Introduction
Japan is a country I’ve spent considerable time in over the last two decades, both as a tourist and temporary resident, living there on remote work trips. The nation’s culture, media and consumer products have long inspired gaijin the world-over, and as Japan’s economic power has waned over the years, it remains a time capsule of post-2000’s technology and urban development.
If you’d like some aesthetic inspiration from Japan, there are currently two Shell Zine-hosted photography editorials set in Tokyo: Hidemasa Suzuki’s Tokyo Nightscapes and XEONIQ’s Sojourn in Shinjuku.
Ever since Issey Miyake, Yohji Yamamoto and other pioneers of exporting Japan’s fashion made their mark on the global fashion industry in the 1980s, brands from the Land of the Rising Sun have contributed significant and novel product lines and collections to all genres of aesthetics; with futuristic and technical fashion being amongst the most impactful and inspiring.
Among my favourite designers, Japanese or otherwise, was Issey Miyake, who recently passed. Even before his death, his menswear label was ended years ago as commercially unviable and with it’s closure we lost a more refined approach to incorporating technical materials and functions into a technical fashion market that has been inundated with “all show, no go” streetwear.
With so many brands and designers having come and gone from the market, it can be difficult to know where to start with Japanese labels. In this article, mainstream Japanese brands that are currently still operating and whom are making technical and futuristic garments and accessories that can be purchased brand new will be featured to give those interested a starting point to explore.
In my Taiwanese Techwear Article [LINK] I noted that a common theme shared across Taiwanese brands was a tendency towards loose cut fits in their pants and tops. In Japan, however, the cuts are typically much slimmer and often cropped, especially for pants, far more than you’d expect from global labels.
The current Japanese brand list below contains links to both their web stores and Instagram accounts. It should be noted that since early 2023, many of the brands in this list have had to cope with an extreme downturn in the global fashion industry which has also affected Japan’s own domestic market. Coupled with a consumer shift in technical fashion towards a more casual “adventure” outdoors aesthetic, which, as of early 2024, is already rapidly subsiding as a trend, many of these brands featuring urban technical sportswear and fashion have been scrambling for relevancy and sales.
This has resulted in many of the contemporary Japanese technical brands’ contemporary collections releasing very eclectic and seemingly random mixes of styles and genres from streetwear, to Western to artisanal goth. You will notice this while browsing the content on many of these brands’ Instagram accounts.
In light of this aesthetic, and most likely functional, shift, if you are looking for more conventional urban technical pieces, I suggest checking the Y!JP Auction links that I have updated for each brand. They contain not only pieces from earlier, more technical collections, but will be far better value in most cases.
For those who have never purchased from Japanese auction sites, one of Shell Zine’s most popular articles is a guide on using proxy shipping sites, which you can find here: LINK
Finally, while I only own, or have owned, a handful of pieces from a few of the labels in this list, the brands listed here are not personally endorsed by me and I don’t have personal experience with all of them. In practicing “considered consumerism” brands should not be used to consider the quality of a product, but more as a starting point; as an individual item could be just what you needed from a “bad” brand, or completely useless to you from a “good” brand. This list is for informational purposes for you to start your own search, and is far from comprehensive. Any potential purchases should only follow if any items personally call to you or would suit your style or needs.
alk phenix
At the end of December, 2020 outdoors brand phenix ceased operations and it’s brands, including alk phenix, were sold to Shiffon Co. Ltd (license holders for C-Diem, NUMBER (N)INE and numerous other brands in Japan). Before that, the creative head behind the brand was Daisuke Kamide who has his own label in this list: TEÄTORA. I’ve written a bit more about the brand pre-2021 under Daisuke’s direction in my alk phenix Umbrella Coat Review here: [ LINK ]
In late 2022 the brand was relaunched, focusing on robust clothes for (urban) walking, using a range of branded materials including Gore-Tex Infinium and Aerogel. alk phenix post-Kamide are now making clothes with often rather expressive designs versus their previous muted, functional pieces that were predominantly light weight and packable as a feature. However, even today external branding is usually minimal and confined to a reflective circular patch on the arm sleeve or cuff.
