Inside Clare Waight Keller’s architectural first menswear collection for Uniqlo : C

THERE’S A JUMPER in The Brutalist that’s the best single item of clothing I’ve seen in months – maybe years. It’s classic mid-century menswear: sleet grey, thick yarn, a high neckline that swaddles the neck, ribbed hems for the knit to warp and adjust with your movement. So far, my deep dives to the thirtieth page on eBay or Etsy for something similar have been fruitless. Looking elsewhere, in her latest collection for Uniqlo : C, brand creative director Clare Waight Keller practically hits the nail on the head.

Waight Keller’s autumn/winter 2025 collection is cause for celebration with summer coming to an end Down Under; as most things in fashion’s seasonal calendar go, the collection was first made available in the northern hemisphere. Up until now, the ‘C’ line has covered womenswear, bringing the clean and comfortable sensibility Waight Keller has honed over the years at brands like Givenchy, Chloé, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren Purple Label to the Japanese fashion giant. Now, for the first time since being appointed creative director in 2023, the British designer is finally adding menswear to her collection, giving fashion bros everywhere cause for celebration.

Not to say that men couldn’t previously venture into the women’s section at their local Uniqlo. In fact, the brand’s everyday basics are touted for their unisex cuts. Menswear content creators on TikTok were already recommending their followers pick up previous C collections to the tune of ‘run, don’t walk’ for the cropped (on a guy, that is) knit vest.

Indeed, this is the strength Waight Keller leaned into when designing AW25. Inspired by European cities when designing the C line – always designing with the urbanite in mind – Waight Keller looked to the Barbican this time, a brutalist performing arts centre in central London. The result is a collection showing off Waight Keller’s dichotomised signature of softness in cut, and structure in fabric.

A white button-up shirt is cut oversized to hang comfortably around the torso and arms; its broadcloth cotton has a crisp weight so as not to cling to the skin when you sweat. Double faced overcoats of architectural lines come in streamlined grey, or plaids and checks to really punctuate your neutral toned fit. Wide tapered pants are fashionably cut for the office, with its cotton-nylon blend to prevent wrinkling; when wearing these pants to the office, choose the jewel-tone green for that 3pm dopamine hit when you look in the toilet mirror.

Each piece is designed to be mixed and matched throughout the lineup, regardless of whether it sits in the men’s or women’s section. If, like at her previous posts, Waight Keller is working with house codes, Uniqlo’s fabric technology is the collection’s bread and butter. The stand-collar parka, for instance, is padded under slightly glossy nylon, a sleek alternative to your Michelin Man puffers.

With all this in mind, scroll on for Esquire’s pick of the bunch, from both sides of the proverbial aisle, to add to your wardrobe this autumn/winter. And trust when we say that accessible collections by venerated designers fly off the shelves – run, don’t walk.

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