Uniqlo on the verge of world domination

If you don't know Uniqlo now, you will by the end of this recession.

That's because the Japan-based chain -- which specializes in affordable, structural, fashion-forward basics -- is poised to be the first retailer to truly shatter the down-spending doldrums. Today, the company reported that its same-store sales are up an enviable 18.3% from this time last year.

Uniqlo currently operates just one store in the U.S.: a giant Soho flagship that's constantly wall-to-wall packed. But it's been quietly assembling all the firepower it needs to launch a streak of global openings, and you can be sure that the minute American consumer-spending forecasts are up, Uniqlo will announce more U.S. outposts (I'd recommend it scout for space at South Coast Plaza in tony Newport Beach, Calif. or along the coed-trafficked sidewalks of Cambridge, Mass.).

So what does Uniqlo have that gives it such an edge over retail competitors? Well, everything: