6 Japanese fashion brands you should know about

Japan makes some of the most interesting, creative, and meticulously crafted clothing on the planet. And I know what you're thinking. Japanese brands, Tim the Saint, Uniqlo. Yes. But, no. We're not going to be talking about Uniqlo in this video. I've made many videos about Uniqlo in the past, and it's a brand with great quality to price ratio, solid basics, and I've beaten down my fair share of errors in the past. But, today I want to shed the light on six Japanese brands that I think deserve more attention. Just to preface, none of these will be fast fashion brands, but they are six brands that I think have great design, a unique spin on things, and fascinating stories. So, without further ado, let's get into it.

— First up, and probably the most viral name in Japanese menswear right now, Soshiotsuki. Soshiotsuki founded his label in 2015, straight out of Bunka Fashion College in Tokyo. The same school that trained Yohji Yamamoto and Junya Watanabe. His second collection got shortlisted for the LVMH Prize in 2016, and although he didn't win the first time, he came back last year and won it outright. In front of a judging panel that was not the easiest to impress, either, including Jonathan Anderson, Phoebe Philo, Sarah Burton, and Nigo. And for a pretty young brand like Soshiotsuki, that is an extraordinary thing to have on your CV. Otsuki describes the brand's mission as defining a new Japanese clothing tradition to replace the kimono. And when you dig into that idea, it makes a lot of sense. His tailoring draws a lot of inspiration from 1980s fashion in Japan, an era when Japan fell in love with European suiting, in particular Armani, with corporate Japanese men investing heavily in Italian suits — as a symbol of taste and status. The result of Otsuki's curiosity for that era is a brand with tailoring that references both Eastern and Western traditions without being a copy of either. Now, I haven't personally pulled the trigger on any Sosiotzuki pieces yet, but they recently did do a collaboration with Zara, and I got this beautiful beige overshirt from the collab. I love how thought through and intentional their silhouettes are. You can really tell that Otsuki has a sharp eye for detail. So, if you're curious about the brand and you want a low-price entry point, I would definitely recommend checking out the collab if it's still around. I'll link to the overshirt in the comments if I can find it. This is definitely a brand that I'll be watching very closely.

Number two, Kapital. If you've ever looked into Japanese fashion, you've probably heard of Kapital. Their origin story is super interesting. The founder, Toshikiyo Hirata, was a karate teacher who traveled to the US in the early '80s, fell in love with American denim while he was there, and then came back to Japan and decided to start making it himself. He set up shop in Kojima, Okayama, which is essentially the denim capital of Japan, and he launched Kapital in 1985. Then, in 2002, his son, Kiro, joined, and that's when the brand really found its voice. Kiro wasn't interested in just making great denim reproductions. He wanted to do something quirkier. So, he started fusing traditional Japanese textile techniques like Boro patchwork and Sashiko stitching with vintage Americano. He challenged traditional proportions and got weird with the designs, placing pockets in unexpected places and distressing denim in a way that felt so authentic that it looked like the garments had lived a previous life. I've tried some pieces from Kapital over the years, and my favorite that's currently in my wardrobe is probably this quilted bandana scarf. I love how Kapital works with prints and patterns in a fresh, unique way. I think it's a brand that treats fashion kind of like art, and it's managed to attract celebrity interests from the likes of John Mayer, Kanye, ASAP Rocky, and Pharrell. One thing to note, though, if you ever buy from them, is that they tend to size very generously, at least from my experience with their more oversized pieces. So, consider sizing down.

down. — At number three, we have Neighborhood. I have so many of their pieces on my wish list. Gosh, I really need to go on a Japan trip this year, but I digress. Let's talk about Neighborhood. This Japanese brand was founded in 1994 by Shinsuke Takizawa in the backstreets of Harajuku, a small area that would later be known as Ura-Harajuku, which essentially gave birth to Japanese streetwear as a global phenomenon. Alongside Bape, Undercover, and Double Taps, Neighborhood was one of the labels coming out of this scene that changed what streetwear could look and feel like. On one hand, Bape went loud and playful. On the other hand, Undercover leaned into the avant-garde, and then Neighborhood went dark, military, and motorcycle-inspired. Takizawa is a rider himself, and biker culture was baked into the brand's DNA from day one. You've got the heavy selvage denim, the leather work, and the graphic language borrowed from '60s and '70s counterculture. Even the blackletter typography that half the streetwear world has imitated ever since. Takizawa has even said in interviews that he doesn't really separate his work from his hobbies. So, bikes, music, customizing cars, all of it feeds directly into what the brand makes. Now, we're 30 years into the brand, and Neighborhood still feels like it hasn't steered away from its DNA. There's no chasing trends nor manufactured hype. Just genuine good clothes with a strong brand identity. And their prices are actually not too bad. If I'm able to take some time to go to Japan later this year, I'm definitely going to swing by their store. I'm especially interested in exploring their denim range. They've got some really nice selvage options, and the distressed pairs look really well-made, too. Now, I know you know brand number

