Courtesy of Japan Probe, New York Magazine's fashion section brings up speculation that Japanese fashion chain Uniqlo may go ahead and buy out The Gap. Why? It's a hell of a lot easier than opening all those Uniqlo stores in the U.S. and elsewhere around the world.

When I expressed my raging love for Uniqlo last week, some of you compared the store to The Gap -- and it looks like that analogy will be even more apt if this buyout happens. The Gap has been struggling for a while by looks of it. I couldn't say why they're doing so poorly, since I haven't really paid attention to their line, but it seems to be a long-standing problem according to the NY Mag article.

I'm excited for this to happen, mainly because that means I won't have to shell out $20 to go into NYC to buy some of Uniqlo's clothes. Now, what I'm wondering is what they'll do with the Banana Republic line? I don't know how they've been faring as part of The Gap's stock, but it's a line that I've enjoyed buying from and think that it has potential to continue existing as a higher-end line for Uniqlo's items.

And I'm sure this doesn't mean that we'll suddenly start seeing Mobile Suit Gundam shirts popping up in every mall in America, but it does signal for an upgrade to peoples' basic attire, and hopefully somewhat lower prices than what SoHo is charging.