Tadashi Yanai

Yanai took over his father's tailoring shop in Yamaguchi and opened the first Uniqlo in Hiroshima in 1984. He adopted the model of controlling design, manufacture and sale in one company, kept the range to well-made basics, and developed fabrics such as Heattech with the materials company Toray. He describes his own record as one win in nine attempts, citing failed ventures abroad and into food. He still leads Fast Retailing.