'Did Uniqlo steal my customisable cai fan concept?' PointyRice boss says people are going after her character
The boss of a local brand said people were going after her character after The Straits Times published an article about her calling out Uniqlo Singapore for its cai fan promotion.
Launched in April 2025, local brand PointyRice sells stickers of mixed rice dishes that customers purchase individually to layer and customise onto a plate sticker.
A month later, Uniqlo's Thank You Festival, which ran from May 23 to 29, offered certain customers a customisable Mixed Rice Keychain, and they could pick little acrylic "dishes" to fit inside a plate-shaped keychain.
Because of the similarities of the products, PointyRice boss Caitanya Tan posted a video on social media on May 19 to address the matter.
She asked in the video: "Did Uniqlo just steal PointyRice's customisable cai fan concept?
"Ever since Uniqlo announced that customizable Mixed Rice Keychain giveaway, many of you have reached out saying it looks very familiar.
"And to that, I say thank you for noticing."
She added: "Now, to be clear, we're not saying that Uniqlo copied us. Big brands and small creators can sometimes arrive at similar ideas, especially when it comes to celebrating culture.
"But yes, we reached out previously to explore a potential collaboration. And yes, it was a surprise to see a similar concept brought to life so soon after."
On May 29, The Straits Times reported that a limited series of T-shirts released on May 23 by Uniqlo had drawn comparisons online to local clothing brand Musoka Club.
ST then followed up with a report that another local brand, PointyRice, also called out Uniqlo for similarities in their products.
The Japanese retail chain denied taking inspiration from PointyRice or mimicking its designs. A Uniqlo spokesperson told ST: "Uniqlo is aware of an ongoing conversation and values all perspectives shared.
"As is our standard practice, Uniqlo commenced planning for its customisable mixed rice keychain several months prior to its launch through our Thank You Festival. This item is part of a global trend of customisable accessories and follows other customisable gift items created by Uniqlo in Singapore in previous years."
The spokesperson added that Uniqlo did not receive any collaboration proposals from local artists or illustrators related to the cai fan customisation.
In response to the ST article about PointRice, Ms Tan posted a video on May 31, starting with the same question: "So did Uniqlo steal my customisable cai fan concept?"
She said: "Since you asked if I was collaborating with Uniqlo on their Thank You UTme... I made a reel about it, and it got a little out of hand afterwards.
"Now people are insulting my concept on The Straits Times IG page. Some are coming after my character even. But today, I woke up realizing, 'F*** it.'
"So I didn't go to the Straits Times. They came to me after another brand accused Uniqlo of copying their idea.
"The sad thing here is that everybody is just trying to do their job. It's Straits Times' job to report, it's Musoka's job to keep their hero product afloat, and it's Uniqlo's job to keep people coming back for more.
"After I posted that reel, I thought it was done and dusted until Straits Times came knocking at my door, asking for comments."
She added that she stood by what she said in the earlier video.
"There is an uncanny similarity, but Uniqlo told me they weren't going to do this again," said Ms Tan.
"So I guess it's up to us to continue to have fun. Cai fan."
