Best Japanese Clothing Brands. Are you going on a trip to Japan very soon but you don’t know where to shop? Japanese fashion used to be one of the best-kept secrets. But that’s no longer the case. Moreover, from stylish to chic, over the last few years, the Japanese clothing brands have pushed the boundaries of style.
The stylish and high-quality products are appeal to the masses. With their cutting-edge fashion clothing, Japanese brands have successfully left a mark in the clothing industry. Perhaps, since recent years, the Japanese clothing brands are best known for their denim, use of multiple fabrics, and incorporation of patchwork designs. For those of you who are still unaware of what Japan has in store for you, look at our picks for the top 15 Japanese clothing brands.
Where To Shop In Japan?
In our last post, we discussed the best Online Fashion Brands and today we’ll be focusing specifically on Japanese brands. When it comes to Japanese fashion, it appears that individual interpretations of what constitutes ‘stylish’ exist. Anything goes, a fact that’s evident if you peruse the social media accounts of all major Japanese fashion bloggers. They mix, they match, they make it silly, they make it dangerous, and it all looks fantastic!
Harajuku Fashion
Harajuku fashion is named after Harajuku Station in Tokyo. It’s been around since the 1980s and the rest of the world has only just caught up. Harajuku style is characterized as a mix of traditional and modern, individual, and mainstream. There are no rules, no fashion guidelines that need to be adhered to. It’s the best form of self-expression for Japanese kids.
Oversized, baggy and ill-fitting clothing, denim, ripped jeans, colorful outfits, multiple layers of costumes, and colored hair are some of the things that can be found in Harajuku fashion in Japan.
How Did We Decide:
We’ve ranked some of the trending Japanese clothing brands by their Instagram following. Here are the top 15 apparel brands in Japan for both men and women:
15- Issey Miyake
14- Number Nine
13- Wacko Maria
12- Head Porter/Ramidus
11- Needles
10- Junya Watanabe
9- Evisu
8- Mastermind JAPAN
7- Cav Empt
6- Visvim
5- WTAPS
4- Neighborhood
3- Undercover
2- Kenzo
1- Uniqlo
[wptb id=47107]↓ 15 – Issey Miyake
Brand’s Portfolio: Issey Miyake, the Japanese label, is a true revolutionary with its iconic prism handbags and geometric panels. The Japanese fashion label was one of Steve Job’s go-to brands, which lead them to produce dozens of black turtlenecks for the man himself. Miyake’s designs are a true understanding of fashion. The Japanese designer’s creations are innovative and technology-driven.
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Price Range: $307 – $1886 available at Matches Fashion.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros
- Issey Miyake’s clothes are light, practical, washable, and they don’t crease.
- The brand’s pleating techniques are the height of practical fashion.
Cons
- The products may seem unaffordable for some.
- Less variety of neck designs in clothing.
SHOP AT MATCHES FASHION
↓ 14 – NUMBER (N)INE
Brand’s Portfolio: Takahiro Miyashita created the cult brand. NUMBER (N) INE’s contemporary designs are a demonstration and expression of culture with their sheer mastery of texture and layering. Miyashita’s Japanese brand takes inspiration from iconic bands of the golden era.
Price Range: $52 – $947 at Vestiaire Collective
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros:
- The designer of the brand is famous for his obsession with attention to detail.
Cons:
- The product’s aesthetic has been described as derivative and unoriginal.
- Long shipping times
SHOP AT VESTIAIRE COLLECTIVE
↓ 13 – Wacko Maria
Brand’s Portfolio: Keiji Ishizuka and Atsuhiko Mori, two retired Japanese football players, founded the brand in 2005. The Japanese menswear brand takes inspiration from Latin American styles and the subculture of rock-ability. The store is known for its signature ornate shirting and outwear. It’s a streetwear brand that uses premium quality fabrics and is influenced by changes in art, music, film, and other creative mediums.
