Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report
Video Credit: AsiaWire
This viral footage seen over five million times shows crazed customers forcing themselves into clothing retail chains in order to snatch up trendy Sesame Street tops.
The hugely popular summer collection dubbed ‘KAWS x Sesame Street’ went on sale across China today (3rd June), and videos show why Japanese clothing retailer Uniqlo said the must-have apparel sold out “within 10 minutes”. People were even seen stripping T-shirts off mannequins because everything else had sold out.
Chinese fans of Brooklyn native Brian Donnelly, 45, known professionally as KAWS, had been eagerly anticipating the summer collection’s release ever since Uniqlo and the artist himself announced the collaboration on social media.
Pictures Credit: AsiaWire & AsiaWire/Uniqlo
According to reports, thousands queued outside Uniqlo branches in major cities nationwide, and videos show countless customers forcing their way into shops before the roller shutter doors have even fully opened.
The footage also shows fans bolting down corridors – some even dropping their phones – as others fight one another in a bid to get their hands on some of the limited-edition gear.
Uniqlo staff at the Victory Plaza shopping complex in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong Province in South China, revealed to local media that some 700 adult clothing items sold out within 10 minutes.
Some of the most popular items include T-shirts featuring KAWS’s signature clown-like sculpture known as a ‘Companion’, large models of which are still on display worldwide.
He has merged his design with everyone’s favourite Sesame Street characters, and with prices starting at 99 RMB (11 GBP), they sold out quickly in stores and online too.
A Uniqlo spokesman at Victory Plaza said: “There are still some children’s sizes left, but there are no more adult sizes.
“All you have to do is check online to see how crazy everyone is about the product.
“They were gone very quickly – within 10 minutes. They’d been queuing outside the shop before we opened.”
The spokesman has suggested Uniqlo may restock, but said any announcements would come through the business’s online portals.
He added: “I don’t know if all the colours will be restocked, because we really didn’t expect so many customers.
“But I can guarantee this: if you come early, you will definitely get one. We’ve restricted the number of items each customer can buy – only two per colour.”
