Philip Lindeman x Uniqlo Utrecht

Japanese fashion retailer Uniqlo has a long history of collaborating with artists and celebrating creativity, from partnerships with institutions like Tate Modern to artist t shirts, they aim to democratise art and bring creativity to a wider audience. When it comes to opening new stores the Uniqlo team tap into local creative communities and work with a local artist to add the finishing touches to each outlet. Who better to commission for the Uniqlo Utrecht opening than Philip Lindeman, a stalwart of the Utrecht scene whose murals and artworks can be found across the city.

Philip was first asked to create a city guide of Utrecht in his unique style that would be installed in store and show Uniqlo at the heart of the city alongside local landmarks and cultural institutions, including print studio Kapitaal, Centraal Museum and the very best cafes and bars. The city guide denotes each landmark with an icon rendered in Philip’s playful illustration. Many of the landmarks feature Philip’s murals or work and these icons take details from those works, creating a mini art tour of the illustrator’s previous collaborations with local businesses.

Alongside the city guide Philip was invited to create an illustration that encapsulated Utrecht to be printed on tote bags. Philip wanted to capture the essence of Utrecht and highlight some of the features typical to the city. Weaving together local history, architectural detail, ducks, bikes and the Utrecht’s oldest fig tree Philip created a joyful celebration of his home city.

With the Uniqlo team inspired by the creativity Philip put in to illustrating the Utrecht city guide and tote bag, they then asked for him to create a 3 panel mural to be displayed long term on light boxes in the store. Philip’s artwork brings together classic Uniqlo designs and the distinctive charm of Utrecht in another wonderful example of his unique talents!

When the store opened at the end of April Philip was among luminaries including the Japanese ambassador to cut the ribbon and officially open the doors to the people of Utrecht.

You can check out Philip’s portfolio in full here.

Photography in the artist’s studio by Robin Meyer.

Photography of store opening by Isloo van Dijk.