Web store: https://www.alkphenix.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alk_phenix_official/
Y!JP Auctions: alk phenix New & Used Japanese Auctions
and wander
and wander was founded in 2011 by two ex-Issey Miyake designers, Keita Ikeuchi and Mihoko Mori with the simple philosophy of making fashion in nature/mountains enjoyable. and wander is what could be considered a “lifestyle” brand, one who’s marketing and product development sells consumers the romantic idea of walks in idyllic mountain trails, but in more casual and fashion-forward format for predominantly urban use. So, despite and wander having a decidedly outdoors marketing approach, the brand’s Issey Miyake roots and casual use case has resulted in a number of urban technical garments and accessories to consider.
Expect a lot of lightweight polyesters and nylons for a market that wants to look like its going for a multi-day hike, if only taking a trail walk for an hour or two. and wander also frequently collaborate with foreign brands like Adidas, Salomon and Moncler.
If you loved Issey Miyake’s silhouettes and approach to design and can appreciate the physical and visual aspects of nylon, even if it is not the most cutting edge performance fabric out there, and wander could be of interest.
Web store: https://www.andwander.com/home/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andwander_official/
Y!JP Auctions: and wander New & Used Japanese Auctions
CIVILIZED
CIVILIZED was established by designer Masashi Okugawa and Mr. Nomura in 2010 and features significantly articulated and often very slim cut clothes and accessories with an urban cyclist use case, mixed with a handful of minimalist menswear pieces.
High quality, lightweight fabrics, many using 3-way stretch blends in nylon are frequently used to keep with this urban cyclist use case. Some of their recent bag designs look quite novel and the garments rarely if ever have external branding. For those planning a visit to Tokyo, I enjoyed browsing Civilized’s flagship store in Daikanyama to get a better feel for the clothes.
For whatever reason, Civilized uses marketing imagery with a very edgy, Rick Owens-esque aesthetic, which in my view is quite different from the actual products which appear and feel excellently designed for an urban cyclist use case. For those cyclist commuters that don’t want to wear competition spandex and have to carry a normal change of clothes in their bag; you can simply cycle and dismount for urban casual in the same outfit. There is a lot of utility in that and I think this brand deserves being looked at more for that reason. It should be noted that most regular cyclists tend to be quite slim and lean from their mode of transportation and the clothing is perhaps cut even slimmer than already slim Japanese brands in this list so that needs taken into consideration before purchasing.
Web store: https://civilized.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/civilized.jp/
Y!JP Auctions: CIVILIZED New & Used Japanese Auctions
D-VEC
Daiwa was founded in the 1950’s as a fishing tackle manufacturer and over the years became well-regarded for innovative fishing accessories and gear. Recently, Daiwa launched their own technical fashion sub-brand called “D-VEC” aimed at the casual urban market. The garments feature a range of performance fabrics such as Ventile, Gore-Tex and Primaloft in often eccentric cuts and postmodern silhouettes one wouldn’t consider for performance-wear.
Despite being new to urban technical wear, D-VEC’s manufacturer Daiwa is not new to performance textiles and has more functional offerings than casual lifestyle brands like and wander or streetwear brands such as White Mountaineering provide. It also appears that D-VEC is willing to experiment with its releases and is more invested into the women’s technical market than most of its competitors. While a large portion of their collections appear avant-garde in aesthetic, they do offer some more toned-down, casual clothes too. The colourways are primarily black, white, navy/blue and olive/beige, which should appeal to some urban technical wearers.
Web store: https://d-vec.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dvec_jp/?hl=en
Y!JP Auctions: D-VEC New & Used Japanese Auctions
DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN
DESCENTE was first formed in 1935 when Takeo Ishimoto started the company in Osaka as Ishimoto Shoten, with a focus on sportswear. Over time, DESCENTE found a popular niche in ski apparel and gear. In order to expand into a higher end market, ALLTERRAIN branch was launched in 2012 producing more general-use and outdoor and urban clothes, as the name suggests for every possible terrain. The line follows the mantra of “form over function” and has a decidedly minimal, utilitarian take on garment design.
As such, the designs are mostly offered in one-colour with black being the line’s dominant colourway, which can be quite fitting for the urban environment versus many outdoors brands that use brightly coloured pieces for functional and safety reasons. The design language could be said to be similar to other minimal brands that rely on synthetics such as Uniqlo and Arc’teryx. Laminates from Gore-Tex, nylon and polyester with DWR-coatings is the norm for ALLTERRAIN.