Price Range: $20 – $2,360 available at Mr. Porter.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros:
- The clothes don’t wear out even after repeated washing cycles.
Cons:
- Wacko Maria’s hoodies and tees are generic and run-of-the-mill.
- They are overpriced, some going as far as $100 for a simple tee with a quote.
SHOP AT MR PORTER
↓ 12 – Head Porter/Ramidus
Brand’s Portfolio: Ramidus, or Head Porter, as it was previously known, is the brand best known for its black nylon products with a bright orange lining that has unparalleled popularity in Japan. The clothing line comprises of seasonal designs, a range of colors and patterns. The brand launched in 1998 as a streetwear and accessories brand.
Price Range: $9.34 – $355 available on the official website.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros
- The brand’s service and response rate are excellent.
- The quality of bags and their clothing is vouched for by all customers.
Cons
- Their site is required to be more user friendly for easy product navigation.
↓ 11 – Needles
Brand’s Portfolio: The menswear store started as an importer of classic American brands with heavy influence from prep style and Ivy League. Born from pure passion, the label has now cemented its name as one of the most revered Japanese brands.
Needles was created as part of the Nepenthes brand by Japanese designer Keizo Shimuzu in 1998. All products are made in Japan. The critical materials used in their clothing are deconstructed cotton, dungaree twill, poly ripstop, and denim.
Price Range: $135 – $575 available at End Clothing.
Social Media Handles: Instagram
Pros:
- The designer recycles vintage pieces into something new and unique.
Cons:
- The designs are such that they can easily be mistaken for thrift-store finds instead of branded items.
↓ 10 – Junya Watanabe
Brand’s Portfolio: Junya Watanabe is a fashion designer born in Fukushima, Japan. He used to work as an apprentice for Comme de Garcons, another iconic Japanese fashion brand. He was promoted to chief designer in the next few years, and in 1992, he started his line called Junya Watanabe.
The Japanese clothing brand is perhaps, in recent years, best known for its use of multiple fabrics and incorporation of patchwork designs. Other than being known for its fascinating styles, the brand has also done numerous collaborations with Levis.
Here are the Top Brands for Leather Jackets.
Instagram Following: 85.1k
Price Range: $180 – $2,842 for women’s clothing and $203 – $637 for men’s clothing at Farfetch.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros
- The brand is known for its edgy designs incorporating leather in its outfits and multiple layers of clothing.
Cons
- Leather may shred in some cases
Crazy for Denim fashion? Check out these Jeans for Skinny Guys
↓ 9 – Evisu
Brand’s Portfolio: Hidehiko Yamane founded the brand in 1991, in Osaka, Japan. It’s a brand that initially specialized in denim wear but has since branched out into a full fashion range. The brand is named after Ebisu, the Japanese god of money whose symbol is a fishing rod.
Evisu’s iconic seagull logo and cultural fabric are the stories behind its fame. The brand is trendy in Japan and worldwide for its extremely high-quality raw selvage denim jeans.
Price Range: Women’s clothing is priced at $12 – $710, and men’s clothing is priced at $12 – $835 at the official website.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros:
- The products are packaged excellently.
Cons:
- The measurements for jeans have been reported faulty.
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↓ 8 – Mastermind JAPAN
Brand’s Portfolio: Masaaki Homma formed the brand in 1997. The color black and the brand’s iconic skull and crossbones logo are the staples of the brand. All products are made in Japan, and they all come with a tag listing the names of the people who helped create them. Mastermind’s seasonal deliveries have been stopped by the designer, but the label still collaborates with other brands.
Price Range: $119 – $4,120 for men’s clothing available at Farfetch.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros:
- The brand’s attention to detail is praise-worthy.
Cons:
- Mastermind is a brand for the rich and famous. Prices are infamously high.
↓ 7 – Cav Empt
Brand’s Portfolio: Sk8thing and Toby Feltwell founded the Tokyo based fashion outlet. The iconic clothing store’s brand name is an abbreviation of ‘caveat emptor’, the Latin phrase for ‘buyer beware’. Cav Empt’s clothing collection is a visual exploration of Italian horror films from the 20th century, postmodernism, digital archaeology, and French philosophy. The brand has continued to sell its products through select retail stores.
