Uniqlo's Singapore food T-shirts looked eerily like a local brand's

In May 2025, Uniqlo Singapore launched the UTme! Local Delights Collection, limited-edition S$29.90 T-shirts featuring five iconic dishes — kaya toast, chilli crab, chicken rice, laksa, and bak kut teh — designed with local artists Tiffany Lovage and Kenneth Seow.

Social media users quickly noticed the designs looked strikingly similar to Musoka Club's 'Dress Code: Kopitiam Edition' from July 2023, which featured the same five dishes at S$59–S$79 per shirt. Shared elements included centralised food illustrations, descriptive arrows, retro-styled titles, and short descriptions at the bottom. Musoka Club's founder Elaine said customers had messaged her assuming a collaboration, and that Uniqlo's artist follows her brand on Instagram.

Singapore label PointyRice also called out a Uniqlo keychain resembling its sticker set. Uniqlo responded: 'We respect the dialogue it has sparked and remain committed to fostering open, thoughtful engagement within our creative community.' It noted it had featured similar food themes in 2017 and 2020. The collection was not pulled, but the controversy exposed the power imbalance between a global giant and the small brands whose work it may have inspired.