Web store: https://allterrain.descente.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/descente_allterrain/
Y!JP Auctions: DESCENTE ALLTERRAIN New & Used Japanese Auctions
DEVOA
Daisuke Nishida’s DEVOA was created based on the abstract concepts of Destruction and Construction. Instead of focusing on the clothing itself as a starting point, DEVOA begins with the form of the human body; the transformation of muscle balance through well informed clothes. Nishida is a former athlete and medical instructor, and no stranger to ergonomics and natural motion. The combination of this abstract philosophy and physio-medical knowledge created DEVOA.
DEVOA is aimed at a higher end market than most of the other brands in this list, with designer prices rather than sportswear. The materials are equally high end often blending more expensive organic fibres with proprietary performance synthetics. It is rare to see pure polyester or nylon pieces from DEVOA. The brand’s aesthetic can veer towards dark artisanal or avantgarde, and like CIVILIZED, DEVOA also has typically slim but articulated cuts to their pieces. This won’t be a brand for everyone, but there are certain pieces that Nishida has designed which do go well with a futuristic if not technical wardrobe.
Web store: https://devoa.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/devoa_daisuke.nishida/
Y!JP Auctions: DEVOA New & Used Japanese Auctions
F/CE.
F/CE. Stands for “Functionality. Culture. Exploration” and markets itself as a contemporary fashion brand dedicated to functionality with a focus on bags and accessories, with a clothing line to complement.
F/CE.’s aesthetic is rather graphic in an amalgamation of streetwear and outdoors gear. However, they definitely do not skimp on pockets and they make perhaps the most waterproof backpacks and bags in the casual consumer market, with some able to be inflated and used as flotation devices.
F/CE’s designs are marketed as being inspired by modern architecture from cities such as Berlin, but because of that, they often wear a lot less organically than I personally prefer. Brick-like bags akin to Veilance’s Nomin stand out awkwardly to me when worn on the body versus more ergonomic designs. However, of the few dozen bags I’ve handled from F/CE, the quality is definitely on the higher end with a competitive price.
Web store: https://fce.tools/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fce_tools/
Y!JP Auctions: F/CE. New & Used Japanese Auctions
Goldwin
Originally founded in a small knit fabric factory in the Toyama Prefecture in 1950, Goldwin, like DESCENTE eventually found success in the market making skiing apparel. In 2016 the company changed it’s focus and started offering everyday clothes in technical fabrics like Gore-Tex, Polartec and Pertex. Their modus operandi is officially to create fashion that harmonizes with nature. This reflects in their designs, which are primarily understated and focus on quiet but well thought out details, akin to the Jinba-Ittai philosophy.
The colours are mostly muted, ranging from black over grey to earth/green. With Goldwin’s history as a brand for sports and outdoorswear clothing, the design language is rather utilitarian, although they do offer a few button-up shirts and tailored menswear. Goldwin 0 is their experimental sub-brand, consisting of more extreme technical designs. From what I’ve handled from this brand, the quality feels on par with Veilance in a similar minimal aesthetic that often uses basic polyesters and nylons with minimal colourways.
Web store: https://www.goldwin-global.com/
Web Store JP: https://www.goldwin.co.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldwin_official/
Y!JP Auctions: Goldwin New & Used Japanese Auctions
MUJI
A brand like MUJI, primarily known for minimalist-style appliances of all kinds, doesn’t seem to be related to urban technical wear at first. At a similar price point to competitor Uniqlo, MUJI’s brand value proposition is a focus on materials and utilitarianism; a kind of “no-brand” alternative for clothing.
MUJI’s materials-first focus has resulted in a number of low cost, but high value urban technical wear. They sell DWR-coated pants, minimal stretch basics and waterproof outwear in a range of attractive seasonal colours. Sadly, the last few times I’ve visited a MUJI, their once signature resin-coated nylon shells with waterproof 2-Way YKK hardware seem to have been permanently replaced with a DWR-coated polyester and cheaper coil zippers, almost indistinguishable from Uniqlo’s mainline Blocktech jackets, which I do not rate highly versus Muji’s older Resin shells. Despite this, MUJI do offer good value and construction for a lower price point, and they have a LABO sub-line that has more fashion-forward designs with often traditional Japanese details, such as synthetic noragi tops and cropped tapered pants. Unlike Uniqlo, they also have a range of footwear, including unbranded DWR-coated ventile slip on sneakers which are great value for the summer.