Price Range: $29 – $779 for men’s apparel available at End Clothing.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros:
- Hoodies and jackets are made from soft terry cotton, they’re heavy but sturdy.
Cons:
- Hoodies are oversized and baggy.
↓ 6 – Visvim
Brand’s Portfolio: Visvim, the contemporary Japanese menswear brand, was started in 2000 by Hiroki Nakamura. The name of the brand was created when the designer browsed through Latin words that began with ‘v.’ Perhaps, one of the most famous clothing brands of Japan revolves around classic and traditional clothing. It’s based in Tokyo and has stores in Japan and the United States. Celebrity endorsers of the brand include Kim Nam-Joon from BTS, Drake, Rihanna, Kanye West, and John Mayer.
Instagram Following: 294k
Price Range: The men’s range is priced at $225 – $4,735 at End Clothing.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros:
- The apparel is nicely made and has style.
Cons:
- Compared to major brands like Nike and Addidas, visvim’s apparel and footwear are pricey.
↓ 5 – WTAPS
Brand’s Portfolio: Tetsu Nishiyama launched WTAPS in 1996. The 90’s brand is a protege of Shin. The T-shirt brand took inspiration from DIY punk and anarchic aesthetics. The brand name, pronounced as double taps, were taken from the military term for two shots. The brand inspired by authentic military designs is a mixture of streetwear and contemporary clothing.
WTAPS is one of the leading menswear brands that came into focus after the Harajuku phenomenon of the 1990s. It has some impressive collaborations to its name and has developed a cult following.
Price Range: $19 – $839 available at End Clothing.
Social Media Handles: Twitter, Instagram
Pros
- The material, color, and designs are durable and hold after multiple washes.
Cons
- It’s hard to find clothing that fits tall people.
Before you head out to shop, don’t forget to check out these Japanese Fashion Trends 2020 For Men & Women To Follow.
↓ 4 – NEIGHBORHOOD
Brand’s Portfolio: Neighborhood is the original streetwear brand of Japan. The brand was established in 1994 by Shinsuke Takizawa. The clothing brand was also a part of the Harajuku streetwear movement in the ’90s. Neighborhood’s designs are a twist to the classic American clothing. Takizawa’s passion for the historic subculture of motorcycles drove him to design leather jackets, flannels, and sweats. The clothing line ranges from classic denim to their iconic ‘savage’ series.
Price Range: Menswear ranges from $71 to $249 available at Farfetch.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros
- The brand’s streetwear biker aesthetic is distinctive and has received acclaim.
- The brand uses one-of-a-kind threads that aren’t available anywhere else.
Cons
- The brand’s focused biker aesthetic may not be everyone’s cup of tea.
↓ 3 – UNDERCOVER
Brand’s Portfolio: Undercover has been the epitome of Japanese streetwear for nearly 30 years. Their motto, “We make noise, not clothes,” is the inspiration behind their clothing line. Jun Takahashi launched it in 1993 as a high-end label of streetwear clothing for men, women, and children. Takahashi has also worked with Uniqlo to create Uniqlo Undercover.
Price Range: Undercover products are priced $169 – $2,069, available at End Clothing.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros
- Soft and comfortable fabric is used for clothing and duvet covers, etc.
- Products come in good packaging.
Cons
- The colors mentioned are sometimes inaccurate.
↓ 2 – KENZO
Brand’s Portfolio: KENZO is a French luxury fashion brand created by Kenzo Takada, a Japanese designer, in 1970. He’s famous for mixing Asian and Japanese styles with European fashion.
KENZO’s bright colors and vivid graphics are hard to miss these days. Their recent collection, in collaboration with H&M, the high street retailer, made waves in the European fashion traditions. The brand known for making a statement was established in 1970 in Paris. The brand is well-known for its bright, unabashed, and bold clothing line with a hint of the Japanese culture.
