When it comes to Japanese fashion, you might be familiar with names like COMME des GARÇONS, A Bathing Ape, and UNDERCOVER—icons that have been deeply ingrained in the instrudy. But what you might not realise is that in recent years, Japanese fashion has gained even more global recognition.
People are, more than ever, appreciating Japanese fashion’s ability to push boundaries, blending innovation with high-level of craftsmanship to create high-quality pieces that stand out from the mainstream.
Japanese fashion has taken the world by storm, blending tradition with modernity to create something truly distinctive, a perfect mix of creativity, craftsmanship, and innovation. From streetwear to tailored designs, Japanese fashion has the ability to inspire and influence global trends.
With that in mind, here’s your 2025 guide to the most iconic Japanese fashion brands and designers every Highsnobiety reader should know. If you’re already familiar, this is an opportunity to delve deeper into the brilliance of Japanese style.
Here Are Some of the Iconic Brands We’re About to Introduce:
1. and wander
2. Mizuno
3. Medicom Toy
4. The North Face Purple Label
5. ASICS
6. WTAPS
7. A Bathing Ape (BAPE)
8. Yoke
9. Junya Watanabe
10. Auralee
11. Wacko Maria
12. Snow Peak
13. Fumito Ganryu
14. Visvim
15. Yohji Yamamoto
16. NEIGHBORHOOD
17. COMME des GARÇONS
18. nanamica
19.Human Made
Founded in Japan in 2011 by Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori, And Wander blends the natural charm of mountain experiences with the planning expertise of the Parricole Classico brand. The brand creates a unique "mountain skin" feel, combining top-tier design with captivating outdoor functionality.
With the philosophy "If it rains or the wind blows, the mountains are fun to walk on," And Wander highlights the joy of mountain activities. The brand expertly balances "extreme functional beauty" with "everyday functional beauty," enhancing fitness sensibility and creating designs that harmonize with the sounds of nature.
Drawing inspiration from the love of nature, And Wander’s design aims to improve the outdoor experience of their customers. And Wander’s design takes into account the functionality needed for mountain climbing, focusing on improving comfort and performance in outdoor gear. Imagine practical features like taped seams, GORE-TEX, and toggles, all paired with subtle earth tones and occasional vibrant colours.
Click here to check out and wander 's product.
Mizuno, a representative Japanese sporting goods manufacturer founded in 1906 by Rihachi Mizuno , has been promoting sports for many years, such as managing club teams and sponsoring tournaments. The concept of the company is that sportswear is not just to be functional but also fashionable, with attractive designs that are particularly suited to urban sports and street culture. It aims for its sportswear to be worn daily, not just in non-sporting situations but also in daily, non-sporting situations.
As Mizuno Freelance Creative Director Wesley Tyerman once said, "For me, it has always meant sport, quality, and history. Many of my favourite footballers wore Mizuno, and growing up, I saw that people who took their sport seriously also wore Mizuno." To realize this, Mizuno continued to create major innovations like Wave technology and Enerzy Foam. The brand has also expanded into more lifestyle products and notable collaborations with artists and brands such as Footpatrol, Hajime Sorayama, and this magazine.
Mizuno recently released a new line that aims to fuse street fashion and sports. Unlike traditional sporting goods, it features a fashion-conscious design and targets young people and fashion-conscious urban people. With this approach, the company aims to go beyond the traditional sports market and enter the new fashion market, and this will be an important measure for the company to increase its brand value.
Click here to check out Mizuno 's product.
Medicom Toy was established in 1996 and is deeply intertwined with Japanese fashion and streetwear, even though the crossover of toys and clothing might sound odd to many people.
Although digital transformation is happening all over the world, Japan, despite being a first-world country, still embraces physical culture. This can be seen in how Japanese people often prefer to shop with cash because the idea of spending money you don’t have is frowned upon. The sales of vinyl records, CDs, and even cassettes remain strong, and many of the stories you read about subcultures and tribes exist because fashion in Japan is about getting out and being seen.
Medicom Toy’s popularity comes from its ability to create physical representations of cultural and street culture icons, including Andy Warhol, the Sex Pistols, Futura2000’s Pointman, KAWS’s Companion, and A Bathing Ape’s Baby Milo. Their standout Bearbrick collection features unique bear figurines adorned with graphics celebrating everything from the Grateful Dead and Star Wars to Daft Punk.
Click here to check out Medicom Toy 's product.
The Purple Label is a Japan-only collaboration line between the outdoor brand The North Face and the Daikanyama design house, Nanamica. Both brands previously worked together under the Japanese distributor Goldwin, but Nanamica became independent, and Purple Label was born at the same time.
Both brands are outdoor-oriented, geared towards town use. However, when they were first established, Nanamica was positioned as more of a traditional and ivy league style clothing brand, while Purple Label had a stronger outdoor influence. When discussing the brand, the purple brand tag is an essential element. And just for your information, the purple tag was actually used before the brand was even launched. In fact, purple tags were used on The North Face women's outerwear made to domestic standards in the 1980s. The reason why the purple tag was adopted for Purple Label is said to be connected to the fact that purple has long been considered an auspicious color in Japan. The brand focuses on technical fabrics and sophisticated silhouettes, blending outdoor performance with a streetwear aesthetic.