Web store: https://www.muji.com/jp/ja/store
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/muji_global/
Y!JP Auctions: MUJI LABO New & Used Japanese Auctions
nonnative
nonnative is a upper mid-level fashion brand with a large variety of clothes and accessories in each collection, almost everything from head to toe, footwear included. They have gone through a number of aesthetics over the years including workwear denim, western styles, 70’s Vietnam war era military surplus like Engineered Garments and also a minimal urban technical performance stint.
The 70s military surplus and urban outdoor lines are perhaps the most relevant for this list. nonnative’s quality and construction are very high in my experience and the often retro designs are subtly modernised for today’s urban environments more so than than brands like VISVIM which keep a lot of period details. While there are a lot of non-performance garments in nonnative, there are many that feature technical fabrics, which could work well for consumers with a utilitarian mindset who want a kind of “sleeper” or “greyman” aesthetic.
Web store: https://nonnative.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nonnative/
Y!JP Auctions: nonnative New & Used Japanese Auctions
TEÄTORA
Daisuke Kamide, apk phenix’s previous creative director has retained his own brand TEÄTORA, which itself has a very functional approach to urban fashion. If alk phenix was a brand dedicated to light activity and commuting outside in urban environments, TEÄTORA is more focused on officewear for creatives and travel-appropriate garments for sitting long hours in a plane or subway.
The cuts are often roomy, distinct to the majority of slim cut Japanese fashion brands and the collections are almost always offered in just black or navy colourways. Fans of Goldwin or Veilance who want a less outdoors aesthetic or to try a casual and comfortable take on functional officewear may want to check TEÄTORA out. Despite the brands’ minimal aesthetic and humble presentation, the pieces are brimming with performance features of what an urban commuter or office worker might actually use. Compared to brands that use “performance” marketing to sell Gore-tex outdoor shells for walks in an air-conditioned mall, I find TEÄTORA more authentic and realistic for the use case of most consumers.
Web store: https://store.teatora.jp/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teatora_sendagaya/
Y!JP Auctions: TEATORA New & Used Japanese Auctions
The Viridi-Anne
Founded in 2001 by Tomoaki Okaniwa, the brand is more fashion oriented and prioritizes aesthetics over functionality and performance. However, there are pieces that use technical fabrics like Schoeller and the construction and quality of The Viridi-Anne’s products is in the higher end near DEVOA, in general being at a level much higher than brands such as Goldwin or and wander, with a price to match.
In an industry where many brands are cutting costs to stay afloat, with cheaper materials and construction across the board to maintain or even increase prices, I can confirm that The Viridi Anne as of early 2024 still puts out garments that feel like real clothes, rather than just branded products. The brand, like DEVOA has veered towards goth artisanal, and like nonnative had a Western phase, but in recent years the aesthetic has levelled to a dark urban casual mixing organics and proprietary technical fabrics with military and sportswear references.
Web store: https://viridi-anne.jp/index.html
Instagrams: https://www.instagram.com/the_viridi_anne_atelier/ | https://www.instagram.com/the_viridi_anne_store/
Y!JP Auctions: THE VIRIDI ANNE New & Used Japanese Auctions
White Mountaineering
White Mountaineering in the past was a decidedly urban techwear brand, though over time has more and more gone towards an almost BAPE-like approach to streetwear in its designs. Previously focused on mostly all-black technical outdoors and military derived designs, some rather bizarre choices like colourful print satin paisley pajama pants have become the brand’s typical release.
As stated in the introduction, this is one of the brand’s you’d most likely prefer browsing Y!JP auctions for older releases. Nevertheless they are still making urban techwear products here and there between streetwear releases. In the past, White Mountaineering has frequently collaborated with other brands like Japanese and global brands including Uniqlo, Merrell and Adidas.
Web store: https://whitemountaineering.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitemountaineering_official/
Y!JP Auctions: White Mountaineering New & Used Japanese Auctions
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