Price Range: $52 – $1,525 for men and $52 -$1,260 for women, available at Farfetch.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros:
- Unique designs
- Products with different options for sizes are available in their stores.
Cons:
- Bad online customer service.
- Shirts shrink considerably after the first wash.
↓ 1 – Uniqlo
Brand’s Portfolio: . When it comes to Japanese brands, Uniqlo tops the charts. And if you’ve been looking for Japanese clothing, you definitely need to have heard of it. It is one of the brands in the world, with over 900 stores spread throughout Asia, the USA, and Europe. Whether active, casual, or formal wear.
Price Range: Bestsellers for women range from $5.90 – $99.9, and best-selling clothing for men ranges from $7.90 to $79.90 at Uniqlo’s official website.
Social Media Handles: Facebook, Instagram
Pros:
- The material used in their clothing is soft, sturdy, and durable.
- Their products aren’t original, but they’re high quality.
Cons:
- The brand is limited in its distribution and accessibility. It needs to branch out more.
We hope you enjoyed reading this as much as we enjoyed putting it up to take inspiration from!
Other Japanese Clothing Brands that are Growing Globally
↓ 8 – United Arrows
United Arrows spread Japan’s spirit and taste to the world, and that continues to be their business model’s epicenter. You need to check out United Arrows if you’re someone who appreciates out-of-the-box fashion and are looking for classy pieces when you’re out shopping. United Arrows also has other brands that sell beauty and lifestyle products under its label, so it takes care of everything.
↓ 7 – Comme des Garçons
Comme des Garçons is all about state-of-the-art fashion. It is regarded as the epitome of Japan’s stylish, tailor-made, and couture clothing. Let me give you a look at how big this brand is– the 2017 Met Gala theme was based on Rei Kawakubo (the founder) and Comme des Garçons. Established in 1969, the brand has since expanded into men’s apparel. Although it is a luxury line, a few years ago it started to launch affordable collections to expand its customer base.
↓ 6 – Beams
Established in 1974, Beams is more than just an apparel store. It designs interior decoration, furniture, accessories, shoes, and clothing (of course). The clothes lean towards North America’s casual and street style, making it a bit hit. Beams is a hot favorite worldwide with over 140 stores spread throughout Japan, New York, China, Hong Kong, Milan, and Paris.
↓ 5 – Tsumori Chisato
Tsumori Chisato began her acclaimed label in 1990. She headed the division ‘ Issey Sports’ before starting her own business with her mentor’s encouragement. Her unique combination of luxurious textiles with intricate designs, embroidery, and prints created from scratch has won her many awards. With more than 40 shops throughout Asia.
↓ 4 – WEGO
Nobody does it better than WEGO when it comes to fast fashion. First established in Tokyo, this fashion retail brand has over 150 stores in Japan today. Because of its hip and trendy designs and super affordable prices, it is particularly popular among young adults. If you’ve always tried the uber-cool style of Harajuku, you’ve got to go to WEGO.
↓ 3 – Cecil McBee
Cecil is one of the most preferred brands amongst youngsters and is equivalent to contemporary western brands like H&M, Forever 21, and Zara.
↓ 2 – Snidel
Snidel is the brand for you when you describe your personal style as feminine and minimalist. His designs are a lovely blend of delicate cuts and street style that every urban woman dreams of.
↓ 1 – Peach John
Peach John is Japan’s Secret of Victoria with outstanding designs, quality, and style. It began as a brand of mail order, became an instant hit, and in the next few years, it opened more than 40 stores. It makes lingerie, loungewear, and intimate to fit the needs of each woman. His slogan is’ Healthy, Happy, Sexy,’ which is what women should feel inside out.
There’s no going back when you’re introduced to Japanese clothing brands. It’s exciting and fascinating their colors, cuts, patterns, and how they play around with delicate silhouettes.