four, because it's definitely the most famous one of the list, Issey Miyake. I have preached about this brand many times on this channel, and I will continue to do so, because Mr. Miyake deserves his flowers. Rest in peace. But, in case you don't know about the brand, or even if you do, you might want to know a little more about its fascinating history. Issey Miyake was born in Hiroshima in 1938. He survived the atomic bombing as a child, and then went on to study graphic design in Tokyo. He then trained in Paris under Givenchy and Guy Laroche, and then he went on to build a legacy that is unlike anything else, not just in Japanese fashion, but just in fashion, full stop. He launched his studio in 1970 with a vision that stayed consistent throughout his entire career. Clothing that was democratic, functional, and joyful. Fashion for life. He famously said, "Design is not for philosophy, it's for life. " And I would say the designs he produces very much reflect that. The thing he's most celebrated for is his pleating technique, which he started developing in the late '80s. He created a process where garments are cut and sewn larger than their final size, sandwiched between layers of paper, and then run through a heat press that permanently sets the pleats into the fabric. The result is garments that are incredibly lightweight, completely machine washable, and don't lose their shape. These trousers can literally be rolled up into a bag and come out looking perfect. A true innovation in the fashion industry. He launched this new innovation as the Pleats Please line in 1993, and later he developed Homme Plissé for men, which has become somewhat of a uniform for many fashion enthusiasts around the world. I've actually owned and worn their black pleated trousers for quite a few years now, and they have remained in spectacular condition. And I know they sometimes get criticized for being made out of polyester, but I find that to be a little bit reductive to his work. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll be the first one to criticize polyester, but it doesn't always get used just to cut costs. Sometimes, and in particular this time, it has a very functional purpose. You see, in order for this pleating technique to work and permanently hold those pleats, it's literally only possible by using polyester. So, in this particular case, the material decision was made with function first in mind. Now, although the pleated items are probably what the brand is most known for, Issey Miyake also creates many other interesting things like their Bao bags or their A-POC line, which stands for a piece of cloth. This was a line where garments were entirely engineered from a single continuous thread fed into a computer program machine. I know, it's absolutely crazy stuff. There's so much the brand has done that I feel like it needs its own separate video to unpack. Unfortunately, Mr. Miyake passed away in 2022, but the house he built continues. And if you've never been to one of their stores yet, I would highly encourage you to check them out. They genuinely make some of the most interesting menswear out there.

For brand number five, we have A. P. C. This is a brand I discovered very recently, and it's probably the one I'm personally the most fascinated by right now. At first glance, the clothes they sell don't seem that special, but once you look closer and examine the fabric composition, you realize these simple workwear-inspired pieces are made from some of the craziest, most luxurious materials in the world. A. P. C. was founded in 2020 by a designer named Kazuma Shigamatsu. He took items that you'd find in a great vintage shop, workwear, military pieces, vintage Americana classics, and then he rebuilt them with impeccable Japanese craftsmanship, better fabric, better fit, better drape without any logos or distracting elements. One look at their Instagram or inside their store, and you'll see many pieces that are on the surface basics, an M-65 jacket or a military shirt, heavyweight cotton tees, fatigue trousers, things that you've seen many times in vintage stores before, but the fabrics are just out of this world. I'm talking wool, silk, and cashmere blend jackets, 300-lb cotton cashmere t-shirts, and suede shirt jackets with buffalo horn buttons. And the word of mouth has been remarkable. There's only a handful of international stockists, no online shop, just two physical stores in Japan, and yet their pieces routinely sell out on the day they arrive. Hypebeast even named them their best new brand of 2025. And that is all without doing any real marketing. Full transparency, I haven't bought anything from A. P. C. yet, even though I would love to, and that's mostly because they are eye-wateringly expensive. But hopefully one day, or maybe if they're cheaper in Japan. But if any of you have bought from the brand before, I would love to hear your experience with their pieces.

Lastly, we'll end in the slightly more niche territory with Maison Mihara Yasuhiro. If you're into fashion and haven't heard of this brand yet, you're in for a treat. Mihara Yasuhiro grew up in Nagasaki, and then he moved to Tokyo to study textiles at Tama Art University, which by the way is the same school that Issey Miyake attended. So, no big deal. And somewhere along the way, Yasuhiro got completely obsessed with shoemaking. He started making shoes while still a student, and then he launched his own label in 1996, building his early reputation entirely from footwear. And not just any kind of footwear, he was making very distinctive sneakers that were hand-molded using clay, giving the soles this warped, slightly alien quality that you can't replicate with conventional manufacturing. He said he wanted to make shoes that look like something a child would make by playing with modeling clay. The brand then expanded into full ready-to-wear and moved to Paris Fashion Week, where it's been presenting ever since. And the clothing carries a lot of the same brand DNA as the shoes. It's often deconstructed, layered, and referencing vintage Americana and counterculture. But everything always has something deliberately imperfect about it, where nothing is quite where you would expect it. So, you'll often see exposed stitching, misaligned details, and fabric combinations that shouldn't work, but somehow still do. Masahiro's description of the brand's philosophy is a combination of sublimity and irony. I actually have a red checkered flannel from the brand that I love wearing in fall. Even though 90% of my clothes are very clean, sleek, and minimal, I love experimenting with distressing and imperfect pieces. And Mison Mihara Yasuhiro is the perfect brand to scratch that itch for me. With that said, not everything they make is my cup of tea. Sometimes it leans a little too experimental for me, but still I can definitely appreciate the art behind the craft and the vision of Yasuhiro. This is a brand run by someone who is clearly doing it for the love of the craft, and that always comes through. And that rounds up my top six Japanese brands that I think you should know about. I truly think Japan has a lot to offer in the fashion scene. From their attention to craft to the way they think about clothes and silhouettes. I find it really inspiring. Let me know in the comments which of these brands resonated most with you, or if there are any other Japanese brands that you would recommend, please do share in the comments. And on that note, I hope you enjoyed this one my friends. I wish you all a beautiful day, and I will see you in the next one.