Tadashi Yanai

🧵 The tailor who created Uniqlo

Tadashi Yanai, founder and CEO of Uniqlo, is one of Japan’s most influential entrepreneurs. With an estimated net worth of over 50 billion USD, he leads the country’s most successful fashion company.

As the son of a tailor, Yanai learned to work in the family workshop at an early age. An experience that shaped his hands-on leadership style to this day. After studying business administration, he took over his family’s business and opened the first Uniqlo shop in 1984, the beginning of a global success story.

🧠 The perfectionist: Yanai is known for being meticulous, demanding, and deeply reflective. He sees mistakes as motivation: “I’ve made more mistakes than anyone else, that’s my advantage.” His philosophy: discipline, humility, and constant improvement.

🌏 The road to a global brand: Today, Uniqlo operates more than 2,500 stores worldwide. Instead of chasing trends, Yanai focuses on timeless functionality. With his minimalist approach, he is set to take the Japanese fashion company past the 1.03 trillion yen (about $7 billion) annual revenue mark in its home market for the first time in 2025.