Frenzied shoppers and long queues as new Uniqlo x KAWS collection drops in Asia

Uniqlo's just dropped a new collection and shoppers in Asia have gone nuts.

The Japanese clothing company released its latest collaboration with American contemporary artist KAWS on Monday (June 3), and the collection's been overwhelmingly popular with fans.

The KAWS: Summer Collection features 12 t-shirt designs for adults, six for kids, as well as three tote bags, with prices starting from $14.90. 

But a quick check on Uniqlo's Singapore website shows that most designs have run out of sizes, and popular ones have already been snapped up from its online inventory. 

That's no surprise considering the collection's popularity in China, where shoppers were seen scrambling for the drop and sweeping them off the shelves. Does this clip remind anyone of the zombie hoard in Train to Busan?

[embed]https://twitter.com/thesolesupplier/status/1135484570562940929[/embed]

Another video clip shows Chinese shoppers climbing onto display shelves and undressing mannequins for the t-shirts as security alarms beeped in the background.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/100000135226026/videos/pcb.2226583054105124/2723476854333462/?type=3&theater&ifg=1[/embed]

Someone even created a video comparing the Uniqlo shoppers to superheroes getting ready for a battle in Avengers: Endgame. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/hoo.l.zheng/videos/10157469542759669/[/embed]

Whatever it takes to get their hands on these coveted threads, am I right?

Fortunately, the shoppers in Singapore were not as crazy.

Many fans of the collection, however, are still upset that they did not manage to cop their t-shirts, even as they went on sale in both online and physical stores.

Angry shoppers vented their frustration over Uniqlo's lack of purchase limits on its Facebook page.

By not setting a limit on the number of items a shopper can buy, they said the company was enabling scalpers to resell stocks on Carousell. 

A quick check on Carousell shows that KAWS x Uniqlo products are being resold at premium prices. Take this tote bag for example, a seller is selling it for $128 when its original retail price is $19.90. 

Another Facebook user shared her encounter at Uniqlo Bugis+ where she saw someone buying the outlet's stock of t-shirts, presumably to resell them online. 

Others also encountered problems when they tried to check out the items online. The web store is still experiencing issues due to heavy traffic, Uniqlo said.

While it seems that many popular designs are already sold out in its online store on Tuesday afternoon, Uniqlo shared that all designs are available at its retail outlets. 

Here's hoping that the sales would not be as crazy when the Pokemon collection drops. 

AsiaOne has reached out to Uniqlo for more updates. 

kimberlyfoo@asiaone.com