable pompom. Its embroidered design includes a round eye keeping watch above the decorative pocket as well as handmade-style stitching on the pockets.
“I find that I need to feed my brain in a very unstructured way,” says Hindmarch on her design inspiration. “I need to take in as much stimulus as I can. Wherever I go, I’ll always check out a museum or a gallery; I’m obsessed with architecture, I love design, materials, craft. It kind of all goes in and then things spit out, without rhyme or reason.”
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For the Boss: HEATTECH Knitted Stole, RM129.90
For the leader of your office tribe, consider a vibrant stole that similarly commands attention. This one features a fun colour block design with different ribbed knit thicknesses on each half.
Hindmarch herself once worked in Japan for 30 years, leading to an obsession with the land of the rising sun. “I think the Japanese and the British are similar in many ways,” she adds. “There’s a huge amount of work that goes into making clothes responsibly – and the Japanese have that same work ethic. And I can do what I want to do, sustainably, and at a large scale to make really big differences. That’s what’s exciting.”
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For Lover Boy: Packable Bag, RM79.90
Keep yourself in his heart and on his arm with this packable bag. Its gusseted design easily fits A3 size paper, so it’s big enough for all his essentials. Spacious as it may be, it folds up neatly to be stored inside the attached charm so he can take you anywhere and everywhere.
Also indicative of a strong relationship, Hindmarch was pleasantly surprised by how aligned she and UNIQLO were in so many respects. “The team I work with is very much our customer base already, and there’s a sort of natural synergy, which is amazing,” she explains. “It has been an honour because I’ve gotten to learn a lot. There’s an alchemy there which is really nice.”
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For Secret Santa: HEATTECH Socks, RM24.90
Keep it light-hearted at work with these high-performance warm socks. Made of HEATTECH fabric with heat absorption technology, it also comes with odour control and deodorising features. And who could resist classic stripes in a ribbed knit and those embroidered round eyes?
“This collection is really for everyone,” she enthuses. “I can actually see someone sitting in an office, in quite a sort of serious role, wearing the collection. It's got a bit of humour to it that makes them smile. It's for everyone, every age – it's very inclusive.”
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For the Little Man of the House: KIDS PUFFTECH Jacket, RM179.90
Boisterous boys need tough outerwear. Here, pleated sheet padding provides warmth and a soft, puffy feel, while a water-repellent finish protects against light rain.
“I hope to give people new utilities in places where they wouldn’t have expected, but it’s also all about balance,” she opines. “One thing we were thinking about was: how do you manage the balance of being silly but not cartoony. It’s a very delicate line. It’s a bit like the yin and the yang. You need the sweet and the sour. It’s like an alchemy of trying to get things just right.”
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For Girl Boss Junior: KIDS Merino Crew Neck Sweater, RM129.90
Future leaders speak their minds in so many creative ways. This chic sweater has an embroidered thumbhole that, when held against the round eye design on the chest, creates a little face.
“Having eye motif here and the mouth here makes it so that you can play, especially if you’re a child,” says the adoring mother. “A child can use the sweater to help indicate whether they're happy or they're sad. And that’s a fun part of the storytelling. Having a hole for your thumb makes it so that the knitwear jumper feels like a glove, which is quite practical.”
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For the Niece: KIDS HEATTECH Knitted Cap, RM79.90
It’s fun to indulge kids when they’re not your own. This deliciously warm trapper hat features round eyes embroidered on the hem, making it a delight to wear.
“I think an element of playfulness gives it sort of a second life beyond just a piece of knitwear that you can wear,” Hindmarch smiles. “It’s also about personalisation.”
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For the Nephew: KIDS HEATTECH Socks, RM29.90
Naturally curious, children love to play with pieces that add an unexpected touch. Along with heat retention technology, these socks come with deodorisation features for lasting freshness as well as timeless whimsy in its embroidered eyes.
“If you’re just wearing a really beautiful pair of navies, well-cut trousers, you can put on that very simple bit of knitwear with our graphic motifs, and it does just enough to elevate the outfit,” she winks. “It’s the little tiny details.”
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Available now. Shop the collection here.