What people love most about the brand is its consistent design philosophy, featuring understatedly cool wide-cut cotton shirts, denim hiking pants, and 60/40 parkas under the name "Mountain Ivy."
Click here to check our The North Face Purple Label 's product.
ASICS is a Japanese sports brand founded in 1949 by Kihachiro Onitsuka and has since become one of the foremost brands in sports apparel, especially regarding its athletic shoes. The company name, ASICS, and its motto are derived from an acronym of the Latin phrase anima sana in corpore sano, meaning "a sound mind in a sound body." They offer a wide range of products, from athletic shoes and athletic wear to sneakers, and are loved as a lifestyle brand.
Click here to check out ASIC's product.
WTAPS is a Japanese fashion brand founded by Tetsu Nishiyama, a fashion designer who began his career as a protégé of Shin in the early 1990s when Shin launched FPAR, a T-shirt brand influenced by the DIY ethos of the punk and anarchist movements. The name of the brand is derived from military terminology for firing two shots at the same target in quick succession. WTAPS merges authentic military designs with streetwear style and a modern twist. Known for its highly coveted pieces, WTAPS attracts long queues on release days, much like Supreme, with products selling out rapidly. One of the brand’s signature items is their Jungle Stock cargo pants, an essential for anyone who is into street fashion.
Click here to check out WTAPS's product.
For those who have been paying attention to Japanese fashion in the late 90s to early 00s, this is a brand you must be familiar with! The brand Bathing Ape first gained its popularity in Tokyo’s Harajuku underground scene before gaining widespread recognition in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It has since become an underground staple, and its success was largely due to co-signs from Kanye West, Pharrell (who became close friends with NIGO and collaborated on multiple projects with him), and The Notorious B.I.G..
BAPE was purchased by the Hong Kong fashion conglomerate IT Group in 2011 and has continued to release its signature high-end streetwear. It is still regarded as one of the original pioneers in the world of street fashion.
Click here to check out A Bathing Ape (BAPE)'s product.
Tokyo-based Yoke is renowned for its timeless and genderless design philosophy. The brand name "YOKE" combines the words "to connect," "bond," and "clothing fabric," and therefore, in embodying the meaning of the brand name, it embraces the idea of "connection through clothing" and blends traditional tailoring with carefree, modern shapes.
Yoke has attracted a loyal fan base since its launch in 2018, thanks to its delicate tailoring, subdued colour schemes, and focus on premium fabrics. The brand is well-liked by those who seek well-considered, adaptable wardrobe essentials due to its ability to strike a balance between structure and flow.
Click here to check out Yoke's product.
Junya Watanabe, a leading contemporary menswear designer, launched his own label within the Comme des Garçons (CdG) family in the early 1990s after working under Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. The brand’s concept is to “incorporate a new feeling into basic items.” Rather than creating something completely new from scratch, the brand discovers new value by reinterpreting existing basic and traditional items through the Junya Watanabe filter. The catalyst for this can be a new material or a single idea, such as applying a vintage finish to denim, making a dress out of denim, or creating clothes with drawstrings that allow you to freely change the silhouette.
Click here to check out Junya Watanabe's product.
AURALEE is a Japanese fashion brand offering men’s and women’s clothing with a focus on high-quality materials and sophisticated design. The brand emphasises sourcing the best raw materials from around the world and producing garments within Japan’s leading production environments. Their design philosophy starts from material production, particularly for cut-and-sew, knits, and woven fabrics, resulting in everyday wear that feels high-quality and light.
While AURALEE does not produce its own original shoes, it frequently collaborates with well-known shoe brands like New Balance, Converse, and Foot the Coacher. Their ongoing partnership with New Balance includes items based on popular models such as the “2002R,” “XC72,” “R_C2,” and “Fuel Cell Speed Rift.”
Click here to check out Auralee's product.
WACKO MARIA is a Japanese fashion brand founded in 2005 by former J-League players Mori Atsuhiko and Ishizuka Keiji. The brand’s name is derived from the Latin phase of “Henteko Maria,” with a concept centred around “women, music, alcohol, and hats.” Directed by Mori Atsuhiko, the brand envisions a style that embodies a high-quality, romantic, and sexy vibe based on music, with the theme: “If I were a woman, I would fall in love with this kind of man.”
The brand emphasises originality by drawing inspiration from music, movies, art, and personal influences of each staff member. The phrase “GUILTY PARTIES,” often seen on their items, symbolises a group of friends who share both good and bad experiences together, adding a sense of wildness and playfulness to their designs.
WACKO MARIA is known for combining a mature and casual look, with popular items including hats, military-style pieces, and aloha shirts. They avoid following fashion trends, instead expressing their unique style freely. Their commitment to a consistent brand concept and 100% made-in-Japan quality has garnered a loyal fanbase.
Click here to check out Wacko Maria's product.
Please continue your reading on Discover Japanese Fashion: Must-Know Brands for Your Wardrobe (Part 2).
