Dive Brief:

• French fashion designer Christophe Lemaire, who departed the venerable fashion house Hermès last year to work on his own line, will be collaborating with Uniqlo for a fall collection for men and women, Uniqlo said Tuesday.

• The move continues Uniqlo’s approach of working with lesser known clothing designers, including Ines de la Fressange, who has a collection at Uniqlo at the moment.

• Meanwhile, Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing Co., last month said it was addressing poor working conditions at two of its Chinese factories following a critical report. 

Dive Insight:

Fast fashion seems an unlikely match for Lemaire, who says he believes in timelessness and high quality, and has criticized the churn of the lower-priced retailers. Still, the aesthetic of his line, run by himself and his wife, Sarah-Linh Tran, has a complex, unisex, monochrome aesthetic that should do well with Uniqlo's merchandising.