100-days: twenty-two

Title: Why urban millennials love Uniqlo(优衣库)

　　urban　adj.都市的；具有城市或城市生活特点的; 市内;

　　millennial　n.千禧世代　　　　millennial　adj.　　　　mill-　千

　　　千禧世代：指1980-2000年出生的人

 

Uniqlo was founded in 1984 in Hiroshima(广岛), Japan, as(作为…) the Unique Clothing Warehouse—an ironic name for a manufacturer known for clothing that is in no way unique. For a certain segment of American shoppers—young(年轻的), urban(生活在城市的), professional(职业的，身处职场的), practical(实际的，实事求是的，追求实用性的)—Uniqlo basics(基础，基本元素，此处指服装的基本款) have become a cornerstone of the contemporary wardrobe.

　　Unique Clothing Warehouse　独特的服装仓库

　　　　unique　独一无二的

　　　　clothing　服饰，服装

　　warehouse　n.仓库；仓库批发店，大型零售商店　　　　ware　n.器具；物品　　　　ceramic  ware　

　　ironic　adj.讽刺的　　　　irony　n.

　　manufacturer　n.制造商,制造厂；厂主; [经] 厂商;

　　in no way　决不，无论怎样也不

　　segment　n.部分　　　近义词　=>　part　　　　segment　v.分割

　　cornerstone　n.基础，支柱

　　contemporary　adj.当代的，现代的; 同时代的，同属一个时期的;　　n. 同代人; 同辈人; 同龄人; 当代人;

　　wordrobe　n.行头; 衣柜，衣橱; 藏衣室; （个人，戏团的） 全部服装;

 

Uniqlo has profited from changes in American society, some of which might seem at first glance to be unrelated(不相关的) to fashion. Millennial shoppers entered a job market(求职市场) with fewer jobs, while carrying more student debt(学生贷款), which limited how much money many of them could spend on clothes. That austerity contributed to(有助于; 促成; 贡献) a cultural(文化的) shift(改变), in which conspicuously expensive clothing fell out of favor.

　　profit from　从…中获利

　　at first glance　乍看之下　　glance　匆匆的一瞥

　　austerity　　n.（经济的）紧缩；严格节制消费　　a period of austerity　经济紧缩时期

 

　　out of favor　失宠，不受欢迎

　　conspicuously　adv.显著地，明显地　　conspicuous　adj.

 

“We went through a period where the logo was dying(指某件东西的消亡，不在重要的) and nobody wanted to wear a big logo and advertise for the brand, ” said Jan Rogers Kniffen, a retail consultant(顾问). “That’s the Uniqlo customer.”

　　retail　n.零售　　　　retail price　零售价

　　　　The shirt retails at $9.15　　(retail v.)

　　　　

This(指上文中优衣库消费者不喜欢大logo这件事) isn’t to say that people who shop at Uniqlo don’t care about how they look. A pair of Uniqlo slacks is never( = not  一点都不) going to look like a $200 pair from a high-end competitor(竞争者). But because Uniqlo offers free tailoring(免费的裁剪，此处指免费修改裤长的服务), the pants(裤子) are probably not going to look like(看起来不像) you got( = buy  买到，获得) them for $40, either. The company may be sensitive to customers’ finances, but it’s alive to their aspirations as well(也).

　　slacks　n.裤子，尤指宽松的长裤　　　近义词　=>　trousers　　　slack　adj.松弛的，懒散的     n.　　

　　high-end　adj.高档的，高端的

　　be sensitive to　体谅…，体察…

　　finances　n.（个人、组织、国家的）财力，财源，财务管理

　　　　　government/personal finances　政府/个人的财力

　　alive to sth　 意识到，认识到　　　　近义词　=>　aware of sth　

　　　　to be alive to the dangers/facts　意识到什么东西的风险，意识到什么样的事实

　　aspiration　n.强烈愿望；志向，抱负

 

Today, Uniqlo has more than 2, 000 stores in 15 countries. Its(指优衣库) owner(拥有者), Tadashi Yanai(柳井正), is the richest(最富有) person in Japan. Its parent company, Fast Retailing, is among the five largest clothing retailers in the world.

　　among + 复数名词 　　在…之中，…其中之一